“House Democrats announced Friday that they will pursue a censure resolution next week against President Trump for his widely criticized reference to “s**thole countries” during a White House meeting. From the Hill:
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, expect to formally introduce the censure resolution after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
The two lawmakers said in a joint statement that they were “deeply disturbed and offended” by Trump’s remarks describing places like Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries.”…
“This censure resolution is important because America is a beacon of hope. We have to show the world that this president does not represent the real feelings of most of the American people which is part of the reason why he lost the popular vote,” Richmond and Nadler said.
“Congress must speak with one voice in condemning these offensive and anti-American remarks. There is no excuse for it.””
————————–
And yet, not even a peep in these cases. It’s almost like there’s a double standard here.
“President Trump is taking heat from liberal media for – reportedly – referring to some countries as “sh*tholes” – but, when Obama publicly called Republican rival Mitt Romney a “bullsh*tter” in 2012, Rolling Stone sprang to his defense.
In its “A Brief History of Presidential Profanity,” Rolling Stone began by mocking the outrage at Obama’s vulgarity:
“When President Obama called Mitt Romney a “bullsh*tter” in the pages of Rolling Stone earlier this year, it set off a brief firestorm. Defenders of the Republican candidate were shocked – shocked! – that the man holding the highest office in the land would resort to such language.
“In truth, the halls of the White House (like nearly every other house in the country, with the apparent exception of Romney’s) have heard no shortage of profanity over the decades.”
Vulgar language isn’t just acceptable – it’s even required for a U.S. president, Rolling Stone declared:
“It’s a dirty job, leading the free world. Sometimes it takes a few dirty words.”
Rolling Stone even justified Obama calling Romney a “bullsh*tter” – because “the dirty word is more precise.”
The magazine then listed examples of vulgarity employed by a host of presidents, vice-presidents and presidential candidates:”
————————-
A number of the Republicans in Congress (including Paul Ryan and many Senators) took a stand for decency. Senators Cotton and Perdue experienced a strange attack of deafness or memory loss.
This article about Charles Murray is good. My favorite part is where he and the other AEI intellectuals discussed how Big Bush was defensive around intellectuals but Reagan was amused by them.
If you want to do some useful homework before listening to the @charlesmurray episode of the Remnant, you should read this @continetti piece. It's almost like liner notes to the podcast. https://t.co/JeWrUtMKWh
Debra, You do know that Trump made those comments deliberately in front of Durbin because he wanted them to get out in order to placate his base. He needed to do that after his clueless performance in the DACA meeting with Congressional leaders earlier in the week. That meeting was televised to try to erase concerns Trump was not mentally competent. It is a downward spiral.
We know Trump wanted the racist obscenity to get out because he called friends and celebrated about it the night he made the comments. As the NYT article above states, the lunatic is the one fanning the flames of discord.
Have you considered it might be a master chess move for other ends?
Noonan’s column yesterday on deliberate deception was interesting and I’ve had a similar thought–this is all calculated to distract while a whole lot of other stuff is going on.
I’ve never liked/trusted the man since he first started dominating my newspaper thirty years ago when I read the NYT every Sunday and worked the crossword puzzle.
But he didn’t bamboozle so many people for so long because he wasn’t very very clever.
Michelle, I agree that the way Trump handled the #%*#hole comment was clever. His alt-right supporters knew he had said it. Coulter and Ingraham backed off their criticism which started after the televised DACA debacle.
Yet, Trump still technically had deniability. Cotton and Perdue had convenient memory loss. AJ put out the official Cult line:
A. He didn’t really say it.
B. Even if he did, you are a “drama queen” if you object.
However, there are three things coming that Trump probably can’t con:
A. Mueller
B. November, 2018
C. November, 2020.
Ricky @10:42 I don’t know what ‘clueless’ meeting you’re referring to. I watched the meeting the President had with Senators and Congressmen from both parties. I didn’t find it at all clueless.
Jonah Goldberg gives his analysis of a busy week. Debra, I think he was fair and balanced regarding Trump’s performance at that meeting. The title is a dig at everyone’s least favorite Trumpkin: Little Jerry Falwell.
Per usual,@JonahNRO makes all other online commentary superfluous w/ his G-File https://t.co/t5Arx5Ucnr so I will give time back to the court and your browsing after only a couple of observations based on speaking to a very liberal Jewish congregation last night, one sadly
.@JonahNRO ("a fairly secular Jew") writes: "I’m no expert, but my understanding of Christianity is that behavior is supposed to be informed by more than one’s 'authentic' feelings and instincts." https://t.co/sl62qh77BL He's responding to the president of a Christian university. pic.twitter.com/LYd8ramN4e
No wonder the Russian collusion investigation doesn’t appear to have legs – the Hillary-funded dossier and the FISA warrant are getting closer by the day…
Ricky, I don’t know what people get out of reading some of these inane articles. It’s too bad these talented writers are all spending their prime dulling their wits on foolishness and name calling, when they could be exerting themselves for something more productive and lasting. It’s not news. It’s not good analysis. It’s not even interesting gossip. It’s little more than third grade name-calling. Meanwhile, the President did manage to jump-start a bipartisan meeting for the beginnings of immigration reform—beginning with DACA.
Eventually, more of our elected officials are going to realize they need to work together to accomplish common goals. When that happens, we’ll probably need the President to curse again so the media will take notice and inadvertently inform those of you who have developed a taste for garbage. ;–)
I already have a hard time not making smart comments about “men” wearing skinny jeans stolen from their sisters, and man buns instead of ponytails. But this?
Debra, Those talented writers actually understand the issues involved in immigration reform enough to understand that Trump was simply acting as a parrot (as Milbank said) because of his ignorance (as Goldberg noted) at that meeting rather than providing any leadership. They further understand that when the Laura Ingrahams, the Mark Levins, and the Ann Coulters of the world heard the parts of the meeting in which Trump was parroting the Democrats, they went nuts. This led to Trump’s @#$@#$% comments, which were attempts to placate the anti-immigration hardliners (which they did), but also disgraced Trump, Republicans, “conservatives” and Americans before the entire world.
In other words, those people aren’t just talented writers. They are well-educated people who have studied current events and issues and leaders. They are therefore able to distinguish between a competent leader and an ignorant, demagogic con man with relative ease.
This article offers a historical look at immigration. While it doesn’t go into to more recent abuses and issues of security, it is a good background for the current discussions happening in DC.
“In other words, those people aren’t just talented writers. They are well-educated people who have studied current events and issues and leaders. They are therefore able to distinguish between a competent leader and an ignorant, demagogic con man with relative ease.”
Ricky, maybe yes, maybe no. The point is that they are imparting nothing of substance in their articles.They leave nothing in their wake to discuss but inanities.
“Two years ago, when Chris Matthews of MSNBC was preparing for an interview with candidate Hillary Clinton, he was caught on camera making a joke about slipping a “Bill Cosby pill” into her water.
It’s fun to imagine what the reaction would be if a FOX News host was caught saying this.
