Early this afternoon, Donald Trump tweeted out that he would be addressing the nation at 9:00 on Tuesday evening to discuss the “national security crisis on our southern border.” The three networks, who, back in November of 2014, refused to televise a speech on immigration by President Barack Obama, saying that it was too political, quickly caved, and said they would broadcast Trump’s speech. As for why they would do this, when they know full well that Trump will lie to the American people about this non-existent “crisis,” just as his Homeland Security Director and Press Secretary have done over the past few days, I think it’s safe to say that they were bullied into it.
According to CNN’s Brian Stelter, he received a text earlier today from a network executive stating the following. “[Trump] calls us fake news all the time, but needs access to airwaves,” the unnamed executive said. “If we give him the time, he’ll deliver a fact-free screed without rebuttal. And if we don’t give him the time, he’ll call every network partisan. So we are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.”
So, because the networks can’t stand up to Donald Trump, tomorrow evening, he will go on television to tell the American people of the terrorist threat on our souther border [which doesn’t actually exist], and make the case as to why we need a $5 billion wall [which border agents say would be counterproductive].
The truth is, a border wall would do nothing to stop terrorism and illegal border crossings are already at near a half-century low. But none of that will be said. Instead, it’s very likely that we’ll hear Donald Trump invoke the National Emergencies Act of 1976, saying that, because of the severity of the (imagined) crisis, he doesn’t have to work through Congress to give his racist followers the wall he promised them during the campaign.
I could go on, but I’ll just leave you with the three best responses I’ve seen to this thus far.
As long as the legacy media cares more appearing balanced than accurately informing the public, Trump and the rest of the Republicans who act in bad faith are going to have a structural political advantage.
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) January 8, 2019
A total and humiliating capitation to a president with no interest in the truth.
The news media is supposed to inform the public.
They are now being used to disseminate government propaganda. https://t.co/S3dP1yJI5B
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) January 8, 2019
Now that the television networks have decided to air the President’s address, which if his past statements are any indication will be full of malice and misinformation, Democrats must immediately be given equal airtime.
My statement with @SpeakerPelosi: pic.twitter.com/KIQPrdXEeg
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 8, 2019
99 Comments
The threat is real. The number of terror-watchlisted encountered at our Southern Border has increased over the last two years. The exact number is sensitive and details about these cases are extremely sensitive.
https://twitter.com/secnielsen/status/1082441890224619521?s=21
Pelosi and Schumer demand equal time.
https://www.politicususa.com/2019/01/07/dems-demand-equal-airtime-trump-immigration.html/amp
This summer I visited US/Canada border — longest stretch of unguarded border in world.
According to @JuliaEAinsley, during the first half of FY18 *seven times more* suspected terrorists were stopped there than US/Mexico border: nbcnews.to/2CVmrRD
Why no Canada border wall?
So, is anybody here in favor of demanding the dismantling of the already existing 600+ miles of fencing and barrier that already exists between the US and Mexico border?
No one is for open borders. What we’re saying is that a system already exists along the souther border, and we should do what we can to strengthen it, whether it be through the increased use of drones, or the funding of programs in South America which have historically proven successful in curbing illegal immigration. What we are saying is that a “wall” along the entire southern border is a ridiculous idea that will only help Trump with his base, and not deal with the underlying issue of illegal immigration.
“No one is for open borders.” M
“My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, sometime in the future with energy that’s as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere.” HRC
Resolve
Trump gets a lot of airtime in the U.S. Under European rules, the Democrats would be entitled to equal time.
The operative word, HW, is “dream.” I dream of a world where everyone lives to be over 100, is perfectly fulfilled, and doesn’t have to worry about food, shelter or health care. It’s something to aspire toward. It doesn’t mean that Hillary would take a chainsaw to our existing border fences. Only a moron would think that.
So “dreaming of” and “being for” are different. You are saying she would not have taken any steps at all towards doing it. It was all just a beautiful dream.
