SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2023
News alert from the Fox Crime Family: Last evening, as the end of his hour neared, Jesse Watters reported the latest bombshell.
Watters has long been the smarmy, lower-IQ face of the next generation of primetime hosts at the Fox News Channel.
Today, he hosts the 8 p.m. Eastern hour, having replaced Tucker Carlson. Last evening, as his hour neared its end, he introduced the bombshell:
WATTERS (10/20/23): Fox News Alert! House Oversight has been digging into the Biden family's personal and business records and look what they found!
It's a check, from "Jimmy the Chin," Joe Biden's brother, to Biden for 200 grand.
So began the Fox News Alert from its dumbest and smarmiest host.
Long story short. The House Oversight committee is now bruiting a check from the somewhat unattractive James Biden to bis brother, Joe Biden.
The check is in the amount of $200,000. It's marked "loan repayment."
The check is dated March 1, 2018. Joe Biden had been out of office for more than a year at that time.
As was widely reported and as is well known, Joe Biden and his wife had been banking millions of dollars during that period, money received from two book deals and from an array of speaking appearances.
The Bidens had banked a whole lot of scratch—unless you're one of the millions of people who don't understand who and what Watters actually is.
Who and what is the smarmy Watters? Here's the way he ended his brief Fox News Alert:
WATTERS: So Joe Biden, on a taxpayer salary his whole life, is loaning his brother $200,000, who's got multimillion dollar homes and who works in the private sector?
Does it may any sense? There's more where that came from, and we'll keep you updated on Monday.
To watch this braindead Fox News Alert, you can just click here.
From there, Watters smarmily teased an utterly meaningless, amazingly brief news update about the drowning death of the Obamas' personal chef on Martha's Vineyard last summer.
Sure enough! Another Obama-related death!
This is who and what the smarmy Watters actually is. Ever since his long-running stint as Bill O'Reilly's stupenagel on the street, it's been clear that he was the next generation of slimy Fox News performers.
Last night, he was suggesting to viewers that there was no imaginable way Joe Biden could have loaned that kind of money to his brother, "Jimmy the Chin." This is who and what Watters currently is, but so too with this dumbbell's employers.
Sean Hannity came on the air at 9 p.m. When he did, he interviewed Rep. Comer, star of House Oversight's investigation of the so-called Biden Crime Family.
You can watch that interview here. You'll see more of the same concerning that loan from Rep. Comer—and of course from Hannity, who's actually quite a bit brighter than the frat-inflected Watters.
For Kevin Drum's thumbnail of this latest episode, you can just click this. CBS News fills in some of the background information in this news report—information Hannity and Comer skillfully found their way past.
Like the dope who precedes him each evening, Hannity couldn't imagine where a guy like "Middle-Class Joe" could have acquired all that money. Other such nonsense prevailed.
This is the way the game is now played on partisan, profit-seeking corporate "cable news." As we've noted in the past:
It isn't obvious that a large modern nation can survive an arrangement like this.
"Stupenagel"?
ReplyDeleteHaw! Thanks for introducing me to this word.
Should be spelled Stulpnagel, not stupenagel as Somerby has it. Kind of dilutes it to spell it wrong, implying two stulpnagels not just one.
DeleteI think it’s von Stuelpnagel, the theater director famous for using puppets.
DeleteA German who tried to kill Hitler but failed is so funny ha ha ha. Imagine what happened to him, the look on his face when he was executed ha ha ha.
DeleteAn aside, but sparked to recall a fascinating figure from Russian/Soviet Union children’s theater - Natalya Sats, who was involved in creating Peter and the Wolf, then later suffered from Stalin's “great purge” of leftists, but then was “rehabilitated” after Stalin’s death and had a very successful theater career before passing in 1993.
DeleteNatalya got around too, even having an affair with military leader Tukhachevsky, who was killed in the purges, possibly because he had evidence that Stalin had been a double agent working for the Tsar.
Anonymices make Hezbollah seem laid-back, affable, and reasonable.
DeleteBut you object when someone compares you to a Hitler sympathizer?
DeleteAnonymouse 5:57pm, actually, I compared Hezbollah favorably to you.
DeleteAt least there are serious disputes and contentions where they are concerned.
You think modern fascism isn't a serious threat?
DeleteAnonymouse 10:54, yes, I do, but I don’t see modern fascism hiding under my bed at night or behind the juicer in the morning.
DeleteOr in the words and actions of Republicans from the House to dear leader, apparently. That is why people said you would feel at home at a Nazi sympathizer rally in the US before WWII. Lots of people didn't fear fascism then either. History suggests they should have.
DeleteBtw, I am aware of the various types of trolls and internet sock puppets.
DeleteOT -- we were talking about your affinity for the kind of Nazis that hang around Republicans these days.
DeleteAnd blogboards.
Deletehttps://www.alternet.org/nazi-germany-had-admirers-among-american-religious-leaders-and-white-supremacy-fueled-their-support/
DeleteWho is Fox news colluding with in its “arrangement”? Somerby never says but he must have someone in mind to keep making this claim. The word “corporate” covers a lot of ground.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans, it’s not a secret.
DeleteFox yes, but not MSNBC (nor are they colluding with Dems the way Fox does with the right). CNN is having an identity crisis.
Delete"It's marked "loan repayment.""