Noreen Malone of The Cut broke the story:
On January 5, 2016, MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews interviewed Hillary Clinton in an Iowa fire station during the Democratic primary season. Network footage obtained by the Cut shows Matthews, during the interview setup, making a couple of “jokes” about Clinton. He asks, “Can I have some of the queen’s waters? Precious waters?” And then, as he waits for the water, he adds, “Where’s that Bill Cosby pill I brought with me?” Matthews then laughs, delighted with the line, for an extended moment, as the staffers around him react with disbelief, clearly uncomfortable. (Cosby has been accused of sexual impropriety by dozens of women, some of whom allege that they were drugged and raped by the comedian.)
“This was a terrible comment I made in poor taste during the height of the Bill Cosby headlines,” Matthews said to the Cut. “I realize that’s no excuse. I deeply regret it and I’m sorry.”
———————-
“We’re now on day 36 without a 4th Circuit decision on Trump’s third travel order.
Unveiled as a presidential proclamation on September 24, 2017, the third travel order (we’ll call it EO-3) restricts entry by most nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, as well as some nationals of North Korea and Venezuela.
Almost immediately after Trump issued EO-3, Hawaii and the International Refugee Assistance Project returned to the same judges in HI and MD who blocked the March travel ban (EO-2) and once again obtained nationwide injunctions. As a result, we now have parallel appeals in the 4th (full court, en banc) and 9th Circuits (panel of three judges).
The 4th Circuit’s extended delay is bizarre in light of the fact that on December 4, the Supreme Court stayed the injunctions and allowed the restrictions to take full effect during the appeals. At that time, the justices noted that they “expect[ed]” the 4th and 9th Circuits to rule with “appropriate dispatch.”
To its credit, the Ninth Circuit complied.
On December 22, just 16 days after hearing arguments, Judges Michael Daly Hawkins, Ronald Gould and Richard Paez re-adopted their May opinion against EO-2, and affirmed the Hawaii injunction on statutory grounds. Specifically, the panel held that EO-3, like EO-2, violated 8 U.S.C. §1152(a)(1)(A)’s prohibition on nationality-based immigrant visa discrimination, and that, additionally, Trump failed to make findings sufficient to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens” under §1182(f).
Last week, the government filed for Supreme Court review of the 9th Circuit decison. Veteran SCOTUSblog reporter Lyle Denniston noted that the Justices are moving unusually quickly to consider the request which is now slated to be distributed at their January 19 conference. Law professor Josh Blackman said that he expects the Supreme Court to accept the case for review.
The Supreme Court clearly meant it when it urged “dispatch.”
Why the Delay?
So no one gets what’s taking the 4th Circuit so long. When the same 13 judges considered EO-2 seven months ago, they heard arguments on May 8 and entered a decision on May 25, just 17 days later. The majority opinion, four concurrences and three dissents spanned 194 pages.
I can think of a few theories for the holdup, but admittedly they’re just conjecture.
First, there could be disagreement on the merits within the 4th Circuit, with the judges reluctant to issue a split decision with no majority.
There is also the vanishingly small chance that the 4th Circuit is planning to uphold EO-3. This would require the three conservative judges—Niemeyer, Shedd and Agee—to flip four Democratic-appointed colleagues. It’s likely time-consuming to draft an opinion that can garner everyone’s support.
And as a theory of last resort, the delay could be intentional. The 4th Circuit might be withholding its judgment to stop the Justices from hearing the case before their summer recess, or just as a gesture of defiance, as a few people have suggested.
The non-cynical side of me would bet it’s just simple fracturing over why EO-3 must be struck down.”
Debra, The writers are re-educating Americans about something we have known for hundreds of years, but have recently forgotten. In order to effectively lead on an issue, a President must learn details about the issue and possible solutions, then educate the public and win over Congressional support using facts and arguments.
As my son like to say, Trump is Homer Simpson. He is at least as ignorant as the average American and he refuses to learn. He has the best briefers available to educate him about any issue, but he refuses to read, to study or to learn. He chooses to remain completely ignorant and demagogic on healthcare, on trade, on the budget, on the duties of the President, on the role of the judiciary, on immigration and all other issues.
In response to the alleged nuclear missile threat to Hawai’i yesterday, our Hawai’i pastor wrote this:
What would you do if you only had 20 minutes left to live? The State of Hawaii said to go inside (which is what all of them were probably doing this morning.) The Emergency Action Alert which proclaimed we had an incoming nuclear missile – and this was not a test – took us all by surprise. The only question was – how should we handle it? The State took 30 minutes to let us know it was a mistake. The media was totally silent for 23 minutes (the flight time from North Korea to Hawaii is 20 minutes!)
The truth is – it does not matter how much time you have left to live if the way you have lived your life has not prepared you for the moment when someone tells you that you only have 20 minutes left. This is why Jesus said, “be prepared.” It really is that simple. Faith allows you to face each moment not worrying about what the next moment will bring – because you are ready for it – whatever it is.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Which I shared on FB with my additional comment:
This from our pastor in Hawai’i. Mitch asks a good question.
Speaking as the wife of a nuclear submarine officer, we lived at ground zero for 20 years. My husband told me early on, “you don’t want to survive a nuclear bomb.”
I’ve kept my heart open to God ever since, daily confessing my sins and receiving forgiveness.
Later, Mitch posted:
In light of today’s little “oops” by the State of Hawaii which had us all holding our breath for 38 minutes. A beautiful prayer by Sir Francis Drake: “Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life, having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity, and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas, where storms will show your mastery, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizon of our hopes, and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love. This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ. ”
I wonder how many sermons were changed yesterday as a result of the oops. Good food for thought, for sure!
I found this article thought provoking. I can’t speak to the publication, since I have never read them before, but the writing was good.
Contemporary Japan may have its flaws, but it is now much more egalitarian than the US, India, or many countries in Europe. High taxes make it hard to pass on inherited wealth. And, unlike in the US, where material prosperity is flaunted, not least by Trump himself, the most affluent Japanese tend to be discreet. Japan has surpassed the US as a country of the middle class.
Resentment feeds off a sense of humiliation, a loss of pride. In a society where human worth is measured by individual success, symbolized by celebrity and money, it is easy to feel humiliated by a relative lack of it, of being just another face in the crowd. In extreme cases, desperate individuals will assassinate a president or a rock star just to get into the news. Populists find support among those resentful faces in the crowd, people who feel that elites have betrayed them, by taking away their sense of pride in their class, their culture, or their race.
This has not happened in Japan yet. Culture may have something to do with it. Self-promotion, in the American style, is frowned upon. To be sure, Japan has a celebrity culture, driven by mass media. But self-worth is defined less by individual fame or wealth than by having a place in a collective enterprise, and doing the job one is assigned as well as one can.
People in department stores seem to take genuine pride in wrapping merchandise beautifully. Some jobs – think of those uniformed middle-aged men who smile and bow at customers entering a bank – appear to be entirely superfluous. It would be naive to assume that these tasks give huge satisfaction, but they offer people a sense of place, a role in society, however humble.