“No one is for open borders.”
“What we’re saying is […]”
Where anybody stands on securing the borders is a line drawing issue and should be discussed as such.There is a big difference between asking if people think we have the right amount of physical barriers now versus asking if someone is for open borders.
Who is “we”, btw?
So you are saying the physical barriers that already exist and span about one third of the US/Mexico border is the exact right and reasonable amount of physical barrier to prevent illegal immigration at the reasonable rate? Any more physical barrier would be excessive and only appealing to racists? Any less and we are exposing ourselves to threat of brown people entering our country illegally?
Are you drawing the line of appropriate amount of physical barrier based upon some kind of expertise you are not telling us about?
They did it in Europe. How are you not the moron to not be able to sense one little bit of danger to the USA? You want a President who dreams of an AU with no borders from Argentina to Canada. In fact you say fuck you to all the people who did not want that. It wasn’t long ago all those politicians you like supported border barriers. Now it’s the devil because it’s Trump.
Watch the speech. Don’t believe a word of it!
Simple question, HW, why don’t you want the border wall across our Canadian border?
Canada is a route for terrorists, human traffickers and drugs also. I don’t think it quite compares to Mexico but I could be wrong. I am in favor of reducing these serious crimes whatever direction they are from.
I prefer to be around people that look like me.
Why don’t you want to slow the influx of crime into the USA?
Dirty Peter
The wall is to prevent waves of uneducated poor migrants from entering. That doesn’t happen from Canada. Their education system is good and they speak American and can assimilate easily.
“Barack Obama’s 2014 speech on immigration was deemed too partisan to merit network airtime—but networks are bumping their usual prime-time programming so that Donald Trump can make an address on the same topic.”
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/01/trump-immigration-speech-border-wall-state-of-emergency
Anyone who really knows me understands I am a neophile. Throughout life I have often felt more comfortable and more interested in talking with immigrants or visitors to the USA from anywhere but here. You have it completely backwards like every single thing you say.
That’s a bitch-ass move to ape my nick like that and try to make people think I am saying something I am not. You are a little bitch, dude.
Down the rabbit hole……..
Hillary Clinton In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
https://www.amazon.com/Hillary-Clinton-Wonderland-Quotes-Campaign-ebook/dp/B01HOM8AV2
I find it hilarious (and sad) that Anonymous believed he was asking a “gotcha question” to HW. My god! Many of you people are so lost under the ideology that was handed to you by an establishment that does not even have your interests in mind.
Then he pretended to be me to put up the answer he wanted! What a cesspool this place is.
1) Anonymous asks HW a “complex question” (fallacy).
2) After HW answers the fallacious question in a way that negates the questioners fallacious presupposition, Fake HW answers the question in a way that attempts to give the illusion that the fallacious presupposition was warranted and confirmed.
Clear expressions of nihilism.
You guys should be ashamed of yourselves.
I’m for open borders in theory. The reality however is that even open borders would require regulation (like interstate transit) and enforcement. Open borders does not mean anarchy. I would be ok with dismantling the walls (which are effectively pervious anyway and always will be ) if we had honest and humane and economically sensible immigration reform. Right now we have laws that are in conflict with reality. The walls are there because so many feel compelled to bypass legal means of accessing temp work or immigration because the laws make it almost impossible to comply.
Any money spent on more border wall is being diverted from effectively implementing reasonable means to I
Migration and worker visas AND refugee services and resettlement. To me, welcoming immigrants into our country and allowing them to contribute positively to our economy is what makes America America. Immigration reform is the way to make America great again— just in the polar opposite way Trump intends.
The network that scrolls a simultaneous fact check chiron gets my ratings.
Can someone burn it to DVD so I can watch it without adding to the ratings or YouTube view count? Is that a valid reason for piracy?
Anonymous are anonymous so possibly more than one?