ReplyDeleteIf indeed this is so straightforward, surely there has to be a corresponding earlier check marked "loan", drawn by the good decent unreasonably suspected Joe, to pay to the order of the somewhat unattractive James?
Why not to simply produce it and close the matter once and for all?
“Why not to simply produce it and close the matter once and for all?”
DeleteThat’s a good one! As if this were really a good faith investigation!
There in fact is documentation showing that Biden had loaned his brother $200k, it’s being obstructed by the Republicans, but the Dems on the Oversight Committee have revealed this fact.
DeleteHere is what Tom Sullivan says at Digby's blog:
Deletehttps://digbysblog.net/2023/10/21/you-cant-make-this-up-either/
@6:00 PM
Delete"it’s being obstructed by the Republicans"
Are you saying that both Joe and James are kept in cages somewhere, to prevent them from sharing an image of that $200k check sent from Joe to James?
The Republicans would not permit the info to be introduced in their hearing, because it would undercut their claims of corruption. Your beef is with them.
DeleteAgain: are both Joe and James kept in cages somewhere, to prevent them from giving the media an image of that $200k check sent from Joe to James?
Delete10:59, believe or not but the President does not have play monkey in the middle responding to every new bullshit smear attack from the fever swamps. Even responding would be dignifying the unfounded smear beyond what it is worth. Is that ok with you, fuckface? You can keep pretending you've proven something if it makes you feel better, but in this country nobody has to prove a negative. So you and your pals in the monkey caucus can carry on with your circle jerk.
DeleteYou are adorable, Corby.
DeleteSo, it wasn't a loan, then? Do we agree on that?
Otherwise, like I said back @12:50 PM yesterday, why not produce the check drawn by the good decent unreasonably suspected Joe, to pay to the order of the somewhat unattractive James, and close the matter once and for all?
Um, cause fuck you, that's why.
DeleteWatch your blood pressure, Corby, please.
DeleteYou trolls are calling someone Corby who has never posted as Corby here. If you can't get that right, how can anyone believe anything you say about Biden? These attacks on Biden are just more lame trolling.
Delete"We trolls" did not say anything about Biden, Corby.
DeleteI only asked: why not produce the check drawn by the good decent unreasonably suspected Joe, to pay to the order of the somewhat unattractive James, and close the matter once and for all?
It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to scan the check and email it to nytimes.com.
Corby posted here under the name of Corby.
Delete1:08, you asked, and I answered, and then you pretended to not understand the answer, ignored it and asked the same fucking question again. You can fuck off now.
DeleteThat's right, Cecelia, but the person being identified as Corby above by the troll is someone who never posted here as Corby during the time when Corby was commenting.
DeleteYou didn't answer, Corby. You typed your usual word-salad.
Delete@1:24 certainly did answer, Cecelia. All of us understand that answer, but if you didn't that's on you. Take your troll buddies and go drink your borscht, Cecelia.
DeleteHow many of you are there, Corby?
DeleteAnonymouse 1:31pm, anonymices label people who post anonymously as being Mao and even David. I’ve seen post accusing anonymices of being me.
DeleteAnonymices are generally overwrought and hair-triggered, but that seems to have increased lately.
Cecelia, if you would stop calling everyone Corby, it would help anonymous commenters feel more welcome here. Calling us names such as rodent or hair-triggered is harrassment. If you guys can't stick to a topic and stop the personal remarks, you aren't fit for polite company. @1:24 answered, but the troll's purpose here isn't to advance info but to smear Biden and interfere with liberal discussion. That makes him the interloper and badly behaved asshole, not Corby and certainly not any of the anonymous people who have tried to deal seriously with this issue and correct the lies being spread.
DeleteI haven’t called anyone Corby. I did make a reply to someone who mentioned Corby yesterday, but that’s it.
DeleteAs usual, here you are chiding the heck out of everyone, while you hyperbolically accuse me of calling people Corby.
Go take a nap. You’ll look better.
But Cecelia, can you prove you are not one of the people who have been calling everyone Corby here? I'm chiding everyone when you guys are harrassing anonymous commenters? Why don't you try behaving like a real human being and see whether anyone bothers you?
DeleteIt should be pretty obvious to all here that the trolls are right wingers whereas the substantive comments are coming from liberals here. That makes the trolls operatives trying to disrupt liberal discussion. There is no excuse for that except that Republicans have no restraint when it comes to using destructive methods to target political opponents. They have no arguments, so they resort to the equivalent of violence against those trying to discuss topics. You guys should be ashamed of this. It makes you look like ineffectual assholes who can't participate so you try to flip the checkerboard onto the floor. There is something seriously wrong with you, and most of us are sick of you guys being here.
Anonymouse 4:35pm, why would you think anyone had to prove anything to you on a blogboard?
Delete.
That notion is made more ridiculous by you being anonymous.. You’re like the Borg. No one knows the history of who has said what, three minutes ago. That’s how you like it.
You decide to read and reply to certain comments or refrain from that. You can’t stage manage this place. The man who can do that doesn’t do it,, even though you say terrible things about him. Get it in your head that this blog isn't something you’ve made yours via conquest. You are tolerated by the guy who owns it, you have not subdued it.
.
You do screeds against political contrarians that generally contain one objective statement or position and the rest is subjective ire.
No one gives a hoot if you’re sick of anyone else being here. It’s a comment board.
