Patterico's Pontifications

7/20/2020

If the Lincoln Project Walks Like a Bunch of Democrats and Quacks Like a Bunch of Democrats…

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 8:29 am



The Lincoln Project makes some pretty compelling ads that likely get under Donald Trump’s skin. I have considered myself pretty simpatico with the philosophy of George Conway: a conservative appalled by what he sees in the Oval Office who wants it gone. He was once more of a Trumper than I could ever have been in any lifetime, but I rationalized that this allowed him to experience the zeal of a convert. Overly zealous for my taste at times, but spurring an enthusiasm for the effort to oust Trump that the more phlegmatic personalities like me could never muster.

But the evidence is now overwhelming that his Lincoln Project is simply a Democrat effort. I can’t support it.

First there’s this article in National Review:

The gap between the group’s rhetoric and its actions is enormous. The Times op-ed declared that “national Republicans have done far worse than simply march along to Mr. Trump’s beat. Their defense of him is imbued with an ugliness, a meanness and a willingness to attack and slander those who have shed blood for our country, who have dedicated their lives and careers to its defense and its security, and whose job is to preserve the nation’s status as a beacon of hope.” And yet the group’s focus thus far has been on vulnerable Senate Republicans, notably the moderate Susan Collins and the mainstream Cory Gardner, who haven’t exhibited any such behavior. Neither has Joni Ernst, another target.

The Lincoln Project’s ads don’t attack these GOP senators for supporting profligate federal spending, contributing to explosive debt, or enabling feckless foreign policy, nor do they bash President Trump for his incoherent trade policy or his failure to tame an ascendant administrative state. Rather, they attack Republicans from the left, in terms that please the Lincoln Project’s predominantly progressive funders. Rarely, across dozens of ads, is a political principle recognizable to anyone as center-right to be found. Is the Lincoln Project aware of who Abraham Lincoln was?

And then the kicker:

This makes sense when one examines the Lincoln Project’s FEC filings. To date, the group has spent nearly $100,000 for “fundraising consulting services” with the Katz Watson Group. That firm’s founder, Fran Katz Watson, is a lifelong Democratic operative who previously worked as the national finance director for the Democratic National Committee. The firm’s long list of left-wing clients includes the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Beto for Senate. In addition, the Lincoln Project has spent large sums contracting with Elrod Strategies, the firm run by Adrienne Elrod, former director of strategic communications for Hillary for America, and has paid Zachary Czajkowski handsomely for “political strategy.” Czajkowski’s resume includes work for Barack Obama, former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, Hillary Clinton, and disgraced former California representative Katie Hill.

But if there still were any doubt it was erased by this tweet (and thread) from Greg Sargent at the Washington Post:

From the linked article, an interview with co-founder John Weaver:

The group is preparing to vehemently oppose efforts by GOP senators to obstruct and stymie Biden’s agenda, should he win the presidency, Weaver confirmed.

. . . .

Weaver insisted the group would actively work against Republicans who obstruct a Biden presidency, which would face a deeper crisis than in 2009, when Republicans tried to obstruct Obama in hopes of profiting off continuing economic misery.

. . . .

“Trickle-down economics has proven not to work,” Weaver said, allowing that “growing and growing” inequality is a big reason the American people are losing faith in government, which is often said to have helped Trump’s rise.

I can see opposing Senators who have supported Trump and Trumpism, even if it makes the Republican agenda more difficult in the near term, based on the argument that it’s necessary for the party in the long term to curb-stomp Trumpism as hard as possible.

But even if you’re as committed as I am to relegating Trumpism to the ash heap of history, pursuing a Democrat agenda after the election is indefensible.

If the Lincoln Project will be pushing a Democrat agenda after the election, they are Democrats. It’s really that simple.

174 Responses to “If the Lincoln Project Walks Like a Bunch of Democrats and Quacks Like a Bunch of Democrats…”

  1. If pushing a democrat agenda includes restoring the integrity of the DOJ and restoring good relations with America’s historic allies, I’m all for it. Looking for a way to relegate Trump to the ash heap of history without electing Biden is right up there with Unicorn hunting if you are looking for ways to waste your time.

    John B Boddie (f44786)

  2. This makes sense when one examines the Lincoln Project’s FEC filings. To date, the group has spent nearly $100,000 for “fundraising consulting services” with the Katz Watson Group. That firm’s founder, Fran Katz Watson, is a lifelong Democratic operative who previously worked as the national finance director for the Democratic National Committee.

    This item I discount completely. They have no choice but to hire Democrat political consultants. Any Republican operative who works for them will be blacklisted by the entire Republican Party. It happened in a very public way when Matt Bevins challenged Mitch McConnell in the primary six years ago. Veteran Republican campaign advisers were told: “Work for Bevins and you will never work in this Party again.”

    nk (1d9030)

  3. An early tell was their endorsement of Biden. Their ads are effective but, beyond that, I can’t support ’em. As I see it, the more honorable thing for a Republican to do is vote for neither and write in someone who’s not unfit.