If Donald Trump wanted the wall, he’d have negotiated away something of value to get it. Or at least tried to do so.
He doesn’t want the wall. He wants the fight over the wall. He wants to be seen going to war over the wall. That’s what tonight is about.
I’ve been on the Intelligence Committee for over 10 years. On terrorism and other threats, I’ve received more briefings from FBI, CIA, and DHS than I could count.
How many times have any of them said we need a wall across the southern border?
Zero.
I don’t think most Americans have any idea how common and recent open borders are or what they really look like. (Not one size fits all)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_border
Ack. Should read: I don’t think most Americans have any idea how common open borders are or what they really look like ( (Not one size fits all) or how recent our current border policy with Mexico is.
I’ll say that I don’t want a wall because its a waste of money. If he wants to toss up a few miles in places where it’d do something useful, thats fine. The majority of illegals are just overstaying some type of legal status (student visa, refugee, etc). So I don’t see how this does much, and why the rank and file would decide to die on such a stupid hill. It’d be better to spend the money on immigration courts so people don’t start a life here before their first court date.
That said, I’d also like to see us double the amount of legal immigration we have, just as a starting point. Looking at the states that share a border with Mexico: California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Excluding New Mexico, the other states are three of the most economically vibrant we have, and Texas might be the most culturally vibrant state in the country. In effect, Texas already has an open border, given the volume of people over a single boundary (both legal and illegal crossings). It doesn’t seem to harm them, if it did, you’d expect the crime that HW is pissing himself over to be worst there. Also, the Republican party there is of a much different flavor than the rest of the country since they actually try to appeal to immigrants. Might be worth a shot for the rest of the GOP
See what’s happened already? Texans don’t care about human trafficking and are AINO Larpers. All the more reason to watch Q before this epidemic spreads to the rest of the country.
https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2019/1/8/18173678/trump-shutdown-voter-florida
He’s hurting the wrong people.
I wouldn’t favor dismantling the existing walls because that would cost more money than it is worth. The properly manned urban walls are probably actually people out but I would be ok with removing that staff from that purpose even though it would make the existing walls more easy to get past. I also would love to see the day when we can have more open borders with Mexico. One of the big criticisms I have about NAFTA was it didnt provide for movement of labor. It should have created a way that any Canadian or Mexican citizen can reside and work in the USA without limits and of course also allow for US citizens to live in work in Canada and Mexico.
I don’t say meaningless things like “AINO Larper” or “to watch Q”. Only a true low intelligence moron like Dirty Peter would say something like that.
The focus on the wall has zero to do with actually controlling immigration and everything to do with an appeal to racism and xenophobia. It seems to be a diversion from talking abouyt the real issue– for BOTH sides.
I will thank Trump for making exceedingly clear that we need abundant checks on Executive emergency powers. Amazing what he could do under a state of emergency/ Everything Q hoped for, including controlling who gets to use the internet.
HW must be incredibly happy today.
Hundreds of people DIE each year trying to get to the USA through Mexico. You support the loophole that motivates them to try to make it. Immediately deporting all who enter outside of proper channels takes away that incentive. President Trump proposes work visas for people we need. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with you? TDS I know but how did you get it so bad?
“zero to do with actually controlling immigration and everything to do with an appeal to racism and xenophobia”
So if the wall goes up it won’t have a significant impact on immigration…that’s your prediction? That part about racism and xenophobia is mentally ill. People are dying and we can prevent it. You think human beings are disposable when it comes to advancing your sick ideas?
I’m glad Trump’s speech is only ten minutes because I hate to tear myself away from listening to Rush’s 2112 and masturbating to photos of Paul Ryan lifting weights.
“controlling who gets to use the internet.”
You think that’s what Q wants to do? You live on the left of the Dunning Kruger curve. You know nothing but think you know it all. That’s why it’s ironic to the max when you trot out a link to the study.