Remember this next time you complain.
DeleteAnonymouse 11:16pm, since I was responding to anonymouse complaints, you remember it,
DeleteHow could anyone forget all the times Cecelia tried to bully TDH commenters, and then cried like a victim when commenters called her out for acting like a piece of shit?
DeleteEven if it was a loan it proves that President Biden lied when he said he never benefited from the business dealings of his family, business dealings that traded on his name. Which some people may find unethical and hypocritical.
ReplyDeleteno it doesn't
DeleteWe all know Bob is a red-triber masquerading as blue (so that he can lure other blues in, then surreptitiously convert them to red). That much is obvious.
DeleteBut today he's carried the pretense a step further, devoting his entire post to pretending to castigate Fox so that...(whirr, click) that is....(whirr, click), which is to say... (warning! warning! reality intrusion!) so easy to see through... (theory breakdown! theory breakdown! stop reading immediately!)
It’s almost worth trudging through all the Somerby-hate just to see one of Hector’s takedowns.
DeleteActually, the more I think about Hector’s takedown, the more I think it’s a challenge to those liberals of good faith who believe that Somerby is a conservative (or a paid stooge) in sheep’s clothing. Don’t you have to modify your theory, maybe add an epicycle or two?
DeleteHector, not his "entire" post.
DeleteThis is the way the game is now played on partisan, profit-seeking corporate "cable news."
The game isn't played this way on the "cable news" I watch.
Biden did not lie about, nor benefit from loaning his brother the money, other than to feel good that he is a loving and supportive member of a family.
DeleteNo one finds this unethical or hypocritical, most people would like someone as loving and supportive as Biden in their own family. Republicans live in a dog eat dog world, so the kind of humanity Biden demonstrates drives them crazy.
Also, no one hates Somerby; Somerby rightfully receives criticism for his nonsense posts and for developing an audience of the blue tribe under false pretenses. (At least Drum has the decency to more openly admit his centrism, aka right wing)
Somerby has not been jailed, posts almost daily. He is free to eat his bagels and make the young women he inappropriately attempts to flirt with feel uncomfortable. (If only pity was employed instead of mocking, we could have been spared the manifestation of Somerby’s hostility)
Hector’s comment is not a takedown of anything or anyone, other than himself. He seems psychologically triggered that Somerby gets criticized and oblivious to obvious context that makes his comment nothing more than sputtering nonsense.
6:22 - Are you accusing Somerby of sexual harassment? If so, could you provide support for that accusation? Or is this just another baseless, drive-by smear?
DeleteDawg, there is no such accusation, this is just another one of your baseless, drive-by smears.
DeleteAm I the only one offended by this garbage? A couple of days ago some cretin said Cecelia would have been a Nazi sympathizer when Hitler was on the rise. Today this cretin accuses Somerby of creeping out young women. Do you folks have no decency?
Delete"Hector, not his "entire" post."
DeleteQuite true, although that leaves us somewhere around 98.6%.
But I compliment you on your response, which argues by using an actual quote from Somerby, rather than the usual botched paraphrase or non-insightful insight into Bob's thinking.
Hector, that 1.4% which you so casually dismiss, was the whole point of TDH's post. Both sides bullshit. There is nothing comparable on the cable channels I watch to the Watters nonsense and the normal bullshit propaganda served up on FOX every damn day.
DeleteBob's Right-wing grievance of the day blog has been getting a lot of comments lately.
Delete@12:18 asked a question that no one is answering. Do you not know the answer or not care about it or both? It is Somerby’s main point.
ReplyDeleteI think 12:18’s question doesn’t make much sense because he misunderstands what Somerby means by the “arrangement.” I think the “arrangement” refers to the division of cable news sources into dueling tribal silos. So it’s not Fox’s “arrangement”; it’s the arrangement of all the cable news sources.
DeleteAnonymouse 5:08pm, do you?
Deleteno, wondering what Somerby knows
DeleteI doubt all the owners conspired especially since some have changed, so what is he saying?9
All cable news is run by corporations pushing a neoliberal agenda, most of them play it straight while offering a narrow range of views, Fox News is different in that they actively attempt to dupe their viewers.
DeleteWatters plays a tough guy on tv, but is a paper tiger in real life, just ask Ryan Grim. (He’s also a creep, he apparently took the air out of a female coworker’s car tire that he had designs on - the amount of money Fox News has to pay to settle sexual harassment issues could fund a school lunch program in perpetuity.)
Hannity has been exposed as merely both a lobbyist for Republicans, sending bullying emails to push their agenda, and an advisor for Trump’s campaign.
He had designs on a tire?
DeleteThe female coworker, although there are some hot tires out there (I’m partial to Hoosiers). Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
DeleteI dunno, Watters is a freak …
Delete"Who is Fox news colluding with in its “arrangement”? Somerby never says but he must have someone in mind to keep making this claim."
DeleteHe drops a pretty big clue when he describes corporate cable news as 'profit seeking'.
The arrangement is between media conglomerate shareholders and the amygdalas of their audience. We watch cable news less for its informative content than the emotional charge it imparts, most especially its Trumpian cathexis (present company included).
Trump Trump Trump. Jail Jail Jail.
All businesses are profit seeking except non-profits like PBS. That is no crime and doesn’t cause all businesses to be run alike, much less like Fox, whose owner is a partisan with political motives not just financial ones. I agree that this might be Somerby’s argument but I think he is wrong.
