Remember how, yesterday, we were talking about how 30-some Republicans, laden with shitty pizza, went storming into a closed session of the House Intelligence Committee, accusing Democrats of somehow breaking the law in the way they’ve gone about prosecuting the impeachment case against Donald Trump? Well, this morning, on the set of Donald Trump’s favorite television program, Fox and Friends, Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, dropped some serious knowledge, telling his fellow Trumpists on the couch that Congressman Adam Schiff was just “following the rules” as they’d been passed into law by a Republican majority in 2015.
So, when your poorly informed uncle reposts a quote by Republican Congressman Steve Scalise on Facebook, asking about what Adam Schiff is “trying to hide” by interviewing witnesses in private, you now have a great response… right from the set of Fox and Friends… spoken by a man who the President himself once said had “a very talented legal mind“.
Andrew Napolitano: "As frustrating as it may be to have these hearings going on behind closed doors … they are consistent with the rules. … When were the rules written last? In January of 2015. And who signed them? John Boehner. And who enacted them? A Republican majority." pic.twitter.com/Zl10ZNugf4
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) October 24, 2019
So, no, Congressman Matt “the human frat paddle” Gaetz wasn’t telling the truth when he said that the Democrats were proceeding with “no rules“. And, when he said that Schiff and company were “trying to overturn the results of a presidential contest in the basement of the Capitol underground with secrecy,” it probably would have been more accurate to have said that they were, “just following the rules that had passed into law by Republicans.”
And, if your conservative uncle doesn’t believe the very talented legal mind of Andrew Napolitano, here’s something else you might want to try…. Mention to him that every Benghazi deposition taken during the Obama administration was also conducted behind closed doors, in the exact same way. And the same goes for the Republican investigation last year into the text exchanges between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Speaking of which, here’s video of Republican Trey Gowdy explaining why these depositions are taken in private.
Rep. @TGowdySC on the House hearings with Peter Strzok and Lisa Page: Well, our private hearing was much more constructive than the public hearing. Public hearings are a circus. That's why I don't like to do them. I mean, it's a freak show. pic.twitter.com/WHXXEok0jZ
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 15, 2018
One more thing… The fact that this is all the Republicans have — this laughable idea that the Democrats, by interviewing witnesses in private, aren’t giving Donald Trump a fair shake, when it’s so easily provable that they’re just following the rules voted into law by Republicans — should be very alarming to every literate American who still identifies as conservative. The President and his defenders know that the law was broken by the administration in their dealings with Ukraine, and the only thing they have left, in the wake of recent testimony by administration officials, is to attack the investigative process that brought those crimes to light… If you want a perfect illustration of just how pathetic things have gotten for the Republicans, check out this video of Senator John Cornyn, being asked about the administration’s criminal activities in Ukraine, and responding by talking about how unfair it is that the House Intelligence Committee is interviewing witnesses in private.
Sen. John Cornyn: "This is a sham of a process. When you’re talking about reversing an election, particularly for President of the United States, I think you owe it to the American people to do this out in public and to give everybody a chance to participate." pic.twitter.com/b5mhE6e8BQ
— The Hill (@thehill) October 24, 2019
Oh, and here’s one last thing…. You’ll never guess who else is parroting these very same talking points. Our old friend Tulsi “I was never really a Democrat” Gabbard.
After initially supporting an impeachment inquiry last month, Tulsi Gabbard has now changed her tune, criticizing the current investigation while on Hannity tonight pic.twitter.com/3Nh9XQUAnK
— jordan (@JordanUhl) October 25, 2019
55 Comments
Tulsi is for sure angling for a third party run. I believe there should be a populist third party as Bannon envisions. I think it would really wake people unto how populism corrupts political campaign without corporate money but using anger and blame.
And distrust in democracy and its institutions. I forgot about that.
And lies. I forgot lies. Not like average political lies and evasion but bold and dangerous lies.
Gosh that sounds familiar.
No, Jean, Tulsi is not angling for a third-party run. She’s just using all this free attention Hillary brought to her, hoping it will help her get her numbers up. What are you finding so convincing that she is doing more than that?
I saw Tulsi says she is not going to seek re-election to Congress. Is that what is making you believe she’s going to make a third-party run?