Dirty Peter, the mental weakling obsessed with trying to degrade me because he can never outsmart me, speaks.
How much time do you spend thinking about me masturbating? You comment about it a lot, creepy guy.
If you want to watch it…
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trumps-prime-time-immigration-address
Fuck that bloated orange POS. I’m already in the country, with a passport, and an indominitable will to share the oligarchs wealth with the needy.
Che!
https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1417713-npc-wojak
Not that anyone asked me, but the schools situation is so shitty, that I absolutely agree with a full length wall between Mexico and American to save Mexicans from dealing with school staff..Adults dont realize how shitty American schools really are.
And I dont think it should be metal , I think it should be concrete. For real.
That feel
How many thousands of Americans and illegal immigrants alike have to die before you bozos consider it a crisis? Why don’t you contact some of the victims’ families and elaborate your position; see how they like it?
So my husband and I watched the Trump speech and rebuttal by Pelosi and Schumer and they were both talking past each other, I thought. Will a wall the complete length of the border help? Sure, it will slow down traffic across the border. On this one, I agree with President Trump.
The reason the President cites are terrorists and drug trafficking and he wants to assure legal crossing. It would help. He is a very tough person. Pelosi and Schumer are saying we will keep doing things the way we always have, basically, is my understanding. Given the opioid crisis and other issues, it doesn’t seem to be working that well. The Democrats should work with President Trump on this one.
5.6 Billion. ..they can find it in the budget. Pelosi and Schumer should agree to this and move on. There are so many other things to work on.
Again
That feel
Maria has a point. We’ve heard about the opioid crisis on a daily basis for months. Nearly everyone knows someone who has been effected. The number of deaths is enormous. Narcan is being distributed to help stem the overdoses. And the illegal drugs are entering our country through our southern border to a large extent.
I realize the talking points went out yesterday to claim that Trump is fabricating a crisis, but it is hardly credible when the MSM has been claiming one crisis after another for quite some time. The more you parrot the daily talking points, the lower your credibility. Get off that bandwagon and start analyzing the facts yourself.
This morning on Morning Joe people were actually stating that 90% of the drugs go through ports. Really? how is it that is known so accurately?
The networks were played.
They aired 8 minutes of newsless rhetoric, filled with obvious lies.
The Democrats got a response but obviously were not able to correct the record in a short amount of time.
Curious if anyone would continue to defend the decision to air this.
He means 90% of what they have found. Secure the border, secure the ports…it’s all very sensible. Dems are overextending on it and now they are stuck with the position that security is for racist xenophobes.
Oh. That does clarify things some. That sure is a lot of border with no wall.
“fact-free screed without rebuttal.”
Wrong on both points. CNN’s Brian Stelter should acknowledge and so should the unnamed executive.
HW your opinions are so basic and default
Who knows how much drugs are smuggled across the land border between Mexico and us? How about across the border from Canada? That sure is a lot of border. I hear that the Coast Guard found a drug submarine once. I propose a net around the ocean. Some drugs come on tiny airplanes, so we could deploy anti aircraft blimps with nets as well. There are some reports of aliens smuggling humans as well, so it’s good that we’re going to start a Space Force.
Yeah, let’s just forget about our problems. We can keep going on like we are. It’s no big deal that people are dying every day. We could put a big dent in it if we decided to but why bother since we can never get every single thing?
“I hear that the Coast Guard found a drug submarine once. I propose a net around the ocean.”
Yeah, because the Coast Guard itself isn’t any kind of a net to catch ocean-going smugglers.
I have to admit, I am very surprised that many don’t think we need to protect our borders and limit who and what comes and goes into our country. And for the most part, the people who don’t want to safeguard our country tend to also be among the group of people who don’t believe a person should show an ID in order to vote in an election. Why would anyone think this is in the best interests of our citizens?