DeleteIs it too late for me to sign up for Hector +?
Delete“Trump Trump Trump jail jail jail”
DeleteYou do realize, George, that Trump is actually being prosecuted. That isn’t made up, and what he did was inexcusable. I don’t know if he’s actually going to jail, but I wonder if you can see the nature of what Trump did is beyond the pale and deserves an accounting. It has nothing to go with tribalism. It isn’t propaganda in the same vein as what Fox does regularly. He tried to stay in power despite losing the election, which he keeps claiming he won. It’s unprecedented and it’s wrong.
Dogface George,
DeleteNot too late. First month is free and if you're not satisfied, you get your money back!
For the record, there is no contradiction in believing both:
Deletea) the truth of the notions expressed by mh @ 10:06, and
b) that an inordinate and unhealthy amount of time is devoted to covering the minutiae of Trump's legal problems.
A shorthand way of expressing b) is TTT JJJ.
Trump "allegedly" tried to stay in power despite losing the election.
DeleteThere is no doubt he tried to stay in office. We all saw and heard him do that. The question is what specifically he did to try to accomplish that and whether any of it was illegal. So, the word allegedly is applied to the wrong behavior. The phrase "tried to stay in office" could be applied to every single president who ran for reelection, including Trump. There is nothing wrong with trying to stay in office. It is how you do it that matters. So you need to put the word "allegedly" in front of the various charges filed against him, not the innocuous and entirely legal attempt to stay in office broadly construed.
DeleteAl Gore tried to stay in office after losing the election too. He filed a case with the Supreme Court which was decided against him. Does the word allegedly belong in front of any part of that behavior? No. What he did was not only legal but it happened as a matter of historical fact, documented by court filings.
Allegedly refers to the actions that Trump did that are illegal, not to the things he did that were not charged and are not legal and also not in dispute.
This matters because putting the word "allegedly" in front of facts undermines our sense of what is true and real compared to disinformation, lies and propaganda. It is not propaganda or lies or disinformation that Trump has been charged with 91 felonies. The charges are not made up. The trial is to determine whether Trump committed those illegal acts, not whether he tried to stay in power despite losing the election. It is about how he did that and whether he committed crimes as alleged.
So Trump's behavior of trying to stay in office is not unprecedented?
DeleteI agree with mh 10:06 100%.
DeleteI agree with Hector 10:53 100%.
mh - Where I think we differ is in what to do about the fact that, if the election were held right now, it’s probable that Trump would win.
Deletemh - Where we differ is in what to do about the fact that if the election were held today, Trump would probably win.
DeleteAl Gore tried to stay in office after losing the election too. He filed a case with the Supreme Court which was decided against him.
DeleteWrong. I wish people would get their facts straight about "Bush v Gore". It was Bush who took it to the Supreme Court, not Gore. Gore had already won his case in the State of Florida Supreme Court, and that should have been the end of it. Because WE ARE A REPUBLIC, NOT A DEMOCRACY, and the US Supreme Court has no role in state elections. Except when they decide to interfere to elect a republican who knew he was going to lose the recount in FL.
So Trump's behavior of trying to stay in office is not unprecedented?
His criminal conspiracy to steal the election most certainly was unprecedented, Troll Boy.
"His criminal conspiracy to steal the election most certainly was unprecedented, Troll Boy"
DeleteHow so? Dick.
We have election laws in this country, Boris. Go read the indictments.
DeleteA little of Jesse goes a long loonng way.
ReplyDeleteBiden spread blood libel he couldn't confirm on behalf of a powerful military that controls a subjugated population.
ReplyDeleteBut good thing he's not crazy!
The “blood libel” says that Jews drank the blood of Christian children. Where and when did Biden say that?
DeleteBiden could express a better awareness of the plight of Palestinians but that would likely diminish his effectiveness in handling these issues.
DeleteWho knows what is going on in the background, there are a lot of connections between Israel, Hamas, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, but clearly Trump is enraged by Biden’s, so far and to a certain extent, handling and defusing of whatever intent was behind Hamas’ horrible actions.
Meanwhile, Russia is getting stomped by Ukraine and Trump will obviously be convicted next year.
If Biden is going to help restrain Israel from over-reacting, he needs to keep their ear. He can’t do that by appearing to support Hamas, not that he does.
DeleteSomerby, at long last, repudiates an instance of right wing smearing of Biden that has been routine since 2020. His takedown here is reasonable. However, this is the first instance that I am aware of since 2020 that Somerby has bothered to do this.
ReplyDeleteBut think about his criticism of MSNBC versus this one directed at Fox. Here, Fox is spreading false information and innuendo about Biden, acting as a mouthpiece for congressional republicans in their attempts to brand Biden a vast criminal. And as a reminder, the Fox lies about Dominion and the “rigged” election resulted in a nearly one billion dollar judgment against them, while dangerously misinforming their audience about something fundamental to our democratic system.
What is MSNBC’s sin? Reporting too much on the legal troubles of Donald Trump. Not false reporting, but too much reporting. And, I suppose, not speculating about Trump’s mental state (except O’Donnell has done that…). It’s a question of emphasis.
“It’s a question of emphasis.”
DeleteI guess that’s the epicycle.