A bigger name than Tulsi will be the third-party candidate.
Tulsi will just siphon the Proud boy vote away from Pence. Otherwise, fuck off ruskies.
I don’t know iRobert she seems awfully interested in appealing to the altright these days. Doesn’t make much sense when running in a Dom primary. Either she’s heading third party or she has a death wish for her political career.
Aloha, I heard Tulsi say she supports the investigation and wishes it was done more transparently. Instead, the Congress is using secret rules written by Republicans who were conducting a secret witch hunt against Clinton. Why has the Democratic Majority not changed the rules to provide more transparency?
Aloha, Back when the Republicans were utilizing secret testimony to damage JH’s most favorite politician—it was evil. When Democrats use the same rules it is ok. You folks just don’t get the hypocrisy do you.
Still waiting on 1)the 20 Republican Senators who will vote for removal. and 2) Where is that winning Democratic coalition going to come from?
This from Nate Silver:
“I’m honestly not sure whether a Tulsi 3rd party run would help or hurt Trump. Her supporters mostly seem to be defined by the fact that they’re contrarian trolls more than that they’re anti-establishment liberals, and I think the contrarian troll vote is Trump-leaning?”
What say you, Contrarian Trolls?
DD– I never said the Banghazi hearing rules were illegal. I never opposed the hearings, though after 5 or so I thought we had done enough.
The rules right now protect whistleblowers and prevent witnesses from being influenced by the testimony of others.
In the current context with the President actively blocking the investigation the current rules make sense. At any rate changing them would cause further delays etc.
I honestly don’t know what lack of transparency Tulsi is talking about. We don’t need TV cameras in there. We need a hearing nota political sideshow.
“Where is that winning Democratic coalition going to come from?” — we already have it; we just need to get out the vote. Trying to win over Trump supporters is a losing strategy. They are very happy with Trump. It makes more sense to appeal to the base.
You keep asserting DD that Tulsi’s isolationist antiwar positions are needed for the Dom party, but the truth is they aren’t that popular. Most people will call themselves anti-war but they don’t necessarily want the US to really withdraw from a military presence. Most list safety from terrorism as a top consideration in their voting and they aren’t buying Tulsi’s argument that her policies would make them safer. You can argue that all you want but Tulsi’s message is not playing except to the fringes– isolationist lefties and right wingers. That’s not a needed coalition and most seem happy with Trump’s foreign policy.
Views overlapping is not indicative of a person being a contrarian troll. For example, I agree with Silver. That is, I am not sure Tulsi running third party would hurt or help Trump (in an election).
Maybe the reason people object to J Bro’s arguments has more to do with J Bro’s arguments than it has to do with some defect within the person objecting to J Bro?
I am convinced we will never get to the bottom of this without Mrs Brown’s insights. You need to invite her onto the site, so she can evaluate your work here, J Bro.
That is some creepy fucking projection you got going Fashy. But that pretty much sums up everything with trumptards.
Which part is creepy projection?
Maybe the part about mrs. J Bro?
Probably. I think it would be good for J Bro to be specific about points of fact though.
As I write this it is 9:13 am.
The clocks on Mark Maynard are not even right twice a day.
Aloha, Despite 3 years of attacks on Trump, 50% of independents still support the don. The 2016 election had one of the lowest voter participation rates in modern history. The corp. dem. mantra that it is the Russians has about as much appeal to most voters as oatmeal. It is obvious that the corp. dems. want to drive away and alienate the progressive and populist elements within the Democratic party. That leaves you with the same loosing coalition they had in 2016. Keep dreaming
““Truth is treason in an empire of lies”
#TulsiStein is trending.
In other words, failing to support Hillary, the corporate dems, and the MIC is an act of contrarian trolling.
#twitterevidence
#lynchertype
Aloha JB, Here is your chance to do some thing besides spouting off about guns. Instead of investing in another AR-15, send the money to an antifa class war prisoner.
https://freedavidcampbell.com/?fbclid=IwAR3JRUC0Ux3qxxQVYu6YbFkX2FaATTDEEvr_Bt1pmV68yfJVddOqLaRaZiI
He plead guilty, no?
“Gang Assault makes any group of three or more people involved in a fight legally responsible for each other’s actions, and carries a steep mandatory minimum of 3.5 years.”
