Wondering on Wednesday 1/5/22

Ready... Set.. Wonder!

Welcome to the first Wondering Wednesday of the New Year! Let's dive right in.

Does former Trump assistant Peter Navarro believe what he's saying, I wonder? All his talk about the Green Bay Sweep and the 100 Congressmen and Sen. Rafael Cruz (R-Cancun) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R- Even My Family Thinks I'm a Traitor) and the rest of the activities on 1/6/2021? And does he have any idea how damaging this stuff is to his former boss?

Speaking of the former president, it seems he's cancelled a planned press conference at Mar-a-Lago tomorrow, the anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol. Apparently, he's going to wait and let the news of Sean Hannity's texts die down a bit, and instead speak at a rally in Arizona in ten days. I can't help wondering if that rally will happen as planned.

After all, the Supreme Court is gathering documents in advance of their fast-tracked review of Trump's claim of executive privilege over information requested by the House January 6th committee. Lower courts have held that the privilege no longer applies to him; here are some thoughts on what the Supremes, three of whom are Trump appointees, might do. If they refuse to get involved, or if they decide that privilege is no longer Trump's, might that Arizona rally  go poof like the one in Tulsa?

Also going poof? A candlelight program which Cobb County, GA Republicans in Name Only (RINOs) had planned for tomorrow, which was to include streaming of Trump's remarks and "a prayer vigil for the jailed rioters still awaiting trial."  Yee hah, or something. I wonder what pushed them to cancel - complaints from real Republicans (the people Trumpers refer to as RINOs), or the fact that their fearless leader really isn't fearless? 

Others in the 'not fearless' bucket? The corporations and trade groups that have donated over $18M to members of the 'Sedition Caucus,' senators and representatives who supported the Big Lie, and to the national Republican re-election committees. I wonder if they remember the statements issued in the days after the insurrection, and how they justify the donations they've made in the year since?

What else is on the wondering docket? Well, there's a judge who just decided that members of the military can ignore a direct order, at least if they claim the order violates their religious freedom or free speech rights. I can only wonder what the hell the judge was thinking; does he really want Navy SEALs to do whatever they heck they feel like whenever they feel like it? And does he really think the Supremes are going to allow this ruling to stand? Never mind that last question; the judge clearly doesn't give a hoot about that.

There's more, of course - there's always more. But I'll leave you wondering with me about this: Melania Trump is selling a hat, a watercolor, and a "digital artwork NFT with motion" in her latest online auction. 

The starting bid? $250,000. Or, some 1415 rays of SOL digital currency.

What are you wondering about these days?

Sunday School Extra Credit 6/21/20

In yesterday's Sunday School, we heard from Reps. Adam Schiff and Hakeem Jeffries, as well as from Preet Bharara, with most of the conversation centered on the firing of Geoffrey Berman, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and on John Bolton's book. 

For your Extra Credit this week, we're going to look at the view from Fox News Sunday, where Chris Wallace talked to representatives from the Biden and Trump campaigns, about Trump's failed Tulsa Million-MAGA-Rally and more.  Right off the bat, I want to include this reporting from Mark Meredith, which was part of the opening of the show. 

Inside the Bank of Oklahoma Center, supporters filled about two-thirds of the arena, with many empty seats in the upper deck...

(Photo: Patrick Semansky, AP)

Meredith's arena being two-thirds full estimation is clearly optimistic; of the 19,000 available seats, only about 6,200 had butts in them. And the fact that the empty seats are blue? Well, let's just say the view from the president's perspective must have been frightening, and I'm sure a contributor to how he looked when he got back home. 

Joining Wallace yesterday were Symone Sanders, a senior advisor to the Biden campaign, and Mercedes Schlapp, who holds a similar position with the Trump campaign. 

Here are some excerpts from Sanders giving campaign speeches in response to questions, starting with Trump's rally. 

...I think the most damning thing from that rally... was the president's admission that he, quote/unquote, said to his people to slow down the testing. This is an appalling attempt to lessen the numbers only to make him look good. And so, I think that's what will be remembered long after (the) debacle of a rally...