Meanwhile, the domestic Japanese economy remains one of the most protected and least globalized in the developed world. There are several reasons why Japanese governments have resisted the neoliberalism promoted in the West since the Reagan/Thatcher years: corporate interests, bureaucratic privileges, and pork-barrel politics of various kinds. But preserving pride in employment, at the cost of efficiency, is one of them. If this stifles individual enterprise, then so be it.
Thatcherism has probably made the British economy more efficient. But by crushing trade unions and other established institutions of working-class culture, governments have also taken away sources of pride for people who often do unpleasant jobs. Efficiency does not create a sense of community. Those who now feel adrift blame their predicament on elites who are better educated and sometimes more talented – and thus better able to thrive in a global economy.
One of the more ironic consequences is that many such people in the US have chosen as their president a narcissistic billionaire who brags about his wealth, personal success, and genius. Nothing like that is likely to happen in Japan. We might learn something valuable from reflecting on the reasons why.
Ricky, the writers are only re-educating people like you in Conservative circles who used to know better. They’re letting you know you don’t need to bother with real arguments or facts because of Trump. Douthat was right. Many on the right are being dumbed down by their own lack of arguments. That’s not Trump. That’s you guys.
More on the hearing/memory problems of Senators Cotton and Perdue and an account of Trump bragging about his racist obscenity before he denied saying the words.
Ricky@ 11:35 No, they’re not. But neither are they babbling idiots as you would like to think. Those. Conservative writers are talented and knowledgeable. They should act like it.
They don’t know it, but this is their moment- –to use or squander. So far they’re squandering……
“A senator who attended the closed-door meeting during which the president reportedly insulted Haiti and various African nations with an expletive now says Trump never said the word.
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who supports Trump’s immigration policies, had previously claimed that he did not recall whether or not Trump used this incendiary language.
But on ABC News’ “This Week,” he repeatedly said that the meeting had been grossly and totally misrepresented in the press. The show’s host, George Stephanopoulos, pointed out that Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have told others that the reports were more or less accurate.
“I’m saying that this is a gross misrepresentation. It’s not the first time Sen. Durbin has done it. And it is not productive to solving the problem,” Perdue said.
Stephanopoulos repeatedly tried to have Perdue clarify what he meant and asked point-blank if Trump did not in fact say the crass word during the meeting.
“I’m telling you he did not use that word, George. And I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation. How many times do you want me to say that?” Perdue replied.”
—————————-
No, Debra. Now is not the writers’ moment. As AJ said the other day, the Trumpkins have taken over the Republican Party and “they are driving that car like they stole it”. Neither Trump nor his cultists are looking for directions from conservatives who understand economics, history, our form of government, etc. The Trumpers will indeed drive the car off the cliff. I can even give you the dates (Nov. 2018 and Nov. 2020). Then it will be the job of the writers to help clean up the mess. That will be their moment.
So why doesn’t Erickson name his source? You know, the supposed “friend” of the President who’s supposedly talking behind his back?
Also rhetorical. He won’t, because he’s lying and the backstabber is a figment of his TDS riddled mind.
Trump liked the attention he received from all this, so he went with it. He’s always been a student of the “any press is good press” school of thought. You clowns keep forgetting that, and you fall for it all the time. He keeps Lucying you guys. 🙂
He was right too. His base agrees, regardless of the language used.
And why was Trump bragging to people about using a word he didn’t say?
I know! Trumpers will now admit that Trump has told his second lie. The first was when he bragged of sexually assaulting women. The second was when he bragged about calling all those countries “%#€£%¥”.
The movie version of this is going to debut on The Comedy Channel.
@ 12:56 ” I can even give you the dates (Nov. 2018 and Nov. 2020). Then it will be the job of the writers to help clean up the mess. That will be their moment. “
Oh Ricky, that is folly. Who will want to hear them then besides people like you who want to hear pettiness now. When Democrats finally pull their act together and come up with a coherent answer, no one will care what the bright sparks of the Conservative movement think. I want to hear whatever of intelligence they can share now, while it can be incorporated into an improved direction for the country—without the arrogance, and the pretense that the only thing wrong with the country is that Americans are lazy, stupid, unwilling to move every few years, or otherwise undesirable. A country has to function well for its people. If ours did, Rubio, Cruz or Bush would be president right now.
Debra, We can disagree about trade, immigration, tax policy, and various other issues. Reasonably intelligent Americans who are not cultists can not disagree about whether Trump is fundamentally and pathologically dishonest. To be a solid Trump supporter, one must lie and/or defend lies or absurdities. Look at what poor Perdue did. For days as the racist obscenities were denounced, he suffered from memory loss. Today he suddenly has a miraculous recovery? Are we supposed to believe that? I thought you said Trumpers weren’t all babbling idiots.
It is not pettiness to denounce Trump’s extreme dishonesty and foolishness. Those are the reasons that independents, the college educated and the young have come to hate him. Those are the reasons that November 2018 and November 2020 will be disasters.
Conservative writers wrote about healthcare when that was being debated. They wrote about taxes when that was the issue. They would be writing about immigration now except that Trump has made himself, his dishonesty and his unfitness for office the primary issue.
Debra, You are an unusual Trump supporter. I dare say AJ is much more typical. Do you think he wants to hear from Goldberg on immigration, Williamson on healthcare, or Douthat on social or fiscal issues? AJ was right. Most Trumpkins want to ”drive that car like they stole it”. They want to “burn it down”.
Democrats don’t have to “get their act together”. When the Trumpers have run the Republican Party into the ditch and set it on fire, the Democrats will come to power. Once they stub their toes often enough, there may be a conservative revival. I am not sure how many of us will live to see that day.
So Lindsey’s taking the “fake but accurate” defense? Dan Rather would be proud. Either quote the man, or shut up. Then again, you and Durbin are killing your DACA deal, so keep it up. 🙂
“Since the report broke on Thursday that President Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as “@##$@#$” countries,” there have been conflicting reports from the lawmakers who were in the room.
The bottom line: This is a straightforward question about a meeting that happened just a few days ago, yet some participants seem to have forgotten what was said remarkably quickly. Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin told the press that Trump made such remarks “repeatedly,” while Sen. David Perdue denies the account entirely.
Deny
President Donald Trump: “The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used.”
Sen. David Perdue: “I’m telling you he did not use that word…and I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation.” Perdue had previously said he couldn’t recall.
Can’t recall
Sen. Tom Cotton: I “do not recall the President saying these comments specifically.”
DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen: “I don’t recall him saying that exact phrase.”
Confirm
Sen. Dick Durbin: “You’ve seen the comments in the press, I’ve not read one of them that’s inaccurate … He said these hate-filled things and he said them repeatedly.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham: “Following comments by the president, I said my piece directly to him yesterday. The president and all those attending the meeting know what I said and how I feel.”