Seems reasonable. If you go somewhere intending to attack people in a gang and do so then you get spanked. Antifa does it every time they show up so if that is their chosen ‘class’ then that’s what they should get. I think this is the first time anyone here has spoken in support of antifa since I dropped that bomb about the originals allying with the nazis. Feeling ok about that fact today, wobblie?
Aloha HW, everything you say is incorrect. I have always been an anti-fascist. My dad was an anti-fascist (killed hundreds of them).
Dimitri Dolt,
I have repeatedly stated that antifa are misguided and play into the fascist goals of expanding the police state. Stay away from alt-right agitators people. Do not engage them physically, unless it becomes unavoidable in some hypothetical future sectarian violence scenario. And then only from a distance with no less than 5.56 caliber rifles.
“incorrect”
No. What I said about antifaschistiche aktion and the nazis is factually correct. You are in denial. Being communist does not make someone automatically antifascist even if they call themselves that. The social democrats were the fascists according to the original antifa, not the nazis. They called the nazis working people’s comrades in the struggle against the fascist social democrats.
Your schtick is not only ill but counter-productive to your own aims, Jon Braun. You sound just like what you hate. No one wants to hear that. Antifa maybe; not people who love the USA.
” 50% of independents still support the don” and they show no signs of turning,
The Dems have the votes; they need the turnout. They were falsely promised an HRC victory. I don’t think as many will stay home this time.
DD you will twist any information to the conclusion that the revolution you envision is around the corner. I’ve known many leftists. They all think it’s coming right away. In fact we seem to incrementally progress in social issues and now that economics has clearly become a social issue we will incrementally deal with that. There is a will for a better social safety net. There seems very little political will for isolationist foreign policy or moving away from capitalism in some form.I don’t know if that’s good or bad, I know the leftists have never made their case well. They just yell well and spout a bunch of bs.
My favorite lately: in the posters for a march to demand more affordable housing in A2 (which I’m all for) they claim that a 5% vacancy rate in A2 means housing is being withheld. As someone on twitter pointed out, it would be hard to find an apartment at a 0% vacancy rates. In fact studies have shown that housing costs don’t stabilize until there is a 10% vacancy rate and don’t go down until there is a12% vacancy rate.
Housing IS a human right. Leftists are really bad at dealing with economic realities. It gives little confidence that they should be running anything at all.
Aloha JH, No, sadly I do not think the “revolution” is anywhere in sight, (not in this country). Instead we will continue to wallow in a quagmire of venal corruption masquerading as gradual progress and moderation. Every day an environmental tipping points goes by the way side, and yet our entire foreign policy remains (in a bi-partisan fashion) tied to he interest of fossil fuel barons and petro-kings. The liberal class wants us to believe they believe in science, so much more advanced than those troglodyte Trumpiters, and yet they want to believe gradualism and moderation is the solution to the collapse of the eco-sphere.
As I have repeatedly pointed out, I’m just one of the walking dead. I’ll try not to do more damage to our home before I go—but it is looking increasingly like it will not matter.
Found out a piece of good news the other day–not being religious, but since Christianity and Hinduism both share a form of reincarnationism—I have long thought I want to be reincarnated as a slime mold. They maybe where we all originated, eh.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx3Uu1hfl6Q&fbclid=IwAR1VpO1SExD4N1-Fkan-10SsbRa3yAtjekXBy7ATuj1dk75HIT_k3y97cMs
Jean obviously doesn’t even know the definition of populism. She just likes to be against anything that might threaten the return of God’s appointed glass ceiling cracker, HRC. America’s least favorite DINO seems to be threatening another run on our election again. Or maybe she just has another stupid book coming.
DD do you deny the progress that Obamacare brought?
Boy, the unions really sold out the temp workers. Solidarity?
Makes me wonder if they’ll get on the Medicare for all bandwagon.
Bob– I have studied populist movements in the US history in detail. Try again. Populism is not grass roots. Populism is Huey Long and Lee Atwater. It’s most of the rest of America that has forgotten what populism is and how it operates. Have you seen A Face in the Crowd? Have you read All the King’s Men, Bob? Trump ran a populist campaign. Populism is not left or right. It plays to the legitimate complaints of working class Americans against those in power, plays people off against one another, rails against all institutions and offers bold promises. It doesn’t;t sound half bad until you start looking at the results.