On the 'double standard' of complaining about the rally and coronavirus, but not complaining about protests and the coronavirus:

There is no double standard here... the American people have the right to go out and raise their voices. The difference here is... we are talking about the president...holding a rally, not following their own precautions that his own public health officials have put out... the president has to lead, Chris, and president Trump has demonstrated so many times, in every sense of the word, that he is unable to do so. 

On why Biden didn't caution protesters about the potential for spreading the coronavirus:

I'm not sure what you're asking or what you're suggesting. Look, Vice President Biden has really exhibited leadership on this issue...you have seen Vice President Biden go back out onto the actual campaign trail and our events are safe. They are socially distant. They adhere with the CDC guidelines.

On Biden's 'reclusivity' - staying Delaware, very few socially distanced events, and so on:

...we have adjusted to this new normal like most people in America...just because we are campaigning virtually does not mean we are not meeting actual voters across the country.... the reality is, what we have been doing it following CDC guidelines. 

On why no press conference for 80 days: 

...as many of you -- many of y'all in the national press and the beltway press are well aware, we take pride in prioritizing local media. And so, the Vice President is going local media interviews. He's doing national media interviews and he is taking questions from reporters. 

On whether Biden contributes to the conversation that he's not up to the challenge of the campaign by staying home:

This is just despicable, Chris, honest. It truly is. The fact that folks are parroting this - you, just unfounded salacious lie from the president and his campaign that Vice President Biden isn't up to the challenge. He's absolutely up to it... 

And, for campaign blah blah blah from the Trump side of here are highlights from the interview with Schlapp, starting, again, with the pitiful rally attendance:

Let me explain. When it comes to understanding how the rallies work, it's a first-come, first-served basis. Basically, what the 1 million RSVPs include are -- it's an opportunity for us to gather data, to get information, obviously.  So the key here that that's -- that is important is to understand -- and I had this with my own personal family who lives not far away from Tulsa, that they were concerned. There were factors involved, like they were concerned about the protesters who were coming in. There were protesters who blocked the MAGAs. And so we saw that have an impact in terms of people coming to the rally.  

On the Fox polling showing that by wide margins, people think Biden respects racial minorities and Trump does not: 

I don't know how that's even possible because the -- here we -- if you want to see the record of Joe Biden, it's one in which he proudly embraced segregationists. I mean even his colleagues, like Senator Kamala Harris, look, basically accused him of being a racist. He's one who gave the eulogy at Senator Robert Byrd's funeral... He did not provide any significant change for the black community. In fact, he supported mass incarceration when it came to supporting the 1994 Crime Bill. This is in complete contrast to President Trump, who has been focused on uplifting the black community. Just this week he signed an executive order on the police reform where in essence he's ensuring that these police departments implement these best practices and they get incentive for this. 

On the recent resignation of Mary Elizabeth Taylor, one of the highest-ranking African Americans in the Administration, who said, "The president's comments and actions surrounding racial injustice in black Americans cuts sharply against her core values:" 

Well, I wish that Mary Elizabeth would listen to the president's speech following the tragedy of George Floyd's death where he said healing, not chaos, where he called for justice, were he brought in community leaders from the black community to -- to speak with them, to listen to them. Just yesterday I was with our coalition, our black voices coalition. These men and women who stand with President Trump because of what he has done to help the black community. 

On all of the top officials who are questioning the president's fitness for office, not just John Bolton: 

Look, these are individuals who did -- did not agree with the president's policies when it came to foreign policy in general. And so, at the end of the day, it's not Rex Tillerson or John Kelly or Secretary Mattis who make these decisions. It's President Trump. And (he) is going to listen to his advisors at the end of the day, but he's the ultimate decision-maker when it comes to foreign policy... You talk to Secretary Pompeo, you talk to Robert O'Brien, you talk to Secretary Esper, these are individuals who know that the president is focused on keeping America safe and ensuring that we keep working with our allies in all the areas of foreign policy, whether it be North Korea, whether it be the Middle East and being tough on Iran. 

And yes, in case you were wondering, Wallace called them both out for speechifying and not answering questions, particularly Schlapp, who is better at it than Sanders.

See you around the virtual campus.

TGIF 6/19/20

Oh, what a week it was... Here's just a slice.