    Paul Montagu (0a7316)

  4. bialystok and bloom would be proud,

    narciso (7404b5)

  5. Grifters and frauds. They are like many who pretend to be Republicans, but always push the leftist agenda to destroy our nation.

    I would love to see their debt sheet before this conversion.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  6. Some of their ads are truly awesome, but the idea they are republicans like me just wanting to restore the GOP does feel like a lie.

    Great post. It will not win Patterico any friends.

    A lot of the GOP really screwed up by sticking by Trump during his impeachment, but do we really think the democrats were solely operating on morality in that process? Is handing the left every instrument of power something Abraham Lincoln would do right now?

    If Lincoln Project were backing the GOP in some tough contests, and passionately fighting Trump, they would be more persuasive. But there’s no cash in that.

    always push the leftist agenda to destroy our nation.

    There are people like Steve Bannon or some hardcore lefty who do hate this country and want to see its institutions collapse, but you can’t define the democrats or republicans that way. Almost the whole of both parties wants this country to thrive.

    Dustin (064e00)

  7. Collecting money to defeat Trump is a good thing. The fact that money might otherwise be spent on other lefty goals probably makes it a better thing.

    Bidens’s 2020 campaign slogan: Senile, but not inject bleach Senile.

    Time123 (d1bf33)

  8. And Reagan was a Democrat, too– who voted for New Deal FDR… four times!

    The Lincoln Project are the ‘leftovers;’ the ‘left behind;’ the castaway punditry desperate for a return to relevancy; those who want their playground back as it was. Conservative whine; bitter dregs.

    Welcome to 1964.

    _________

    OTOH, welcome to 1969– 51 years ago today– when America truly was great- and showed the world why, without a gun in hand:

    http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/hd/apollo11.html

    “Our Germans are better than their Germans.” – ‘The Right Stuff’ 1983

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  9. I can’t say that I’m “supporting” the Lincoln Project, but I do agree with them, even in regard to Gardner, Collins and Ernst. How did those three low-profile remoras vote on impeachment, eh?

    As for supporting Biden, I will, until he proves himself worse than Trump. Disemboweling myself honorably in protest is not an option this time.

    nk (1d9030)

  10. Grifters gonna grift…

    Colonel Haiku (5243a2)

  11. isn’t the bulwark and the dispatch the same basket, pretty much, qatari (turns out they’ve been paying hezbollah, their main telecommunication hub, markets zte)

    narciso (7404b5)

  12. 11… see comment 10…

    Colonel Haiku (5243a2)

  13. At this point you support Democrats or you support Trump. Those are your choices. Why should Republicans support the idea of squashing anything Biden (knock on wood) might do if he gets elected? Theoretically at that point he represents a majority of the population who want something different from what they have now. Republican senators who immediately wheel to blocking any efforts to solve problems in 2021 aren’t doing the Republican party any favors.

    Victor (a225f9)

  14. all in with captain oveur, nk, have the fish, if one believes the source material for the irishmen, a teamster picket put him over the top in his first, his first vote was against the alaskan pipeline, agnew broke the tie, he is the father of fisa, he made common cause with eastland and co, in his first term, he bought the soviet line about ‘nuclear freeze’ in the 80s,
    he wasn’t as traitorous as ted kennedy, but he was a useful idiot nonetheless,

    narciso (7404b5)

  15. You support duke of chazz or the police, you want reliable electricity or venezuelan brownouts, you want freedom of religion, or freedom of worship, you want to be able to defend yourself or at the mercy of the mob, like michelle malkin was this weekend in denver,

    narciso (7404b5)

  16. Republican senators who immediately wheel to blocking any efforts to solve problems in 2021 aren’t doing the Republican party any favors.

    Given Democrats propensity for valuing good intentions over results, they’ll be doing the country a humongous favor.

    Colonel Haiku (5243a2)

  17. At this point you support Democrats or you support Trump. Those are your choices. Why should Republicans support the idea of squashing anything Biden (knock on wood) might do if he gets elected? Theoretically at that point he represents a majority of the population who want something different from what they have now. Republican senators who immediately wheel to blocking any efforts to solve problems in 2021 aren’t doing the Republican party any favors.

    Victor (a225f9) — 7/20/2020 @ 9:43 am

    I think Biden’s policy goals should be evaluated on a case by case basis. Fixing the damage Trump has done to our reputation with our allies should be supported. Increased social spending should be opposed.

    Time123 (653992)

  18. Bidens’s 2020 campaign slogan: Senile, but not inject bleach Senile.

    Time123 (d1bf33) — 7/20/2020 @ 9:32 am

    Good point. The GOP’s whole ‘it’s a binary choice, deal with it’ argument is coming home to roost this year.