The tragic consequences of blinding loyalty and servility, weaponized by right wingers and lamented by leftists.
DeleteAt any rate, fodder for processing a case study; thusly obliged, to some extent.
Mh is quite correct. Watters is a real slimy fellow, recall the pregnant 10 year
Deleteold he lied about, but that’s the garbage
you get every time he opens his mouth.
Bob usually treats Hannidy as a legit,
fair fellow, I doubt we will hear Bob
question the ethics of him trying to
get Jordan made speaker.
“the somewhat unattractive James Biden”
ReplyDeleteIn what way is he “unattractive?” Is this a thumb on the scales?
Yes also noticed this odd and unnecessary assessment.
DeleteI suspect Somerby talked about Fox today in order to quote the attack on Biden and link to Drum. That fulfills his obligation to whoever pays him whether he mocks Watters or not. I find his claims that Fox and CNN and MSNBC are all corporate in the same way to be obviously wrong and bothsiderist.
ReplyDeleteSomerby has previously claimed that Fox viewers hear things liberals don’t but here is a case going the other direction with liberals hearing more about Biden than Fox. Somerby never acknowledges that and calls all cable stations corporate, as if corporations are inherently bad (because capitalist?). This sounds like a silly way to smear mainstream media with any real evidence — equating them with Fox on no basis. So it matters to me what Somerby meant.
without any basis, not with
DeleteExactly, right wingers won’t find the reality of the circumstances concerning the loan to be compelling, or at least that’s how they’ll pretend to be.
DeleteSomeone once said this and it is on the money:
Delete“Now it isn’t even a matter of Bob not precisely saying what you want him to say, as though he’s your puppet. Bob is at a place today where it’s utterly rage-inducing to anonymices when he does express one of your sentiments or positions. You see that as a challenge to your existence. Oh you gather the troops and put on the battle fatigues when that happens. You work very hard and very nastily to put him back in his place by twisting his words or assigning to him some terrible motivation.”
Liberals are not all haters of Fox personalities. It is about the actual news, which Somerby barely discusses. Trying to mindread Somerby’s detractors shows your lack of understanding of the criticisms people take the time to write here.
DeleteAnonymouse 8:16pm, your post shows your lack of honesty, sincerity, and good will as to your opinion of the common sense of any human being reading this crap from you.
DeleteEasy to call names but your response is otherwise totally empty.
DeleteCecelia's responses are no more empty than the souls of Republican voters.
DeleteCorby is enjoying a weekend in Las Vegas.
ReplyDeletePlease give Corby, Deadrat, and the wedding chapel officiant our best.
DeleteElvis says thank you for your kind remembrance.
DeleteUpdate — Somerby was likely not talking about Emanuel when he referred to hedge fund owners, but about a group of Fox billionaires who have been using financial clout to derail a Palestine Writes event at the University of Pennsylvania. I will post a link to an article about it when I am back at my computer.
ReplyDeletehttps://nomoremister.blogspot.com/2023/10/fox-and-finance-billionaires-campus.html
DeleteThe electron is neither a particle nor a wave.
ReplyDeleteFrom Political Wire:
ReplyDelete“Migrants were caught crossing the southern border of the United States more times in the past year than in any other year since at least 1960, when the government started keeping track of the data,” the New York Times reports.
“It is the third record-setting year in a row, during a time when migration around the world is at historic highs.”
“There were more than 2.4 million apprehensions in the 2023 fiscal year, which ended in September. That tops the previous record, set a year earlier, of more than 2.3 million, according to government data released on Saturday. During the 2021 fiscal year, there were more than 1.7 million apprehensions.”
---------------------------
There are two things to notice here. First, these are apprehensions, not successful crossings. Only asylum seekers get to stay until their applications are processed. Illegal border crossers are sent back, immediately deported. So, this is not a measure of how many people are getting to stay in the US.
Second, notice that the NY Times says that migration is up, at record highs, worldwide. That means this is not happening because of anything the US is doing, including Biden. It is happening because of factors such as climate change (which affects agriculture and causes disasters), violence and political struggles in other nations.
That is relevant to the unwilingness of the Republicans to approve diplomatic and staff appointments in Biden's administration. How are Biden's appointees supposed to address the problems in other parts of the world when Congress will not approve their appointments? Republican obstruction makes these problems theirs, not the fault of Biden, who is doing a heck of a job despite interference from people who are supposed to be on the side of America, not partisan spoilers who think about nothing but hurting Democrats (with the rest of America as collateral damage).
There is a conference being held among Central American, South American and Carribbean nations about how to reduce the flow of migration arising from factors in those countries, headed toward the US border. The US is not invited because it is not contributing migrants to those other countries. However, this paragraph in the article was relevant to US efforts to reduce migration:
Delete"Biden signed an agreement at the beginning of his administration to address the root causes of migration in Central America with Vice President Kamala Harris at the helm. He committed $4 billion to the cause. But so far, Congress has not fully funded the plan, according to the Congressional Research Service. Harris has said she’s garnered over $4.2 billion commitments from the private sector for economic development in the region."
If Republicans are serious about reducing attempts to cross the border, they need to fund these efforts.
The right wing claim is that Joe Biden adjusted his foreign policy in exchange for money paid to his relatives, and his relatives then shared that money with Joe. A payment from Biden's brother to Joe would fit that narrative, but of course such a payment doesn't prove the narrative.