Take John Bolton. Liar, or teller of the most secrety of our secrety stuff? Money-hungry man without a conscience, or money-hungry man without a conscience? A would-be do-gooder, if only there'd been a subpoena, or a man who doesn't really give a rat about our country and protecting it from the Trumpeters?

Could he be all of those rolled into one? Seems like the answer is yes, or sorta kinda maybe. Here's one take on it, from The Atlantic. The author, Thomas Wright, gives a litany of reasons (and likely not a full list, it sounds) of why he's no fan of Bolton, only to land here:

But I have to acknowledge that Bolton behaved honorably as national security adviser when he told his staff to report illegality to the White House lawyers. He also defended those who served under him against Trump loyalists. He is right to publish his book. If he gives a full accounting of what he saw as national security adviser—and from a recent article in The New York Times and an excerpt in The Wall Street Journal, it seems he might have—he deserves credit for it regardless of what he did or did not do during the impeachment hearings and trial. He will have done the nation a service.

ABC's Martha Raddatz has Bolton exclusively, Sunday night; check your local listings.

And speaking of John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney - remember him, the acting chief of staff who was exiled to Ireland to serve as chief groundskeeper or something at Trump's golf course?  Among other things, Mulvaney said something to the effect that no one else who was in The Room Where it Happened mentioned anything inappropriate. And I had to laugh at that - as if Mulvaney, Pompeo, or others still in Trump's universe would recognize anything as being in appropriate? I mean, they thought an obvious quid pro quo was nothing other than a perfect phone call, for Pete's sake.

And speaking of Pete's sake, here's the question NBC's Peter Alexander asked at the presser today.

Why does the president keep hiring people who are dumb as a rock, overrated, way over their heads, whack' and incompetent?

The answer, from Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany? Trump likes "countervailing opinions" and likes to balance his own opinion with those who disagree with him, similar to Lincoln's Team of Rivals model. Except that the words Alexander used in his question are Trump's words, used to describe former staffers - and they did actually apply to Bolton, she added.

And, McEnany went on to say that even the FAILING NEW YORK TIMES!!! which is often FAKE NEWS!!! and which NOBODY READS ANYWAY!! because they're losing subscribers left and right has criticized Bolton. Except, I have to correct the part about the Times losing subscribers left and right - because they didn't have any 'right' ones, right? I mean left? Or something?

Mulvaney, for his part, felt safe in saying that the president isn't good at hiring people.

And speaking of the president, he's having his love-fest tomorrow in Tulsa OK, against the advice of Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, according to this NBC News report. I guess the docs are part of the 'team of rivals' on the White House Coronavirus Task Force?  Anyway, a couple of days ago, Fauci said he would not ("of course not") attend any of Trump rallies, being in a high-risk category, and he added

outside is better than inside, no crowd is better than crowd, and crowd is better than big crowd.

And speaking of crowds (sheesh, this whole post reads like an ad for Segues, doesn't it?), the president had this to say about what might happen in Tulsa.

And, now we learn how it will be "a much different scene" - some 250 National Guard soldiers will be there, unarmed except for shields, batons, and pepper spray, to help keep the peace. Of course, it could have been a very much different scene entirely, but the Oklahoma Supreme Court refused to issue an injunction keeping the rally from going on as planned, saying there was no law requiring masks or physical distancing.

And speaking of the National Guard, it seems some of the folks who were called to duty helping out with coronavirus efforts will be one day short of the 90-day deployment requirement for benefit eligibility.

The issue arose after the administration decided to end federal deployment orders for National Guard members on June 24. The decision would leave some who were placed under federal orders in late March just short of reaching a 90-day threshold that would allow them to collect retirement benefits early, before turning 60. The date also would cut short access to some GI Bill benefits, though that could be earned later.

Which stinks, especially when "we love the military." I can't imagine that no one knew that picking this specific date - a seemingly random Wednesday - would ensure that so many folks who put themselves on the line when asked to, who were away from their families helping protect the country from an invisible Chinese enemy, were going to be treated this way.

I'll leave you with this closing thought. My Sonofa Gov, Andrew Cuomo, is ending his daily coronavirus briefings. No word on whether he's also ending his participation in the Cuomo Brothers show on CNN.

TGIF, everyone.