    Dustin (064e00)

  19. who put this crew together, it’s like the worse nfl team five years running,

    narciso (7404b5)

  20. no that’s the lovely christina cuomo’s bag, while fredo spreads virus up and down the hamptons,

    narciso (7404b5)

  21. Yeah, well, people who have liver transplants have to spend the rest of their lives on immunosuppressants and antibiotics. Thank you for 2016, Trumpkins!

    nk (1d9030)

  22. it really was a pitiful exercise, like the 1919 black sox scandal, and yet you thought conway was serial, certifiable yes,

    narciso (7404b5)

  23. But I guess Weaver, Wilson, and Conway are still OK dudes and “Life Long Republicans”. BTW, Republican stalwart John kascich, who ran for President as a Republican in 2016 and opposed Trump “for the good of the party”, is now scheduled to speak at the Democrat National Convention in favor of Joe Biden.

    Whether “life long Republican” Kascich will endorse AOC, Antifa, and destroying the Washington monument is unclear.

    rcocean (fcc23e)

  24. Geritol Joe:

    “I’m not Reagan” and running w/ Geraldine Ferraro didn’t work for Mondale in 1984.
    “I’m not Trump” and running w/a black or white woman won’t work for Biden in 2020.

    Elections are about the future; JoeyBee’s 40 years of Washington time has passed.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  25. There are people like Steve Bannon or some hardcore lefty who do hate this country and want to see its institutions collapse, but you can’t define the democrats or republicans that way. Almost the whole of both parties wants this country to thrive.

    Dustin (064e00) — 7/20/2020 @ 9:31 am

    Anyone pushing socialism wants this country to die. Anyone pushing racial division wants this country to die. Anyone who wants to rewrite our history into a corrupt version of “original sin” wants this country to die. There are a lot more people who have been indoctrinated into believing our country is inherently evil than you realize.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  26. Funny how all these moderate Republicans who ran for President in 2016 and claimed to be conservative in some way or another are now jumping ship and becoming Democrats. Because nothing says Fiscal Responsibility and Strong Defense like “Liberal Democrat”.

    I wonder how long before the Bush family changes Parties or Mittens becomes an Independent.

    rcocean (fcc23e)

  27. But I guess Weaver, Wilson, and Conway are still OK dudes and “Life Long Republicans”. BTW, Republican stalwart John kascich, who ran for President as a Republican in 2016 and opposed Trump “for the good of the party”, is now scheduled to speak at the Democrat National Convention in favor of Joe Biden.

    Whether “life long Republican” Kascich will endorse AOC, Antifa, and destroying the Washington monument is unclear.

    rcocean (fcc23e) — 7/20/2020 @ 10:05 am

    Trump is so terrible that he’s driving all these people from the Republican party.

    Time123 (653992)

  28. Anyone pushing socialism wants this country to die.

    Are we talking gulag or medicaid?

    Anyone pushing racial division wants this country to die.

    “Make America Great Again” means what we thought it meant. Trump ranting that Obama is from Africa, that muslims must be banned, mexicans are racist, it all means what we think it means.

    There are a lot more people who have been indoctrinated into believing our country is inherently evil than you realize.

    You simply refuse to address the Steve Bannon Alex Jones guys. But there will always be a fringe on the left and the right, and if all you want to do is use the left’s extremes to skip past anything that is challenging to discuss, you win automatically, that’s exactly why Trump became so bad.

    Ask yourself how Trump got away with collusion and obstruction of justice. Arguments like yours, designed to force people to pretend reality isn’t what it is, because binary choice, with the other choice being a comic book hellscape.

    Dustin (064e00)

  29. Anyone pushing socialism wants this country to die. Anyone pushing racial division wants this country to die. Anyone who wants to rewrite our history into a corrupt version of “original sin” wants this country to die. There are a lot more people who have been indoctrinated into believing our country is inherently evil than you realize.

    NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/20/2020 @ 10:06 am

    So you’re saying Trump wants our country to die?

    Time123 (653992)

  30. the so called intelligence services, bought igor danchenko’s scraps that steele collected, and bothered not to check, this is while they ignore a real life terrorist, whose father was a bureau informant, another one who emigrated from somalia, a third who walked into the anchorage office, before going on a rampage in ft. lauderdale, but carter page, was like the most dangerous man in the world, apparently the pensacola shooter was another ‘they missed by that much’ as well,

    btw the dead shooter in jersey is a copy cat of the lubow case,

    narciso (7404b5)

  31. Because nothing says Fiscal Responsibility and Strong Defense like “Liberal Democrat”.

    More than “Trump” does. WTF is Fiscally Responsible or Strong On Defense about the corrupt orange traitor? He really does have all you Trumpalos living in Lala-land.

    nk (1d9030)

  32. Let’s go back to the time when we were funding Iran and trying to help the mullahs get a nuke. They’re our friends.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  33. I’ll grant you that Jared Kushner is strongly for the defense of Saudi Arabia and Israel. Not competent at it, but strongly for.

    nk (1d9030)

  34. “I’m not Reagan” and running w/ Geraldine Ferraro didn’t work for Mondale in 1984.
    “I’m not Trump” and running w/a black or white woman won’t work for Biden in 2020.