There are many ways to power, but power always corrupts no matter how you get there. And yes that goes for HRC too. She at least had plans that would work. She at least counciled America to have faith in the process. She actually was unfairly treated by the press (according to the media’s self-assessment) but she never told people the media was untrustworthy or the election process.
Have you never actually noticed the similarity in some of the complaints from Sanders and Trump? Thats intersection is populism. And yeah. Tulsi sounds just like them. It has mass appeal. That’s why it’s powerful.
Oh I forgot, and most important of all, HRC isn’t running again. She knows when to quit. I have no idea why you think I would prefer her to Warren. I don’t. I’m thrilled with Warren so far.
Aloha Sad, I am sure you and Mayor Pete did everything you could think of to help the UAW/GM workers struggle for pay equity. Much like creating equal pay between genders we are getting that “moderate progress” you folks are so much in love with.
Thanks for the long hours you and yours spent walking the line to help.
Seriously.
Why didn’t they hold out for better pay for the new hires?
I thought that was the point?
I don’t think Mayor Pete or congresswoman Gabbard could have done much. Aren’t the workers supposed to use their labor as leverage?
Jean, you are just a know nothing who pretends to know everything. At least Warlord is a know nothing who sticks to one side. You argue against your own earlier opinions. Professional contrarian with a flair for typos.
Aloha Sad, If you study the labor movement and labor history you will see that the “long strike” is never very effective. Our labor laws though make the “long strike” just about the only “legal” recourse for workers. The “long strike” is like siege warfare. Who gets starved out first. How much personal economic damage are you willing or can suffer is the determinate of “victory”.
“Why didn’t they hold out for better pay for the new hires?” The $15 temp workers would have not been able to have much in the way of savings to make yet a second months payment of bills etc. with just the strike pay.
There are other forms of “strike action”. Back in the 90’s the UAW engaged in a protracted years long struggle with Caterpillar. Short strikes and then a return to work. Followed by yet another strike a couple months later. Constant slow downs and confrontations at work and in the community between union members and scabs. Ultimately the UAW “prevailed” in that they remain the bargaining agent. Hundreds of workers lost their jobs, several went to jail.
Class war at the point of production is a hard choice for folks. It means loss of income, disdain and rejection by liberal media, family discord etc. To make the decision to keep fighting is a tough one. It seems to me that that is one reason people want to believe in the illusion of liberal progress, it is so much easier and safer.
Our solidarity with one another is really the only effective tool we have. Any body paying attention to South America?
The only side I try to stick to is the truth side. That’s funny you say I am a know-nothing but you have never challenged me on a single point let along come close to sniffing any kind of a win against me. You are a coward and want to be a bully but your chosen target turned out to be fully capable of fucking you up any time.
Aloha, Why has not Mark approached these folks for advertising. Or is ball shaving now old hat. I have a hard time keeping up with fads. And I know this is one of the most avant garde sites on the web.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-avast-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=avast&p=Manscapped#id=7&vid=365d54c22a05c55e89a25a01c447faa2&action=click
Aloha, The military is training its officers to be ready for the effects of moderate progressive change on the future. “US Army War College—Implications of Climate Change for the US Army”
The report paints a frightening portrait of a country falling apart over the next 20 years due to the impacts of climate change on “natural systems such as oceans, lakes, rivers, ground water, reefs, and forests.” Current infrastructure in the US, the report says, is woefully underprepared: “Most of the critical infrastructures identified by the Department of Homeland Security are not built to withstand these altered conditions.”
Some 80 percent of US agricultural exports and 78 percent of imports are water-borne. This means that episodes of flooding due to climate change could leave lasting damage to shipping infrastructure, posing “a major threat to US lives and communities, the US economy and global food security,” the report notes.
At particular risk is the US national power grid, which could shut down due to “the stressors of a changing climate,” especially changing rainfall levels:
California anyone. Don’t worry be happy. So says the walking dead.
It was almost twenty years ago The Observer ran a scare story about how if experts are correct then by 2020 Ann Arbor would be a desert and still have to contend with a mass influx of weather refugees from other states.