It’s also been reported that Graham told Sen. Tim Scott that reports of Trump’s remarks are “basically accurate.”
———————————
The amusement never ends. And yes that is how Im treating the Trump presidency …for amusement purposes only. I suspect AJ is equally amused but for different reasons.
The real takeaway of the week should Trump’s incompetence and lack of knowledge over immigration but somehow his word choice is a problem.
In a televised mtg called to prove his competence in response to the book fallout, he seemed to agree with Feinstein of all people and then to a contradictory viewpoint. Thus upsetting his base and anti-immigrant congresspersons. In a subsequent mtg he does his best Clint Eastwood “get off my lawn” hoping to reassure his base and could not have been happier when Durbin went running to the media like a 3rd grader.
The Democrats should ignore the language and focus on his lack of knowledge. In the first he clearly didn’t understand the intricacies of DACA and in the second he clearly never heard of push and pull migration factors.
The US doesn’t have a choice between Africans and Norwegians (or most Europeans) rather its a choice between accepting those fleeing war, drought, pestilence, etc and drawn to new opportunities and no immigrants. Immigrants almost always come from sh#tholes; other than family and a specific job opportunity, why leave other than the usual push and pull factors.
AJ, You omitted Perdue’s initial statement that he, like Cotton, “could not recall”. Please make the magical Trumpkin memory cure available to the grneral public.
Ricky, it is not pettiness to denounce dishonesty (Trump’s or anyone else’s); it’s petty to trivialize the issues by ignoring them so you can keep beating a dead horse. Trump exaggerates and dramatizes and sometimes tells silly vain lies. Does that mean every conservative writer with a keyboard has to follow suit until we are sick of them?
I have held on to hope that Republicans would rally together at some point, reassess what has been happening in the lives of their base for the last 30-40 years, and respond constructively. It is becoming more apparent that this will not happen. As a result of squandering their moment (this moment), I agree it’s possible that Conservatives will never have power again until the folly has been firmly disciplined out of them. If that’s not in my lifetime, then so be it. We do not require a Conservative government in order to live in relative peace. But it would have been nice. :–/
Trump’s language shouldn’t be a focus. It doesnt bother me; at least he was straightforward. LBJ and Nixon would find this whole discussion amusing.
The only real problem is the diplomatic fallout, which is why the Democrats should’ve kept their mouths shut. Now thanks to them the racists are happy and a whole continent is upset with the US.
Instead of reporting on the language, they should’ve noted that the president didn’t understand immigration issues; thinking Norwegians are lining up to enter the US. Immigration is always about taking in the huddled masses not happy people living in a material comfort. The only acknowledgment of Trump’s demeanour should have been to note he was behaving like Abe Simpson trying to act like Eastwood in Gran Tarino.
Debra, You don’t want to hear the truth. JB Vance told you in a nice way. Charles Murray told you in a statistical way. Kevin D. Williamson told you in a brutally honest way.
Over the last few days all of the stories about the educational and economic success figures for African immigrants have made it clear that industrious people can succeed in this country.
Go back and read the next to last sentence in your 2:27 post. Compare that to JFK’s famous Inaugural quote.
In many countries, economic success is really difficult to achieve. That is not true here.
HRW, Here is the problem. Do you really think the people who elected Trump are capable of understanding that Trump didn’t know what he was talking about in the meeting with Feinstein and the others. They thought he did great until Ingraham and Coulter told them that he goofed. Some still think he did great.
Speaking of Williamson, he has reminded me that in discussing immigration and Trump’s @#$%#@% comments, we have completely ignored a story that would have dominated the news for weeks in any other Administration.
A conservative is suing Google claiming he was fired for political viewpoints. He’s being supported by the same people who argue a corporation has the right to refuse service based on beliefs. So a corporation can refuse service but not employment?
I’d argue the opposite. Retail stores shouldn’t be allowed to discriminate or we are back to Jim Crow and Jew free country clubs.
However all corporations have a code of conduct which can limit freedom of speech. As a teacher my freedom of speech is limited severely at school and less so at home. Google has similar rights toward its employees. Obviously the employee violated it and he was fired. But to be fair, they would tolerate him if he was important but he’s probably the opposite so he got no consideration that way.
I would tend to agree with you on employment. I think there needs to be a religious exception to the retail rule as I would not want to force Christian, Muslim or Orthodox Jewish bakers to bake homosexual wedding cakes.
The key is to use the 10th amendment to lets the individual states makes their own rules. Failure to do that was the real legal mistake in Roe v. Wade. Absent that ruling, abortion would have remained illegal in the South, legal in the Northeast and West Coast with the other states deciding their own courses.
An other amusing case involves Uranium One. For the last two years the Comey led FBI has slowly and methodically been assembling evidence and a third person has been indicted. It appears to be solid police work.
The right of course has been very supportive of the FBI and after two years they know Clinton may still be involved.
Meanwhile the obviously politically tainted FBI esp under Comey has yet to find Trump connected to Russian election meddling no has Mueller. After a full year of investigation, its obviously a nothing burger with only two or three indictments and a guilty plea.
I’m a little confused here. Is Comey and the FBI a hard working agency and not politically tainted and thus bringing a legitimate charge to at least three parties? Or is the FBI and Comey a political tainted agency with no legitimacy as they investigate Trump and his people?
White House official told me tonight there is debate internally on whether Trump said "shithole" or "shithouse." Perdue and Cotton seem to have heard latter, this person said, and are using to deny.
Anon @6:05m: The two cases are quite different. For the Christian retailer, it’s not about the right to refuse service based on beliefs (generally), but rather about refusing to participate in a same-sex wedding. Big difference.
If the Christian retailer, were to refuse to serve a gay person a cupcake, that would be discrimination. However, that’s not the same as baking a rainbow cake to celebrate gay marriage.
Good bakers and photographers who take their work seriously see themselves as participating in the ceremonies they service, especially weddings. Their cakes adorn the celebration and their pictures document the story. That’s why as Christians they object to being forced to participate in same-sex weddings – it’s not something they can do in good conscience. Such rulings set a dangerous precedence on our free market as well as the Constitution; hence, the laws to protect religious freedom.
Wandering Views 
It was Lindsay Graham, of all people, who stood up to Trump after Trump uttered the racist obscenities.
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This is one of the big problems. Trump is making our racial problems worse.
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That’s funny Ricky. Delusional, but still funny.
Sure, after 8 years of the racist in chief Obama and his divisive ways, it’s Trump who made things worse in race relations. Got it.
What’s next, Freddie Gray and Ferguson get blamed on Trump too? BLM is his fault too, right?
Is there no end to his evil powers?
🙄
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However, one of my neighbors seized upon the logic of Trump’s remarks and declared:
‘Texas doesn’t need any more Trumper immigrants from #@%&%@ states. We need more immigrants from Norway.’
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Dems are acting all drama queenie too. I guess they forgot about Obama’s foul mouth.
Or they’re just partisan publicity whores feigning indignation to score points with the base.