    Elections are about the future; JoeyBee’s 40 years of Washington time has passed.

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 7/20/2020 @ 10:06 am

    Biden’s definitely not winning. It’s just that Trump is losing so much it barely matters. What could Biden do, say, or screw up that would make Trump seem acceptable? You guys set the bar so low that Biden looks like a genius when he says a coherent sentence, an olympian if he can walk unassisted, a gymnast for drinking a glass of water.

    As Biden hid in his own bunker, you guys insisted Biden is senile, feeble, actually brain damaged. And he comes out smiling, speaks eloquently (to a very friendly interviewer or off a prompter), and you guys lose.

    I warned ya! You can’t keep making this election about Biden. Nobody cares about Biden. To a lot of us, that Biden’s kicking Trump’s ass in Texas is hilarious because Biden’s supposed to be so bad. Trump made it personal, so these silly results are somewhat emotional for his critics.

    Also, Trump’s watch saw hundreds of thousands of dead Americans. He cheated. He worked with Putin. He is a creep and a liar. “I’m not Trump” is nothing like saying “I’m not Reagan” You hate Reagan so much you don’t recognize he was one of the most skilled politicians in our nation’s history. He didn’t even look like he was trying sometimes. You want your great lesson to us to be that Trump and Reagan are the same.

    But they aren’t. Reagan was fighting Trump and the idea of Trump, the soviet traitor, his whole presidency.

    Dustin (064e00)

  35. Dustin, I get it. Orange man bad.

    But stop focusing on the bad orange man for a minute and actually look at what the left is doing to our nation. Look at the riots in Portland going on with the full support of the left. Look at how they are attacking our nation, our history, our heritage. Look at how they say if you are white you are automatically racist. Look at how they are segregating people by race. Look at how they are intentionally dividing and isolating people.

    I don’t need to look at Trump to see that the left is trying to tear our nation down and replace it with a “skin suit, walking around demanding respect.”

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  36. Time123,

    you’re getting tiresome. How about restating my arguments like you understand them instead of the constant bad faith.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  37. What’s obvious for some today has been obvious for others for a while, but welcome to the party.
    __ _

    “ bialystok and bloom would be proud,”

    Indeed.
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  38. Rick Wilson stated on Colbert last week (or 2 weeks?) that their current 90% Overhead rate will be reduced as they spend more time on direct advertising. I wonder if that’s happened? for those who don’t know what overhead rate is, it means 90% of the $$ donated to the Lincoln projects went directly into the pockets of Weaver, Wilson, Conway, etc. and only 10% went to outside sources like advertising or air time for ads.

    rcocean (fcc23e)

  39. But stop focusing on the bad orange man for a minute and actually look at what the left is doing to our nation. Look at the riots in Portland going on with the full support of the left. Look at how they are attacking our nation, our history, our heritage. Look at how they say if you are white you are automatically racist. Look at how they are segregating people by race. Look at how they are intentionally dividing and isolating people.

    So [puts cigarette between lips, flicks lighter, lights cigarette, exhales stream of smoke] what’s Trump doing about it?

    nk (1d9030)

  40. rick wilson and camelbert. that’s a crossing the streams exercise,

    narciso (7404b5)

  41. Nk,

    not much to be honest. But when he does do something, send in the feds to arrest them, the left and those on here that think “Orange man bad” attack him.

    When he says the founding fathers will be next, people lie about his remarks to say he’s supporting confederates.

    When he said he supports all Americans, people lie and claim it’s a racist dog whistle.

    And on and on.

    Still better than the alternative.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  42. “Look at how they say if you are white you are automatically racist.“
    __

    It’s even worse than that. They are also saying if you value good character you are racist (which for any thinking person is true racism).

    The KIPP Charter schools have removed ‘work hard, be nice’ as their slogan because (lol) it ‘perpetuates racism’.

    Some former students who disagree with this lunacy wrote an opinion piece:

    We are part of a large group of alumni who were there at KIPP’s beginning as students. Work Hard, Be Nice resonated with our parents, as they felt they had found a true education partner to help instill the skills, knowledge and virtues they wanted us to learn. For our families and us, it meant that the things they valued most: work ethic, kindness and empathy would be at the heart of our education…..

    ….. There is no such thing as the perfect list of virtues we can pass along to the next generation, considering preferences and family traditions create different priorities. But when we reject teaching these virtues outright, and at the most basic level of putting forth one’s best effort and following the Golden Rule (treat other people how you want to be treated), all in the name of eliminating racist dogma from our schools, it is time to close the laptop, stop, take a deep breath, and remember who and what is at the core of any school’s work: the children, their parents and the commitments the school has made to its families…..

    ….. And for what it’s worth, since when is being nice the same thing as being submissive? And if educators truly believe meritocracy is a myth, then how are they motivating their students to do any work whatsoever? As students of color from low income communities who were already facing a myriad of struggles, working hard taught us to persevere through any challenge, and being nice actually helped shape our social and emotional competence. It is this lesson of being nice that compels us to stand up with conviction for the current students who are in jeopardy of losing this valuable life lesson…..