Calling a state of emergency requires not just a crisis (we have those all the time) or even an escalating crisis. A state of emergency can be called in response to an UNFORESEEN crisis. There is nothing new about the situation at the border or in terms of Americans issues with addiction. Trump wanted to call a state of emergency, because the Congress was not doing his bidding, like a child who has a temper tantrum because he didn’t get what he wants. Someone must have told him that it’s a bad idea in terms of his re-election and in terms of court challenges. It stands as a threat though and as proof of just how imperious our president is. We now know just how expansive Presidential emergency powers are. I hope the House take steps to place better checks on them soon.
I expect the government to be funded one way or another within a week. It was a weak speech and Pelosi and Schumer polled better afterward. Trump lost this round. The West Wing must be a nightmare today.
This was never really about immigration reform. The wall is just a symbol on both sides. Neither having a giant wall, nor our current wall nor no wall at all will greatly impact illegal immigration. Talking about the stupid wall limits progress towards immigration reform that is prudent and makes sense for all. It would be handy if we had a reasonable, effective and consistent process for labor immigration and refugee resettlement. Cheaper too.
I will say re coverage that the fact-checking being done by all kinds of broadcasters is very handy and would have been super useful when Reagan and Atwater were crafting his many myths, especially the welfare queen. Trump’s speech last night felt very Reaganesque without the solid delivery ar any hopeful bits. PS I have no problem with the networks broadcasting a presidential address that may have included a declaration of something close to martial law. Imagine if he had declared a state of emergency and they hadn’t covered it. I think they balanced the whole thing out well.
I’m fairly sure that if President Trump ever declares a State of Emergency because he doesn’t get his way, he’ll do so via twitter from the comfort of a toilet throne in his private quarters. That way no one can stop him…
Are you saying a state of emergency can be ONLY called in response to an UNFORESEEN crisis? How so?
http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/N/NationalEmergency.aspx
In the United States, powers were interpreted from constitutional documents to vest in the President to declare a national emergency. Unfortunately, no written criteria were developed nor were any safeguards developed to end a national emergency.
By 1976, in US v Bishop, the United States Court of Appeals, 19th Circuit, noted that on four occasions a national emergency had been invoked by the American President: 1933, 1950, 1970 and 1971. None had ever been revoked.
In 1976, a new National Emergencies Act ended all previous proclamations although not before the Court wrote:
“A national emergency must be based on conditions beyond the ordinary. Otherwise, it has no meaning. The power of the Soviet Union in world affairs does not justify placing the United States in a constant state of national emergency.”
The United States Code (Title 42, Chapter 68, Subchapter I, §5122), now defines emergency and major disaster as follows:
“Emergency means any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal assistance is needed to supplement State and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.
“Emergency means any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, Federal assistance is needed to supplement State and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in any part of the United States.”
“Major disaster means any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this chapter to supplement the efforts and available resources of States, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.”
Like always Jean the Ignorant is wrong, wrong, wrong. It’s so predictable that it is possible to reliably know the truth by determining the opposite of what she says.
I just crossed the border and it wasn’t even remotely “open”. Anyone who thinks it is, or thats what Dems want, musta just fell off a turnip truck full of lizard people.
Who cares what a race war instigator thinks?
Yeah, you came through the fucking desert. I’m sure.
Exactly, who cares what race baiter Agent Orange thinks. Only noise outta his mouth I care to hear is the final gasping death rattle.
I think we should at least start with building a wall around Taco Bells. After a long afternoon of listening to doom metal and masturbating to pictures of Paul Ryan, I could eat like six Meximelts. I just wish they still had the Bell-beefer. Why did they get rid of that? Anyway, my ass is getting so fat. We really do need those walls around TB.
I was talking about you, bitch. I’m not anything like what you say except for one thing: I love Heavy Metal. That is true. Another thing that is true is you are obsessed with thinking about my dick. You talk about it every day so you must think of it constantly.