ReplyDeleteThere is proof that Joe Biden loan $200,000 to his brother James, so the notation "loan repayment" was accurate.
DeleteHow does someone who holds no political or government position affect foreign policy in exchange for money? The only way is as a lobbyist, which is legal, ethical and done by many former government employees and politicians. Pretending that this is nefarious takes advantage of the ignorance of some voters and it is dishonest, disinformation and propagandistic. You should not knowingly help such an effort by posting comments implying that Joe Biden did anything wrong by loaning money to his brother and subsequently being repaid.
Obviously, Joe Biden did nothing to save Americore from bankruptcy. If there were influence peddled, wouldn't you expect him to have kept the firm afloat? I find myself wondering who paid whom to get them to claim James Biden promised them favors in exchange for the loan. That is the suspicious part to me. A claim of a quid pro quo requires that the quo (favor) be established, not the quid (money payment). There is no evidence of anything Biden might have done, or even the possibility of him doing such a favor while out of office (or beforehand either). Where is that evidence? Without it, the Republicans (and you) are just blowing smoke.
Sometimes David is shockingly dishonest.
DeleteWhere is the proof?
DeleteThere isn't proof yet. Just claims so far.
Deleteadjusted his foreign policy in exchange for money paid to his relatives,...
DeleteThe Supreme Court says that is fine and dandy.
Reporting from Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday made it much harder to prosecute public officials for bribery, ruling that governors, legislators, mayors or their advisors who take secret cash from wealthy people for setting up special meetings are not guilty of a crime.
The justices by a 8-0 vote overturned the bribery conviction of former Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell because prosecutors did not prove that he took a direct “official action” in exchange for the $175,000 in gifts and loans he received from a businessman who was promoting a dietary supplement made from tobacco.
Would another narrative be the Biden family used the promise of an adjusted foreign policy or beneficial treatment due to the proximity to President Biden in order to enrich themselves to the tune of tens of millions of dollars? And further that President Biden and even the Obama White House should have been aware and were aware, (we know now they were aware), that these family members were performing this grift and that President Biden and the Obama White House should have put an immediate stop to it? And further that not stopping it and allowing it to go on was unethical and a form of corruption? And further than that that this culture of unethical and corrupt behavior makes accusations of the same against Trump hypocritical?
DeleteFantasy may be a narrative but it isn't factual. Making up stuff doesn't count as anything but hostility.
DeleteAnother narrative would be that Biden's son later payed out $350 k to Americore because he promised them that his father would pull strings for them when, in fact, Joe Biden was out of public office, but never informed his father of this, and as a result they got nothing in return. This is probably why Comer did not honestly present the full story of this as a loan repayment.
Delete(Brother)
DeleteHe paid back $350,000 of the $600,000 in loans he received. But he only paid it back after he was sued for it. He ended up pocketing a quarter of a million dollars that he had borrowed. Which seems kind of unattractive.
It may be totally above board but it also may read as unethical and corrupt to some potential voters. Right?
https://www.wsj.com/articles/james-biden-settles-loan-lawsuit-tied-to-rural-hospitals-bankruptcy-11664236240?st=d9xj485vx8dxjcl
Thus far there's no evidence President Biden ever made a loan. There are only claims.
DeleteSorry - Unamused - did you write that as an absurdist joke, riffing on the previous comment about 'making up stuff'? Good one!
DeleteThere is nothing here but a Republican attempt to smear Joe Biden.
DeleteGiving a loan to a family member does not mean someone is participating in their business. It means a relative is helping out a relative with a cash flow problem, whatever the cause.
DeleteGiving a loan to a family member does not automatically mean that someone is not participating in their business. The two actions are separate. But participation in the business is not the issue.
DeleteIf the Biden family capitalized on their closeness to President Biden by offering favorable treatment in exchange for amassing tens of millions of dollars, and if President Biden and the Obama White House were aware of these actions and choose not to intervene, some people may view the affair as unethical and potentially corrupt. This alleged culture of unethical behavior may, in the eyes of some, raise questions about the hypocrisy of similar accusations against Trump.
DeleteWe know that Biden, as VP, helped a corrupt Ukrainian company avoid being investigated. He demanded that a Ukrainian investigator who was investigating Burisma be fired, under the threat that he would hold up Ukraine's foreign aid money. This action was after Burisma had paid a fortune to his son Hunter, in exchange for nothing. We do not have evidence whether Hunter shared the swag with Joe. Whether or not Joe got any of the money, it's corrupt, even if it's technically legal.
DeleteBTW this was all known and obvious when Biden was running for President. I am aware that many or most Biden supporters somehow were able to ignore the obvious connection between the money paid to Hunter and the actions of VP Joe. This goes to show that Biden's supporters are as bad a the MAGAs. Trump boasted that he could commit murder in public, and his supporters would stick with him. That's hypothetical. Biden has similar support, and it's actual. Biden boasted about forcing Burisma's investigation to end. And, Biden's supporters stuck with him.
This is old ground and has been debunked, including here.
DeleteBiden boasted about forcing Burisma's investigation to end.
DeleteThat's total bullshit, David, you fucking lying bastard.