    ….. That is what we are currently doing along with other founding KIPP students who, as adults, are now starting our own schools and nonprofits, are serving in the military, are practicing lawyers, doctors and working in many other branches as productive members of society. We are in a position to improve our communities because of the education we received that was founded on working hard and being nice. This is not the time to back off of our commitments to families and communities to teach similar virtues, however worded. It is the time to effect real change.“

    Opinion: KIPP should keep its slogan ‘Work Hard, Be Nice’ — values that counter racism not contribute to it

    https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Opinion-KIPP-should-keep-its-slogan-Work-15415257.php
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  43. Dustin, I get it. Orange man bad.

    But stop focusing on the bad orange man for a minute and actually look at what the left is doing to our nation. Look at the riots in Portland going on with the full support of the left. Look at how they are attacking our nation, our history, our heritage. Look at how they say if you are white you are automatically racist. Look at how they are segregating people by race. Look at how they are intentionally dividing and isolating people.

    I don’t need to look at Trump to see that the left is trying to tear our nation down and replace it with a “skin suit, walking around demanding respect.”

    you’re getting tiresome. How about restating my arguments like you understand them instead of the constant bad faith.

    NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/20/2020 @ 10:23 am

    I’m responding to your arguments in the way that you make them. People point out how bad Trump is and you accuse them of being motivated by personal malice. Your political opponents make the point that monuments to confederate generals were erected as part of a racist movement and represent a continual affront and you ignore the data while responding that they want to destroy your heritage. They make the point that the way policing is performed today has a disparate and negative impact on black people and you accuse them of hating white people. They bring up the fact that many of our founders were complicated men that did horrible things as well as great things and you accuse them re-writing our history.

    How should I spend the time to discuss this with you in depth and nuance when you’ve become convinced that a any contrary point of view is motivated entirely by evil and dishonest motives?

    Time123 (653992)

  44. isn’t the bulwark and the dispatch the same basket, pretty much

    I haven’t read enough Bulwark writers to know, but I haven’t seen a single Dispatch contributor endorse Biden.

    Paul Montagu (0a7316)

  45. Dustin, I get it. Orange man bad.

    He supported concentration camps if he means help cheating at an election. He bragged about groping women who were afraid to tattle. He joked about how Epstein likes his women very young.

    Even before we look at results: death, debt, disgrace. Yes, the guy is both orange and bad.

    In fact, he is utterly intolerable to me.

    Roll your eyes at this fact, that this man colluded with Putin, and I’m sure things seem very confusing. If I were to roll my eyes at any aspect of reality it would lead to confusion.

    Dustin (064e00)

  46. susan rosenberg a marxist revolutionary terrorist who bombed the capitol building is behind this, I know I white sistah, is the front behind a bunch of african american radicals, surprising, no major publication touches this story, not the times the post the journal, shows you whos in charge,

    narciso (7404b5)

  47. Weaver insisted the group would actively work against Republicans who obstruct a Biden presidency, which would face a deeper crisis than in 2009, when Republicans tried to obstruct Obama in hopes of profiting off continuing economic misery.

    Like all campaign promises, I would take this one with a big grain of salt. They are, after all, trying to raise money from Democrats. What they’ll do if and when Trump loses is written in sand.

    No doubt these guys are committed to salting the earth with the charred remains of the current GOP, but I don’t question their ongoing fidelity to conservative principles. This isn’t a conversion. It’s a marriage of convenience which consciously and obviously sweeps all ideological differences under the rug. It’s meant to be temporary. It couldn’t be otherwise.

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  48. Lefkow, you meant, Narciso?

    urbanleftbehind (fd4b58)

  49. Rob, I’ll give it a shot.

    not much to be honest. But when he does do something, send in the feds to arrest them, the left and those on here that think “Orange man bad” attack him.

    Because sending masked and unmarked federal troops into a city that has not requested their support is a huge violation of federalism and limited government. It deserves nothing but criticism from anyone that values limited government and personal liberty. It’s not just that he do something, the thing he does can’t be a messed up or terrible.

    When he says the founding fathers will be next, people lie about his remarks to say he’s supporting confederates.

    Trump is clear about supporting confederates. He’s been very clear on this.

    When he said he supports all Americans, people lie and claim it’s a racist dog whistle.

    .
    This ignores context to such a painfully extent it’s dishonest. I know you’re smart and I can’t believe your’s saying it sincerely.

    Time123 (53ef45)

  50. #36.

    you’re getting tiresome. How about restating my arguments like you understand them instead of the constant bad faith.
    NJRob (eb56c3) — 7/20/2020 @ 10:23 am

    That was a good one, Rob, but now you owe me a new keyboard.

    To put it another way, are you effing kidding me, Mister Pull Utterly Baseless Accusations of Lying Out of His Butt?