We should have a week long festival like Tanakuy in Peru where you can call someone out who did wrong to you during the year to fight in front of everyone and if you don’t answer the call everyone knows you are a bitch. That would go a long way towards eliminating this little problem of unmanly jerks hiding behind the law.
*Takanakuy* that is
I’ll fight you HW.
Right out in the street.
No shirts.
Little tiny shorts.
I’m sure Dirty Peter would like your particular variation.
It would be like “omg look at HW’s BULGE! Jeez…”
“…it’s making me want to get my PETER dirty…”
I like how it is repeated that there is a “non existent crisis” at the border.
What level of death, illegal drugs, human trafficking is acceptable and reasonable amount? A similar-to-last-year-amount of death, drugs and human trafficking is not a crisis because it is more or less same-same to the last couple of years. We’re good as long as only 1 out of 200 children crossing the border are being human trafficked? Mathematically it would be like going to DisneyWorld with your family and saying “it’s ok there are only 125 kids that are being kidnapped from here today”.
Someone please explain the miracle to me: By some miracle of foresight and wisdom 700 miles of physical barrier is the golden mean between too racist and not secure enough?
I’ll wrestle you too FF
I would prefer to witness the Democrats from MM.com, attempt to wrestle with thoughts,rather than witness them parroting the partisan bullshit they hear on CNN and Vox.
OK FF, you can wear your shirt. And your sweatpants.
Guys, I didn’t listen to my own advice and consumed a record EIGHT Meximelts. Big mistake. True, they go down easier than Sean Hannity in the hotel suite of Rupert Murdoch during the Republican National Convention, but it just isn’t worth it. I’ve been on the bowl for forty-eight hours straight and there’s no end in sight. Even the smooth sounds of Heavy Metal Power Ballads of the 80’s volume 1 isn’t helping the transition. This mess is worse than Frosted Flakes unpublished manifesto! It’s gonna be days before I can hold up this treasured autographed photo of Paul Ryan with his free weights and his backwards ball cap. I just can’t even spare a free hand. Wish me luck. Live free or die…..oh God!…
HW— what is new about the situation at the border?
If the Cold War tensions with Russia were not adequate to call a state of emergency as per your post than how does the immigration and refugee situation at the border or eve. The drug war differ. Numbers seem to be what they have always been, even lower in some cases.
Has anybody already mentioned this episode of Trackdown staring Robert Culp, In it, a conman named Trump tries to scare a town into building a wall. He tells them it’s the only way they can protect themselves from the end of the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1D2ynASqe4
Let’s start a list of Trump lies in his border wall speech.
I will start.
1) Thanks to CBS fact-checking we know that Trump lied when he claimed 1 out 3 women making the trek through Mexico to US is raped or assaulted but the real assault rate is closer to 60%.
(sorry guys I would like to provide documentation but for that fact check but for some reason CBS deleted their own fact check.)
I wonder why?
When The Big Bang Theory ends production, there will be no more reason for CBS to exist.
Snyder cant get that lucky, I write accurately.
To this day, the reason Trump won was because he is truly, for real ,no kiding at all, prolife. Flattering Putin is only trouble. No one tells Mr atrump what to do, I have observed.
Mark Maynard, your assertion a border wall wont help, I find, doubtful. I think it would help and I beleive it is necessary, given how the schools behave towards families. No one should be send ing their children to these schools, much less undocumented people who would get steamrolled by their local school boards and teaching staffs, resentful they showed up to take their incomes away. They would have to rely on local prosecutors to not extort them.
So an actual cement wall, where there were portals of entry placed at regularly spaced intervals where people were processed legally, could alleviate some of that whole crime scene. So portals would have to be placed at regular intervals, and passage through essentially assured for the majority of people, to make it acceptable.
DJT told 8,158 lies first two years; year one 5.9/day, year two 16.5/day. Topics:
Foreign policy – 900
Trade – 854
Economy – 790
Jobs – 755
Misc – 899
via WaPo Fact Checker.