Probably B.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/01/12/house-democrats-pursue-censure-trump-next-week-comments/
“House Democrats announced Friday that they will pursue a censure resolution next week against President Trump for his widely criticized reference to “s**thole countries” during a White House meeting. From the Hill:
Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, expect to formally introduce the censure resolution after the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
The two lawmakers said in a joint statement that they were “deeply disturbed and offended” by Trump’s remarks describing places like Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries.”…
“This censure resolution is important because America is a beacon of hope. We have to show the world that this president does not represent the real feelings of most of the American people which is part of the reason why he lost the popular vote,” Richmond and Nadler said.
“Congress must speak with one voice in condemning these offensive and anti-American remarks. There is no excuse for it.””
————————–
And yet, not even a peep in these cases. It’s almost like there’s a double standard here.
https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/craig-bannister/flashback-rolling-stone-defends-obama-calling-romney-bullshtter-its-magazine
“President Trump is taking heat from liberal media for – reportedly – referring to some countries as “sh*tholes” – but, when Obama publicly called Republican rival Mitt Romney a “bullsh*tter” in 2012, Rolling Stone sprang to his defense.
In its “A Brief History of Presidential Profanity,” Rolling Stone began by mocking the outrage at Obama’s vulgarity:
“When President Obama called Mitt Romney a “bullsh*tter” in the pages of Rolling Stone earlier this year, it set off a brief firestorm. Defenders of the Republican candidate were shocked – shocked! – that the man holding the highest office in the land would resort to such language.
“In truth, the halls of the White House (like nearly every other house in the country, with the apparent exception of Romney’s) have heard no shortage of profanity over the decades.”
Vulgar language isn’t just acceptable – it’s even required for a U.S. president, Rolling Stone declared:
“It’s a dirty job, leading the free world. Sometimes it takes a few dirty words.”
Rolling Stone even justified Obama calling Romney a “bullsh*tter” – because “the dirty word is more precise.”
The magazine then listed examples of vulgarity employed by a host of presidents, vice-presidents and presidential candidates:”
————————-
So much for unprecedented behavior, huh?
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A number of the Republicans in Congress (including Paul Ryan and many Senators) took a stand for decency. Senators Cotton and Perdue experienced a strange attack of deafness or memory loss.
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@ 8:23 Tom Cotton’s ‘memory loss’ does him credit. The people who are fanning the flames of discord are not leading us to a good outcome.
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This article about Charles Murray is good. My favorite part is where he and the other AEI intellectuals discussed how Big Bush was defensive around intellectuals but Reagan was amused by them.
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Debra, You do know that Trump made those comments deliberately in front of Durbin because he wanted them to get out in order to placate his base. He needed to do that after his clueless performance in the DACA meeting with Congressional leaders earlier in the week. That meeting was televised to try to erase concerns Trump was not mentally competent. It is a downward spiral.
We know Trump wanted the racist obscenity to get out because he called friends and celebrated about it the night he made the comments. As the NYT article above states, the lunatic is the one fanning the flames of discord.
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There might be another side to this RW.
Have you considered it might be a master chess move for other ends?
Noonan’s column yesterday on deliberate deception was interesting and I’ve had a similar thought–this is all calculated to distract while a whole lot of other stuff is going on.
I’ve never liked/trusted the man since he first started dominating my newspaper thirty years ago when I read the NYT every Sunday and worked the crossword puzzle.
But he didn’t bamboozle so many people for so long because he wasn’t very very clever.
I wouldn’t underestimate him.
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Michelle, I agree that the way Trump handled the #%*#hole comment was clever. His alt-right supporters knew he had said it. Coulter and Ingraham backed off their criticism which started after the televised DACA debacle.
Yet, Trump still technically had deniability. Cotton and Perdue had convenient memory loss. AJ put out the official Cult line:
A. He didn’t really say it.
B. Even if he did, you are a “drama queen” if you object.
However, there are three things coming that Trump probably can’t con:
A. Mueller
B. November, 2018
C. November, 2020.
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Ricky @10:42 I don’t know what ‘clueless’ meeting you’re referring to. I watched the meeting the President had with Senators and Congressmen from both parties. I didn’t find it at all clueless.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?439527-1/president-trump-open-tackling-daca-fix-first-border-wall
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We are seeing the indictments begin, and it is only the beginning.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/25828/breaking-indictment-handed-out-russian-bribery-ryan-saavedra
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Debra, I was being kind to call him “clueless”. Dana Milbank called him a “parrot”.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinions/is-trump-a-chameleon-or-a-parrot/2018/01/10/a51427c4-f657-11e7-b34a-b85626af34ef_story.html
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Jonah Goldberg gives his analysis of a busy week. Debra, I think he was fair and balanced regarding Trump’s performance at that meeting. The title is a dig at everyone’s least favorite Trumpkin: Little Jerry Falwell.
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No wonder the Russian collusion investigation doesn’t appear to have legs – the Hillary-funded dossier and the FISA warrant are getting closer by the day…
https://saraacarter.com/2018/01/10/was-the-dnc-clinton-campaign-funded-dossier-used-to-obtain-trump-fisa-warrant/
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I wonder who is going to be Hillary’s protector this time. I doubt the exoneration document will be written before the investigation is complete.
Will there finally be justice?
https://www.dailywire.com/news/25395/doj-may-be-looking-reopen-hillary-clinton-email-emily-zanotti
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That’s not all – the Clinton Foundation is now under investigation by the FBI:
https://ijr.com/the-declaration/2018/01/1044614-clinton-foundation-investigation-fbi-report/
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Ricky, I don’t know what people get out of reading some of these inane articles. It’s too bad these talented writers are all spending their prime dulling their wits on foolishness and name calling, when they could be exerting themselves for something more productive and lasting. It’s not news. It’s not good analysis. It’s not even interesting gossip. It’s little more than third grade name-calling. Meanwhile, the President did manage to jump-start a bipartisan meeting for the beginnings of immigration reform—beginning with DACA.
Eventually, more of our elected officials are going to realize they need to work together to accomplish common goals. When that happens, we’ll probably need the President to curse again so the media will take notice and inadvertently inform those of you who have developed a taste for garbage. ;–)
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No, no, no……..
And did I mention, NO!
I already have a hard time not making smart comments about “men” wearing skinny jeans stolen from their sisters, and man buns instead of ponytails. But this?
This is where I draw the line.
NO!
https://nypost.com/2018/01/12/are-skirts-the-next-mens-fashion-trend/
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Someone’s got some ‘splainin’ to do…..
And really, hiding kids in storm sewers? This accomplishes what exactly?
Just panic and run!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5266357/Hawaii-receives-ballistic-missile-threat-warning.html
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Debra, Those talented writers actually understand the issues involved in immigration reform enough to understand that Trump was simply acting as a parrot (as Milbank said) because of his ignorance (as Goldberg noted) at that meeting rather than providing any leadership. They further understand that when the Laura Ingrahams, the Mark Levins, and the Ann Coulters of the world heard the parts of the meeting in which Trump was parroting the Democrats, they went nuts. This led to Trump’s @#$@#$% comments, which were attempts to placate the anti-immigration hardliners (which they did), but also disgraced Trump, Republicans, “conservatives” and Americans before the entire world.