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  51. NJRob and I both posted about Salas and Lefkow on the open thread.

    nk (1d9030)

  52. the only administration, that confronted the russian contraktiki on the plains of syria, who actually bombed targets in syria, who started the process of rearmament, but the neglect demonstrated by the mccain and now the bonhomme richards shows how pitiful our navy has become,

    narciso (7404b5)

  53. confederates like cervantes, slave in an algerian prison, douglas, eng, the danish abolitionist, and colombus, while catering to asanti slave trader garb,

    narciso (7404b5)

  54. The Republican who does appear to be going over the wall, however, is Mitch McConnell. If wearing a tan suit in the Oval Office isn’t a leftist dog whistle, I don’t know what is.

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  55. @34. ‘It’s just that Trump is losing so much it barely matters.’

    Do tell…

    “In a Gallup poll released on October 26th in 1980, two weeks before the election, Jimmy Carter was leading Ronald Reagan 47 – 39. Two weeks later Reagan won in such a landslide that Carter conceded before California was closed.” – source, wikisilentmajority.gop

    ‘Reagan was fighting Trump and the idea of Trump, the soviet traitor, his whole presidency.’

    And Gorby smiled…

    ‘Holding hands in the warm spring air of the Moscow night, President Reagan and his wife, Nancy, paid an extraordinary surprise visit near midnight Wednesday to magnificent, floodlit Red Square.’ 6/2/88.

    Trump is a conservatism GOP creation; the Frankenstein nurtured throughout Reagan’s smoke and mirrored, go-go-80’s. Trump is the ugly monster Reaganoptics and Reaganomics birthed and desperately tried to confine, locked up in Trump Tower– until he got loose to terrorize an destroy his very creators. He is the conservative/GOP’s ‘Picture of Dorian Gray.’ “He is you.”

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  56. 55. A married man is not always to blame for what he is seen wearing. Although, in fairness to our distaff side, it is likely better than what he would be wearing if left to his own devices.

    nk (1d9030)

  57. Time123: Because sending masked and unmarked federal troops into a city that has not requested their support is a huge violation of federalism and limited government

    History didn’t begin yesterday, so educate yourself. A year ago, Mayor Ted Wheeler (who is also the police commissioner) let the antifa mob have free reign on ICE federal personnel and property.

    Wheeler and Portland have had ample opportunity to demonstrate they respect federalism. Surprise— they don’t. This must be news to you.

    Any “support” they would ask for would be directed to the protesters to please dial up the rampage on federal personnel and federal property. And, the likes of you would give them all high 5s and jack up the hypocrisy.

    beer ‘n pretzels (911363)

  58. so the chinese are really keen on the mcclellan project,

    narciso (7404b5)

  59. 55, that’s gonna lead to some epic early morning posting by mg

    urbanleftbehind (fd4b58)

  60. I can see primarying Senators who actively support Trump, but I cannot see electing Democrat Senators under any scenario. If Biden wins, those Senators will be reliable circuit-breakers to stop Democrat excess. When Obama won, carrying with him 10 extra Democrat Senators, we got Obamacare. Next time they’ll do far worse, with the filibuster gone.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  61. If those Senators are really worried (and they should be) they would go to the WH and demand that Trump step down or at least not run for re-election. An open GOP Convention would be cathartic.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  62. History didn’t begin yesterday, so educate yourself.

    I’m OK with the feds restoring some order, protecting themselves etc.

    With badge numbers, names, identifiable agencies/units, a supervisor of some kind giving some kind of press outreach on site. That community stuff matters if you actually want a safe city. We aren’t the kind of people who are subjects to masks scary government. You have to get a critical mass of the public on board.

    If your argument for this display of policing is that you don’t like the democrats the people there keep electing, that is not a federalist argument at all.

    Dustin (064e00)

  63. Time123: Because sending masked and unmarked federal troops into a city that has not requested their support is a huge violation of federalism and limited government

    History didn’t begin yesterday, so educate yourself. A year ago, Mayor Ted Wheeler (who is also the police commissioner) let the antifa mob have free reign on ICE federal personnel and property.

    Wheeler and Portland have had ample opportunity to demonstrate they respect federalism. Surprise— they don’t. This must be news to you.

    Any “support” they would ask for would be directed to the protesters to please dial up the rampage on federal personnel and federal property. And, the likes of you would give them all high 5s and jack up the hypocrisy.

    beer ‘n pretzels (911363) — 7/20/2020 @ 11:56 am

    Liberal Dem’s don’t respect Federalism? That’s amazing. I’m shocked. Snark aside, it’s too bad the GOP no longer believes in limited government and has become a bunch of boot lickers.

    Time123 (306531)

  64. 57. His wife is in Trump’s cabinet. If what you say is true, this could be a signal to the Deep State to ramp up the coup again.

    lurker (d8c5bc)

  65. Well, like Weaver, I would want to see the specifics before deciding whether to support or oppose specific Biden efforts.