Yeah the Observer is where I get all my science info.
That and the Metro Times.
Hey DD. My impression was it was the higher tiered employees that voted to accept the contract. And you didn’t respond. Do you think Obamacare moved us forward or not?
Aloha, I don’t doubt that the $11,000 signing bonus enticed many to give up the fight. In the great liberal tradition progress was made on equalizing tier one and tier two (by the end of the contract there will be no tier two). They also established a mechanism for temp. workers to move into full-time seniority positions after 3 years. Better than what they had before–yeah, except they had to concede to the closing of 3 plants and the subsequent loss of employment. GM was sitting on a 75 day supply of cars at the beginning of the strike. They did not lose a single sale during the strike. In another 3 months maybe GM would finally be feeling the pain. Of course the janitors have not yet gotten there contract settled, so is the strike over? Shitty result but how much pain do you want those 45,000 workers to endure? No christmas for the kids this year? I mean I saw all the liberals out there on the picket lines. Fund raising for the strikers. Are you old enough to remember the Detroit Newspaper Strike?
Did Obamacare move us forward? No. Just like the last Republican Health Care Reform back in the 70’s it provided the illusion of progress while enriching private insurance companies. What is 30-40 million still “uninsured”. I don’t want fucking insurance. I want health care as a human right.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
“Yeah the Observer is where I get all my science info.”
They used sources for their info. They didn’t just make it up. The experts were wrong as shit though, huh?
Enrollment in the new adult group made up 23.1 percent of Medicaid enrollment across all reporting states (CMS 2018). At that time, the 31 expansion states and the District of Columbia reported a total of 16.9 million enrollees in the new group.
Well DD since your immediate change thing doesn’t seem to be winning over a lot of followers, granted some, i’ll take 16.9 million people getting insurance in the meantime.
You also never answered my Question . Do you think the union people want to give up their insurance and go with a government program? I never really knew what the auto unions got for insurance until this strike. They did win a good deal there. Will they let it go and support a candidate who wants to take it away?
You want science that was wrong HW go back to the population and scarcity arguments of the 70’s.
Aloha, The UAW politcal program has always called for universal health care. As you may have seen in the recent strike, employer provided health care is a weapon used to discipline workers. Workers give up significant bargaining power over other issues in the work place in order to defend having health care. So medicare for all would be embraced by most organized workers.
Tulsi’s health care program Medicare Plus is a program that provides Medicare for All and the right to purchase additional health coverage—employer provided additional health care would definitely be a bargaining issue—but the employer would no longer be able to deprive its employee’s of health coverage in the event of a labor action–or a failed business decision.
The average per capita income worldwide is under $18k. The notion that we all have a RIGHT to some sort of cushy life with all of the bases covered including topnotch healthcare is a delusion people from rich countries are able to tell themselves insofar as they are able to ignore (and reap the benefits that come with that ignorance)—that half the world can barely afford clean water and soap.
Bob– consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.
So is proper grammar and spelling
It would suck if you announced a website aimed at certain voters but you forgot to buy the url, let alone make the site and then the guy you are trying to beat bought it and roasted you on his new site.
https://www.todosconbiden.com
Biden is still on top HW.
I thought your people were going to take care of him.
Aloha, HW being totally devoid of empathy (like most Republicans) does not recognize climate change refugees (until of course he becomes one in which case he will demand our attention).
50,000 Californians
And a whole American sub-culture at risk
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/cajun-culture-is-vanishing-in-south-louisiana-due-to-a-coastal-crisis-1468129347669?fbclid=IwAR3sdY1hgxkdSTSggMLyTkPB4SGQsKnmRaB7SxVQp94Dc6HwpkyE74w6bM0
Why do you say dumb shit like that, wob? Devoid of empathy? The “climate refugees” in the Observer scare story couldn’t get a drink of water.
Trump Republican maybe; nothing to do with the old guard. The only Republican I ever voted for before Trump is Ron Paul and he was an anomaly. I used to think dems were 95% as corrupt as repubs. Now with the mass exodus of old guard repubs and the exposure of Obama admin crimes that has changed markedly.
Why is Napolitano still on Fox? Isn’t there a sexy blond female judge available to replace him?