In other words, those people aren’t just talented writers. They are well-educated people who have studied current events and issues and leaders. They are therefore able to distinguish between a competent leader and an ignorant, demagogic con man with relative ease.
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This article offers a historical look at immigration. While it doesn’t go into to more recent abuses and issues of security, it is a good background for the current discussions happening in DC.
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/13/577808792/president-trumps-idea-of-good-and-bad-immigrant-countries-has-a-historical-prece
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“In other words, those people aren’t just talented writers. They are well-educated people who have studied current events and issues and leaders. They are therefore able to distinguish between a competent leader and an ignorant, demagogic con man with relative ease.”
Ricky, maybe yes, maybe no. The point is that they are imparting nothing of substance in their articles.They leave nothing in their wake to discuss but inanities.
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I can’t decide what’s the more disturbing detail here……..
https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/01/chris-matthews-made-date-rape-drug-joke-about-hillary-clinton-will-he-be-fired/
“Two years ago, when Chris Matthews of MSNBC was preparing for an interview with candidate Hillary Clinton, he was caught on camera making a joke about slipping a “Bill Cosby pill” into her water.
It’s fun to imagine what the reaction would be if a FOX News host was caught saying this.
Noreen Malone of The Cut broke the story:
On January 5, 2016, MSNBC Hardball host Chris Matthews interviewed Hillary Clinton in an Iowa fire station during the Democratic primary season. Network footage obtained by the Cut shows Matthews, during the interview setup, making a couple of “jokes” about Clinton. He asks, “Can I have some of the queen’s waters? Precious waters?” And then, as he waits for the water, he adds, “Where’s that Bill Cosby pill I brought with me?” Matthews then laughs, delighted with the line, for an extended moment, as the staffers around him react with disbelief, clearly uncomfortable. (Cosby has been accused of sexual impropriety by dozens of women, some of whom allege that they were drugged and raped by the comedian.)
“This was a terrible comment I made in poor taste during the height of the Bill Cosby headlines,” Matthews said to the Cut. “I realize that’s no excuse. I deeply regret it and I’m sorry.”
———————-
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Intentionally delaying the administration of justice is an impeachable offense for judges. So they should, if that’s what is happening here.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2018/01/the-curious-case-of-4th-circuit-delay-in-ruling-on-trump-travel-order-no-3/
“We’re now on day 36 without a 4th Circuit decision on Trump’s third travel order.
Unveiled as a presidential proclamation on September 24, 2017, the third travel order (we’ll call it EO-3) restricts entry by most nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, and Yemen, as well as some nationals of North Korea and Venezuela.
Almost immediately after Trump issued EO-3, Hawaii and the International Refugee Assistance Project returned to the same judges in HI and MD who blocked the March travel ban (EO-2) and once again obtained nationwide injunctions. As a result, we now have parallel appeals in the 4th (full court, en banc) and 9th Circuits (panel of three judges).
The 4th Circuit’s extended delay is bizarre in light of the fact that on December 4, the Supreme Court stayed the injunctions and allowed the restrictions to take full effect during the appeals. At that time, the justices noted that they “expect[ed]” the 4th and 9th Circuits to rule with “appropriate dispatch.”
To its credit, the Ninth Circuit complied.
On December 22, just 16 days after hearing arguments, Judges Michael Daly Hawkins, Ronald Gould and Richard Paez re-adopted their May opinion against EO-2, and affirmed the Hawaii injunction on statutory grounds. Specifically, the panel held that EO-3, like EO-2, violated 8 U.S.C. §1152(a)(1)(A)’s prohibition on nationality-based immigrant visa discrimination, and that, additionally, Trump failed to make findings sufficient to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens” under §1182(f).
Last week, the government filed for Supreme Court review of the 9th Circuit decison. Veteran SCOTUSblog reporter Lyle Denniston noted that the Justices are moving unusually quickly to consider the request which is now slated to be distributed at their January 19 conference. Law professor Josh Blackman said that he expects the Supreme Court to accept the case for review.
The Supreme Court clearly meant it when it urged “dispatch.”
Why the Delay?
So no one gets what’s taking the 4th Circuit so long. When the same 13 judges considered EO-2 seven months ago, they heard arguments on May 8 and entered a decision on May 25, just 17 days later. The majority opinion, four concurrences and three dissents spanned 194 pages.
I can think of a few theories for the holdup, but admittedly they’re just conjecture.
First, there could be disagreement on the merits within the 4th Circuit, with the judges reluctant to issue a split decision with no majority.
There is also the vanishingly small chance that the 4th Circuit is planning to uphold EO-3. This would require the three conservative judges—Niemeyer, Shedd and Agee—to flip four Democratic-appointed colleagues. It’s likely time-consuming to draft an opinion that can garner everyone’s support.
And as a theory of last resort, the delay could be intentional. The 4th Circuit might be withholding its judgment to stop the Justices from hearing the case before their summer recess, or just as a gesture of defiance, as a few people have suggested.
The non-cynical side of me would bet it’s just simple fracturing over why EO-3 must be struck down.”
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Debra, The writers are re-educating Americans about something we have known for hundreds of years, but have recently forgotten. In order to effectively lead on an issue, a President must learn details about the issue and possible solutions, then educate the public and win over Congressional support using facts and arguments.
As my son like to say, Trump is Homer Simpson. He is at least as ignorant as the average American and he refuses to learn. He has the best briefers available to educate him about any issue, but he refuses to read, to study or to learn. He chooses to remain completely ignorant and demagogic on healthcare, on trade, on the budget, on the duties of the President, on the role of the judiciary, on immigration and all other issues.
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In response to the alleged nuclear missile threat to Hawai’i yesterday, our Hawai’i pastor wrote this:
What would you do if you only had 20 minutes left to live? The State of Hawaii said to go inside (which is what all of them were probably doing this morning.) The Emergency Action Alert which proclaimed we had an incoming nuclear missile – and this was not a test – took us all by surprise. The only question was – how should we handle it? The State took 30 minutes to let us know it was a mistake. The media was totally silent for 23 minutes (the flight time from North Korea to Hawaii is 20 minutes!)
The truth is – it does not matter how much time you have left to live if the way you have lived your life has not prepared you for the moment when someone tells you that you only have 20 minutes left. This is why Jesus said, “be prepared.” It really is that simple. Faith allows you to face each moment not worrying about what the next moment will bring – because you are ready for it – whatever it is.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Which I shared on FB with my additional comment:
This from our pastor in Hawai’i. Mitch asks a good question.
Speaking as the wife of a nuclear submarine officer, we lived at ground zero for 20 years. My husband told me early on, “you don’t want to survive a nuclear bomb.”