Things Biden does not have to prove he is not:
Delete1. Part Cherokee
2. Count Dracula (except on Halloween)
3. The missing princess Anastasia
4. A former Luchador wrestler
5. Author of Shakespeare's plays
6. Father of half the orphans in Delaware
7. Part owner of the Big Thunder Gold Mine
When people make accusations, it is up to them to supply solid evidence. It is not required of the accused person to defend themselves against unsubstantiated claims.
There is no evidence in support of any of the Republican claims against Joe Biden. The most recent ones do not even accuse him of any wrongdoing and are generally no one's business.
"Biden boasted about forcing Burisma's investigation to end."
DeleteNo. He boasted about having gotten a prosecutor, Shokin, fired.
There are varying reports as to whether Shokin was even investigating Burisma at the time of the firing.
And as I've explained before, Vice-Presidents don't generally make high-profile foreign policy decisions on their own. Biden was the point man for the Obama Admin policy, not its originator.
Here’s the reality:
Delete1. Currently, there’s no public evidence of any criminal activity by Biden.
2. House Republicans will continue investigating and leaking any tidbits they think will embarrass Biden.
3. If this investigation finds substantial evidence of corruption by Biden, many Democrats will seek to remove him from office.
4. Currently, there is substantial public evidence of fraud and corruption by Trump, with multiple lawsuits and criminal proceedings pending.
5. Republicans overwhelmingly overlook this evidence and seek to install him in office anyway.
One sad thing about all this is that in the old days, Somerby would have been all over the “Biden corruption” story, just like he went after the false Gore reporting. But apart from today’s post, he has either ignored it or hinted that there is something fishy. It’s clear that his right wing readers (David in CA, for example) need someone to debunk this stuff. This blog may be the only place they might possibly hear the facts. So here’s hoping Somerby does more posts like this one.
Delete"David in CalOctober 22, 2023 at 4:15 PM"
DeleteVERY TRUE. If the Trump family had been found to have done what the Biden family has done and if Trump had lied about it time and time again like Biden has, partisan hacks and poor fools who look at the two political parties in black and white terms would be going f****** ape shit. It would be all over the propaganda outlets like MSNBC. It would be all over it every day.
But that's what we have, two sets of cultists that treat their party like it's a religion. Each will defend anything the party they support does and accuse and declaim the same types of behavior in the party they don't.
As Bob says, it's very human. But we do have a media culture that really lights a match to it.
So strange people can't see it.
Biden is not corrupt and he has not lied.
Delete11:14 proves the point.
DeleteThey would still be scraping David's brains off the ceiling if Hillary Clinton had won in 2016 and decided to bring her daughter and son-in-law in as top advisors, and the Chinese handed out Trademarks to Chelsea like candy, while the son-in-law buried his head up the Saudi's asses and was handsomely rewarded with $2 billion contribution to his newly founded investment company.
DeleteThe courts are charging Trump with the crimes he confessed to in public.
DeleteAnd we're supposed to be nice to the morons who believe this crap?
ReplyDeleteWhy not?
DeleteI have no idea if theres anything to this and I doubt much would come of it if there was, but being out of office would not have a lot of impact on the sway of Joe Biden.
DeleteA man who is a former VP and was a long- time senator knows everybody and everything about everybody. He is part and parcel with establishment DC even with a Republican Administration in office. .
Cecelia, the point is not "sway" but the position held by the person attempting to sway another. If Biden abuses an office he himself holds in order to provide favors for cash, then that is corruption because Biden is the office holder and is not doing his job on behalf of the people properly. If Biden is no longer in office, he holds no public position of trust. His conversations or lobbying of other people who he knows is not illegal or improper. It is not influence peddling to do that for money. It is a job called lobbying when someone does it full-time for whoever asks. VPs and Presidents don't do it much because they have pensions or other means of earning and don't need the money. So it makes a big difference that Biden was not holding any public office when this loan took place. Even if Biden were to contact some public official on someone else's behalf, that is not corruption, not a crime, not illegal, not against any rules. That is not to say that Biden did anything like that -- why would he?
DeleteThis whole supposed scandal makes no sense because nothing claimed is against any rules, much less laws. But apparently the Republicans suckered you into believing Bden did something wrong, and that is the goal of these smears. To make people think Biden did something wrong, even if they never prove anything and can't even describe something that would be wrong if it happened.
This is the same tactic used against Hillary Clinton, who was investigated repeatedly without those zealous Republicans finding anything she did wrong, much less illegal or unethical. All Trump had to do was repeatedly call her "Crooked Hillary" and the Republican true-believers accepted whatever stupid theory Fox presented.
Anonymouse 1:12pm, the company paid James Biden, who paid back his brother, despite it being in bankruptcy and stiffing its clients.
DeleteI am under the impression that this is part of the investigation.
It was loan from the company to the brother for 600k, not a payment.
DeleteThe bankruptcy came later.
DeleteThe rocket that crashed near a hospital in Gaza was launched by Hamas, not Israel. About 100-300 people were killed. The building is largely intact.
ReplyDeletehttps://jabberwocking.com/it-was-a-hamas-rocket-that-exploded-at-al-ahli-hospital-in-gaza/
Reported by All Jazeera, A far more reputable news organization than Fox.