    Biden will likely take office with the country and the economy in shambles, thanks to Trump’s incompetence and the fecklessness of those who sustained and buttressed his reign of error.

    There’s also little reason to think the Trump sycophants like Cotton (who I donated money too when he first ran for election…) will moderate their destructive attempts to thwart science-based public health measures. He and many others will do everything in their power to make Biden’s efforts to bring the virus under control fail.

    I will support sane, science-based measures by *anyone* (I supported the “Trump” re-opening guidelines that Trump did everything in his power to undermine) to defeat the virus. I will oppose all who stand in the way of them.

    And somebody will have to pay for the trillions that have already been spent, and that will be spent, cleaning up Trump’s mess. You either pile more debt on future generations, slash entitlements or raise taxes. Taxes suck. Borrowing the money to pay for something doesn’t make it free, and debt sucks too.

    Dave (1bb933)

  66. Trump is a conservatism GOP creation

    Maybe. I don’t honestly get it. If you think you understand what would possess the party to select the guy, fine. I think it is truly insane that the GOP nominated Trump in a moment of tremendous opportunity for conservatives. If anything, a bench full of decent leaders split the sane vote, is the best I can tell.

    You are obsessed with Reagan lol. Trump is nothing like Reagan. Reagan was a normal person. Trump is a traitor. I agree Trump could win. You never know what happens. Maybe Biden is caught trying to help China make concentration camps, tells us to inject bleach, rolls his eyes at hundreds of thousands of dead Americans. You never know.

    Dustin (064e00)

  67. With badge numbers, names, identifiable agencies/units, a supervisor of some kind giving some kind of press outreach on site. That community stuff matters if you actually want a safe city. We aren’t the kind of people who are subjects to masks scary government. You have to get a critical mass of the public on board.

    If your argument for this display of policing is that you don’t like the democrats the people there keep electing, that is not a federalist argument at all.

    Dustin (064e00) — 7/20/2020 @ 12:10 pm

    Your points about how to do policing in a way that balances public order with peoples rights are good ones. I’d add a clear mandate and chain of command along with coordination with local officials…I wonder if any of the people that support this have thought about how it might work when a hard core left wing but competent administration does something similar, only targeted at people the left dislikes? Probably not.

    Time123 (306531)

  68. Here’s a good summary of the situation. It doesn’t look like the feds are making the situation any better.

    Time123 (ca85c9)

  69. we’ve treated china like a legitimate actor, when in truth they deserved no such deference, nixon embraced them, that was one point against him, that made us responsible for the khmer rouge, a microcosm of 60 million dead between 1949 and 1972, and that doesn’t count the lions share of the civil war dead, or those that died under japanese occupation while mao was holding his fire, to aim it at chiang kaishek, they provided support for the pakistani nuclear program, almost parallel with support for yong byon, then they were ushered into the wto, but their rules on intellectual property, (you have none) the suppression of tibet, the xinjiang rebellion is almost perfunctory, we were told by friedman and zakaria to emulate the chinese model

    narciso (7404b5)

  70. Trump is the result of cowardly Republicans refusing to stand their ground regarding the woke/occupy/cancel madness that is now engulfing our country.

    Trump is also the result of Americans watching news media completely ignore truth and report stories based on politics instead of facts.

    Trump is also the result of a much-more-corrupt administration than the current one going to war against conservatives.

    Trump is also the result of kids coming home from college and even secondary school parroting nonsensical Marxist/intersectionality tropes.

    Trump is also the result of people watching Democrats, liberals etc. and thinking truth no longer matters, what matters is putting up a fight.

    But IMO Trump is most of all the result of almost two decades of Hillary Clinton’s corruption and dishonesty being on full display despite the media doing everything they could to not only cover for her but even calling her ‘the most capable presidential candidate ever’.

    IOW Trump is more of a huge FU to the dishonest powerful elites than he is anything else.
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  71. Just to expand on what I wrote, and what the Lincoln Project guys may have in mind:

    Biden will take office in the midst of a crisis that has been criminally mismanaged for a year – much like Lincoln did.

    If we do not unite against the common enemy, we are facing a defeat the likes of which America has never experienced before.

    That doesn’t mean politics should end (obviously) but we should not tolerate politicians of any party who ally themselves with the virus.

    Dave (1bb933)

  72. “History didn’t begin yesterday, so educate yourself. A year ago, Mayor Ted Wheeler (who is also the police commissioner) let the antifa mob have free reign on ICE federal personnel and property.”

    Based on your linked article, it sounds like ICE was able to handle things without sending anonymous goons in unmarked cars to abduct people off the street.

    Davethulhu (05bf21)

  73. hard core left wing but competent administration

    Oxymoron: Jumbo shrimp… clearly confused… living dead… pretty ugly… left wing but competent…

    Colonel Haiku (5243a2)

  74. If anything, a bench full of decent leaders split the sane vote, is the best I can tell.

    The two polar extremes of the status quo ante (Cruz and Kasich) to be exact. This allowed the talk-radio types to hijack the party.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  75. Ironically, Deezy-Eska may be the only regular poster here who actually voted for Trump in the primary (it wouldn’t surprise me if NJRob, mg or rcocean voted for him, but I don’t recall their saying they did).