I’ve kept my heart open to God ever since, daily confessing my sins and receiving forgiveness.
Later, Mitch posted:
In light of today’s little “oops” by the State of Hawaii which had us all holding our breath for 38 minutes. A beautiful prayer by Sir Francis Drake: “Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.
Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life, having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity, and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.
Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas, where storms will show your mastery, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars. We ask you to push back the horizon of our hopes, and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love. This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ. ”
I wonder how many sermons were changed yesterday as a result of the oops. Good food for thought, for sure!
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I found this article thought provoking. I can’t speak to the publication, since I have never read them before, but the writing was good.
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Ricky, the writers are only re-educating people like you in Conservative circles who used to know better. They’re letting you know you don’t need to bother with real arguments or facts because of Trump. Douthat was right. Many on the right are being dumbed down by their own lack of arguments. That’s not Trump. That’s you guys.
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Right. The Trumpkins are all stable geniuses just like their idol.
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More on the hearing/memory problems of Senators Cotton and Perdue and an account of Trump bragging about his racist obscenity before he denied saying the words.
https://twitter.com/ewerickson/status/952569551450976257
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Ricky@ 11:35 No, they’re not. But neither are they babbling idiots as you would like to think. Those. Conservative writers are talented and knowledgeable. They should act like it.
They don’t know it, but this is their moment- –to use or squander. So far they’re squandering……
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Dreher has made more use of his opportunity than most, I think.
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Let’s see…….
Who do I believe? The Never-Trumpers, who weren’t there.
Or the guy who was that says Durbin and Graham are flat out lying? Again.
That was rhetorical by the way…..
https://www.yahoo.com/news/georgia-senator-now-says-trump-not-use-word-160807678.html
“A senator who attended the closed-door meeting during which the president reportedly insulted Haiti and various African nations with an expletive now says Trump never said the word.
Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who supports Trump’s immigration policies, had previously claimed that he did not recall whether or not Trump used this incendiary language.
But on ABC News’ “This Week,” he repeatedly said that the meeting had been grossly and totally misrepresented in the press. The show’s host, George Stephanopoulos, pointed out that Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., have told others that the reports were more or less accurate.
“I’m saying that this is a gross misrepresentation. It’s not the first time Sen. Durbin has done it. And it is not productive to solving the problem,” Perdue said.
Stephanopoulos repeatedly tried to have Perdue clarify what he meant and asked point-blank if Trump did not in fact say the crass word during the meeting.
“I’m telling you he did not use that word, George. And I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation. How many times do you want me to say that?” Perdue replied.”
—————————-
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No, Debra. Now is not the writers’ moment. As AJ said the other day, the Trumpkins have taken over the Republican Party and “they are driving that car like they stole it”. Neither Trump nor his cultists are looking for directions from conservatives who understand economics, history, our form of government, etc. The Trumpers will indeed drive the car off the cliff. I can even give you the dates (Nov. 2018 and Nov. 2020). Then it will be the job of the writers to help clean up the mess. That will be their moment.
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AJ, Does The Trump Cult have a patent on the miracle drug that suddenly restored the memory of Senator Perdue?
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Ricky,
So why doesn’t Erickson name his source? You know, the supposed “friend” of the President who’s supposedly talking behind his back?
Also rhetorical. He won’t, because he’s lying and the backstabber is a figment of his TDS riddled mind.
Trump liked the attention he received from all this, so he went with it. He’s always been a student of the “any press is good press” school of thought. You clowns keep forgetting that, and you fall for it all the time. He keeps Lucying you guys. 🙂
He was right too. His base agrees, regardless of the language used.
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And why was Trump bragging to people about using a word he didn’t say?
I know! Trumpers will now admit that Trump has told his second lie. The first was when he bragged of sexually assaulting women. The second was when he bragged about calling all those countries “%#€£%¥”.
The movie version of this is going to debut on The Comedy Channel.
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AJ, You are becoming as verbally confused as your lying moron. So did he say it or not?
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@ 12:56 ” I can even give you the dates (Nov. 2018 and Nov. 2020). Then it will be the job of the writers to help clean up the mess. That will be their moment. “
Oh Ricky, that is folly. Who will want to hear them then besides people like you who want to hear pettiness now. When Democrats finally pull their act together and come up with a coherent answer, no one will care what the bright sparks of the Conservative movement think. I want to hear whatever of intelligence they can share now, while it can be incorporated into an improved direction for the country—without the arrogance, and the pretense that the only thing wrong with the country is that Americans are lazy, stupid, unwilling to move every few years, or otherwise undesirable. A country has to function well for its people. If ours did, Rubio, Cruz or Bush would be president right now.
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Debra, We can disagree about trade, immigration, tax policy, and various other issues. Reasonably intelligent Americans who are not cultists can not disagree about whether Trump is fundamentally and pathologically dishonest. To be a solid Trump supporter, one must lie and/or defend lies or absurdities. Look at what poor Perdue did. For days as the racist obscenities were denounced, he suffered from memory loss. Today he suddenly has a miraculous recovery? Are we supposed to believe that? I thought you said Trumpers weren’t all babbling idiots.
It is not pettiness to denounce Trump’s extreme dishonesty and foolishness. Those are the reasons that independents, the college educated and the young have come to hate him. Those are the reasons that November 2018 and November 2020 will be disasters.
Conservative writers wrote about healthcare when that was being debated. They wrote about taxes when that was the issue. They would be writing about immigration now except that Trump has made himself, his dishonesty and his unfitness for office the primary issue.
Debra, You are an unusual Trump supporter. I dare say AJ is much more typical. Do you think he wants to hear from Goldberg on immigration, Williamson on healthcare, or Douthat on social or fiscal issues? AJ was right. Most Trumpkins want to ”drive that car like they stole it”. They want to “burn it down”.
Democrats don’t have to “get their act together”. When the Trumpers have run the Republican Party into the ditch and set it on fire, the Democrats will come to power. Once they stub their toes often enough, there may be a conservative revival. I am not sure how many of us will live to see that day.
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So Lindsey’s taking the “fake but accurate” defense? Dan Rather would be proud. Either quote the man, or shut up. Then again, you and Durbin are killing your DACA deal, so keep it up. 🙂
https://www.axios.com/where-those-who-were-in-the-room-stand-on-trumps-shithole-comment-1515946754-ea428a8d-c6fb-406a-8489-248204fbfa16.html
“Since the report broke on Thursday that President Trump referred to Haiti and African nations as “@##$@#$” countries,” there have been conflicting reports from the lawmakers who were in the room.
The bottom line: This is a straightforward question about a meeting that happened just a few days ago, yet some participants seem to have forgotten what was said remarkably quickly. Meanwhile, Sen. Dick Durbin told the press that Trump made such remarks “repeatedly,” while Sen. David Perdue denies the account entirely.
Deny
President Donald Trump: “The language used by me at the DACA meeting was tough, but this was not the language used.”