DeleteBecause our schools have become a battleground for the right wing, voters need to understand where election funding in school board races is coming from. This article describes the flow of Republican dark money from billionaires into the campaigns of candidates for Denver's school board race:
ReplyDeletehttps://coloradonewsline.com/2023/10/21/billionaire-dark-money-denver-school-board/
This funding is enabling the right to field candidates who displace those running with legitimate grassroots support. As the article notes:
"Denver Families for Public Schools received $1.75 million in 2021 from the Campaign for Great Public Schools to promote their three selected candidates in the current Denver school board race. Denver Families for Public Schools functions as a 501(c)(4), which means it can donate unlimited amounts of money in political elections without disclosing its donors. It functions as an “astroturf” group by engaging in the practice of creating the illusion of widespread grassroots support for a candidate, policy, or cause when no such support necessarily exists. It set up a website, Facebook page, hired staff and recruited others to lobby for its cause. It posts videos of parents who say they don’t like the current school board candidates if they are opposed to them. It participates in forums to promote its selected candidates.
When Denver Families Action announced its school board endorsements in August, the leading fundraiser in the at-large seat at that time, Ulcca Hansen, withdrew from the race since she did not gain its endorsement. Hansen stated she could not win without the significant financial resources that come from “soft side spending.”
This money is also referred to as outside spending or “dark money,” because the funders of the outside groups often remain secret. Hansen felt the dark money would outpace campaign spending by a 10 to 1 margin. The $1.75 million that Denver Families for Public Schools received from The City Fund will be a major factor in the DPS school board race."
While local voters cannot raise the same large amounts of money, they can examine the backing of these alternative slates of candidates and vote for those with a long time interest and familiarity with local school issues instead of these right wing partisans with no interest in the needs of local children beyond their political agenda.
The conflicts in Denver are occurring all over our country. It is important for voters to know who they are voting for, now more than ever before.
Trump brought a frivolous lawsuit against
ReplyDeletehis Hillary Clinton and was fined a million
dollars by the judge for it. Two dirty tricks
operatives of the right went to jail for breaking
into Biden’s daughters home to steal her
diary. These two stories were noted in the
press but barely mention. That tells you
a lot about supposed press bias against
Trump. One wonders if Bob or David in
Ca even know about them.
Bob is certainly right, as a matter of logic, that Biden's riches don't prove that he took bribes. As Bob correctly points out, Biden earned lots of money from speeches and book deals.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it would be informative if we could compare amounts. How does the amount Biden earned from speeches and books compare with his amount of his current wealth? Is the amount he earned from books and speeches large enough to account for his current net worth?
Will anyone take this next step? Will Biden provide tne information necessary so that someone could take this next step?
I'd like to inspect every congress member's underpants to see who has skidmarks. Does that mean I should be allowed to engage in that invasive inspection?
DeleteWe are talking about a time period when Biden held no office and was a private citizen. Does he have no right to privacy?
"Will Biden provide the information necessary so that someone could take this next step?"
DeleteAnd if he did that, would it assuage his critics on the right? No. It would just give them something else to pick at.
There is no benefit to him at this time to engage with these accusations
Biden released his tax returns. Unlike Trump.
DeleteI've got an idea. When Biden gets convicted of stealing from a charity in his name or convicted of manipulating the value of his properties or convicted of sexual assault, why don't you let us know and we'll get back to you. Until then , he has important things to do, unlike republican members of congress. No one elected him to be answerable to every half backed conspiracy theory put forth by a bunch of otherwise malfunctioning pols.
DeleteYou know why you can write this?
DeleteBecause Trump’s underpants are unceasingly inspected for skid marks.
You know why, Cecelia? Cause Trump is smarter than everyone else, a real people person. LOL
DeleteAnonymouse 7:35am, yes, he’s a target, indeed. They don’t just look for skid marks on his undies, they do hourly proctology exams.
DeleteThe media and anonymices live up there.
Cause he's so "honest and trustworthy", I guess?
DeleteHillary Clinton says, "hold my beer".
Skid marks? I would suggest that 91 indictments is more on the order of turds running down his pants legs.
DeleteIs David’s net worth consistent with his income as an actuary?
ReplyDeleteHere is a statement by one of the Republicans who has decided NOT to run for speaker:
ReplyDelete"Williams, R-Willow Park, released his own statement explaining his decision: “After spending some time with my family in prayer, I have decided that now is not the right time for me to seek this important position. With my responsibilities as Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, serving Texas’ 25th Congressional District, running a business back home, and most importantly, to my family in these challenging times, it is important I give all I have to the jobs at hand.”
My question is -- why is this guy running a business back home instead of giving 100% to his full-time job as a member of the House of Representatives? This is not a part time job and people are not meant to be having various side gigs, much less running a business. For other offices, you are supposed to put investments and businesses into a blind trust to be run by someone else while you are in office. Why don't House members do that?
Of course he has no time to exercise leadership on behalf of his nation. He is trying to do two full times jobs. He apparently sees nothing wrong with that, since he has listed it among his reasons for decling to run. I have to ask what happened to public service -- are Republicans only interested in making as much money as possible?
The Texas Legislature meets in Regular Session for about five months every other year.
DeleteHe is in the US House, not the Texas legislature, or are you saying that’s where his work ethic comes from?
DeleteContact him and ask him, jackass.
Delete202-225-9896
Email roger.williams@mail.house.gov
He's owned a car dealership for 40 years.
Deletehttps://publicintegrity.org/politics/congressman-auto-dealer-accused-of-conflict-of-interest/
Fanny van der Faart, civilian.
ReplyDelete