Sen. David Perdue: “I’m telling you he did not use that word…and I’m telling you it’s a gross misrepresentation.” Perdue had previously said he couldn’t recall.
Can’t recall
Sen. Tom Cotton: I “do not recall the President saying these comments specifically.”
DHS Sec. Kirstjen Nielsen: “I don’t recall him saying that exact phrase.”
Confirm
Sen. Dick Durbin: “You’ve seen the comments in the press, I’ve not read one of them that’s inaccurate … He said these hate-filled things and he said them repeatedly.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham: “Following comments by the president, I said my piece directly to him yesterday. The president and all those attending the meeting know what I said and how I feel.”
It’s also been reported that Graham told Sen. Tim Scott that reports of Trump’s remarks are “basically accurate.”
———————————
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The amusement never ends. And yes that is how Im treating the Trump presidency …for amusement purposes only. I suspect AJ is equally amused but for different reasons.
The real takeaway of the week should Trump’s incompetence and lack of knowledge over immigration but somehow his word choice is a problem.
In a televised mtg called to prove his competence in response to the book fallout, he seemed to agree with Feinstein of all people and then to a contradictory viewpoint. Thus upsetting his base and anti-immigrant congresspersons. In a subsequent mtg he does his best Clint Eastwood “get off my lawn” hoping to reassure his base and could not have been happier when Durbin went running to the media like a 3rd grader.
The Democrats should ignore the language and focus on his lack of knowledge. In the first he clearly didn’t understand the intricacies of DACA and in the second he clearly never heard of push and pull migration factors.
The US doesn’t have a choice between Africans and Norwegians (or most Europeans) rather its a choice between accepting those fleeing war, drought, pestilence, etc and drawn to new opportunities and no immigrants. Immigrants almost always come from sh#tholes; other than family and a specific job opportunity, why leave other than the usual push and pull factors.
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AJ, You omitted Perdue’s initial statement that he, like Cotton, “could not recall”. Please make the magical Trumpkin memory cure available to the grneral public.
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I see a fact-based post. Is that you, HRW?
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Ricky, it is not pettiness to denounce dishonesty (Trump’s or anyone else’s); it’s petty to trivialize the issues by ignoring them so you can keep beating a dead horse. Trump exaggerates and dramatizes and sometimes tells silly vain lies. Does that mean every conservative writer with a keyboard has to follow suit until we are sick of them?
I have held on to hope that Republicans would rally together at some point, reassess what has been happening in the lives of their base for the last 30-40 years, and respond constructively. It is becoming more apparent that this will not happen. As a result of squandering their moment (this moment), I agree it’s possible that Conservatives will never have power again until the folly has been firmly disciplined out of them. If that’s not in my lifetime, then so be it. We do not require a Conservative government in order to live in relative peace. But it would have been nice. :–/
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Why am I anon?
Trump’s language shouldn’t be a focus. It doesnt bother me; at least he was straightforward. LBJ and Nixon would find this whole discussion amusing.
The only real problem is the diplomatic fallout, which is why the Democrats should’ve kept their mouths shut. Now thanks to them the racists are happy and a whole continent is upset with the US.
Instead of reporting on the language, they should’ve noted that the president didn’t understand immigration issues; thinking Norwegians are lining up to enter the US. Immigration is always about taking in the huddled masses not happy people living in a material comfort. The only acknowledgment of Trump’s demeanour should have been to note he was behaving like Abe Simpson trying to act like Eastwood in Gran Tarino.
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Debra, You don’t want to hear the truth. JB Vance told you in a nice way. Charles Murray told you in a statistical way. Kevin D. Williamson told you in a brutally honest way.
Over the last few days all of the stories about the educational and economic success figures for African immigrants have made it clear that industrious people can succeed in this country.
Go back and read the next to last sentence in your 2:27 post. Compare that to JFK’s famous Inaugural quote.
In many countries, economic success is really difficult to achieve. That is not true here.
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HRW, Here is the problem. Do you really think the people who elected Trump are capable of understanding that Trump didn’t know what he was talking about in the meeting with Feinstein and the others. They thought he did great until Ingraham and Coulter told them that he goofed. Some still think he did great.
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Speaking of Williamson, he has reminded me that in discussing immigration and Trump’s @#$%#@% comments, we have completely ignored a story that would have dominated the news for weeks in any other Administration.
https://twitter.com/kevinnr/status/952663734912258049
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Another amusing story;
A conservative is suing Google claiming he was fired for political viewpoints. He’s being supported by the same people who argue a corporation has the right to refuse service based on beliefs. So a corporation can refuse service but not employment?
I’d argue the opposite. Retail stores shouldn’t be allowed to discriminate or we are back to Jim Crow and Jew free country clubs.
However all corporations have a code of conduct which can limit freedom of speech. As a teacher my freedom of speech is limited severely at school and less so at home. Google has similar rights toward its employees. Obviously the employee violated it and he was fired. But to be fair, they would tolerate him if he was important but he’s probably the opposite so he got no consideration that way.
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An interesting case, HRW.
I would tend to agree with you on employment. I think there needs to be a religious exception to the retail rule as I would not want to force Christian, Muslim or Orthodox Jewish bakers to bake homosexual wedding cakes.
The key is to use the 10th amendment to lets the individual states makes their own rules. Failure to do that was the real legal mistake in Roe v. Wade. Absent that ruling, abortion would have remained illegal in the South, legal in the Northeast and West Coast with the other states deciding their own courses.
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An other amusing case involves Uranium One. For the last two years the Comey led FBI has slowly and methodically been assembling evidence and a third person has been indicted. It appears to be solid police work.
The right of course has been very supportive of the FBI and after two years they know Clinton may still be involved.
Meanwhile the obviously politically tainted FBI esp under Comey has yet to find Trump connected to Russian election meddling no has Mueller. After a full year of investigation, its obviously a nothing burger with only two or three indictments and a guilty plea.
I’m a little confused here. Is Comey and the FBI a hard working agency and not politically tainted and thus bringing a legitimate charge to at least three parties? Or is the FBI and Comey a political tainted agency with no legitimacy as they investigate Trump and his people?
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Ah! Now that makes all the difference.
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You tell us, hwesseli.
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The actual story of the day:
https://twitter.com/mysportsupdate/status/952718277809266688
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Anon @6:05m: The two cases are quite different. For the Christian retailer, it’s not about the right to refuse service based on beliefs (generally), but rather about refusing to participate in a same-sex wedding. Big difference.
If the Christian retailer, were to refuse to serve a gay person a cupcake, that would be discrimination. However, that’s not the same as baking a rainbow cake to celebrate gay marriage.
Good bakers and photographers who take their work seriously see themselves as participating in the ceremonies they service, especially weddings. Their cakes adorn the celebration and their pictures document the story. That’s why as Christians they object to being forced to participate in same-sex weddings – it’s not something they can do in good conscience. Such rulings set a dangerous precedence on our free market as well as the Constitution; hence, the laws to protect religious freedom.
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