    So when he dishonestly says “Trump is you”, he really means “Trump is Deezy-Eska!”

    Dave (1bb933)

  76. left wing but competent

    You wouldn’t consider William Jefferson Slickness to be left wing but competent?

    Dave (1bb933)

  77. #67,

    Even with all that has gone on under Trump, the GOP still has great potential. All that needs to happen is for Trump to leave the scene. Were he to do so right now, there are numerous GOP candidates that could beat Biden (whose entire campaign is “The other choice is Trump.”).

    Consider a Nikki-Condi ticket. But even Cruz-Kasich would win handily.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  78. Washington Examiner
    @dcexaminer
    ·
    “We are dealing with crime at biblical proportions right now in Chicago.”

    A Chicago alderman says the city is too afraid to ask
    @realDonaldTrump
    for help because it might make the president “look like a success.”

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/chicago-alderman-says-city-too-afraid-to-ask-trump-for-help-to-stop-violence?_amp=true&__twitter_impression=true
    __ _

    Well, at least we know she has a copy of the playbook.
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  79. “Biden will take office in the midst of a continued decline in reason, civil order, honesty etc. and an increase in crime and hatred for America that has been building for decades and apply the same Democratic Party principals that have resulted in the current situations in Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, Chicago, NYC, Baltimore etc. etc. etc.”
    _

    fyp
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  80. Even with all that has gone on under Trump, the GOP still has great potential. All that needs to happen is for Trump to leave the scene. Were he to do so right now, there are numerous GOP candidates that could beat Biden (whose entire campaign is “The other choice is Trump.”).

    Consider a Nikki-Condi ticket. But even Cruz-Kasich would win handily.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 7/20/2020 @ 12:39 pm

    The GOP must repudiate Trump somehow. Having an open convention could give them a chance, but to a lot of us, it will be a difficult sell. I would love to see that ticket.

    I agree with you that Biden would have a really hard time beating someone smart with executive experience and competence.

    Dustin (064e00)

  81. Colonel Haiku, I usually ignore you because of your history of telling outright lies. But in this case you’ve brought up a concern that’s worth addressing.

    If you define competent as able to successfully achieve ends you value then a Left wing administration will likely be never be competent in my opinion, or likely yours.

    If you define competent as having the necessary ability, knowledge, or skill to do something successfully then they could be competent.
    -They could be good at planning and follow through.
    -They could be good at expanding the new norms Trump has established in a way that’s hard to follow thus making it harder to see what they’re doing.
    -They could be good following administrative law and not leaving evidence that undercuts their stated reasons.
    -They could be good at staffing administrative organizations with smart, hard working, people sympathetic to their POV, like Warren did at CFPB.

    All of that is plausible, even if it does violate your apparent sense that everyone who disagrees with your policy preferences is inherently a horrible person in all ways.

    Time123 (ca85c9)

  82. After a long time at 39 min he gets to the crime platform.

    No windows at 43 min –

    Trump thinks dim light hurts your eyes.

    About having all school buses and govt vehicles zero emissions Trump says he;s heard worse.

    At 44;20 “Here’s a bad one..end school choice.’

    Trump claims his wall is almost completed.

    Sammy Finkelman (e5fb44)

  83. #67,

    Even with all that has gone on under Trump, the GOP still has great potential. All that needs to happen is for Trump to leave the scene. Were he to do so right now, there are numerous GOP candidates that could beat Biden (whose entire campaign is “The other choice is Trump.”).

    Consider a Nikki-Condi ticket. But even Cruz-Kasich would win handily.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 7/20/2020 @ 12:39 pm

    The defining characteristic of the GOP today is that Trump is great and must be glorified at all times and in all places. There’s no getting rid of him before the election. A massive defeat that leads to a purge of corruption and populism from the the GOP followed by a single Dem term with a weak and unimaginative leader who wants to return to the previous norms on presidential action is probably the best we can hope for.

    Time123 (ca85c9)

  84. Consider a Nikki-Condi ticket. But even Cruz-Kasich would win handily.

    Nikki and Cruz cast their lots with the criminal traitor when it looked expedient. To hell with both of them.

    I could support Condi and Kasich though.

    Dave (1bb933)

  85. (that’s from this video)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo0b–9zDjE

    Sammy Finkelman (e5fb44)

  86. If that one Alderman and the FOP guy realize that some of their recent anti-illegal rhetoric is keeping some potential near-term allies on the fence, they should reach out to this dude and forge a short term program that is largely anti protestor/looter/black gang in the Loop and 3 miles within areas.

    urbanleftbehind (fd4b58)

  87. Nikki and Cruz cast their lots with the criminal traitor when it looked expedient. To hell with both of them.

    I could support Condi and Kasich though.

    Dave (1bb933) — 7/20/2020 @ 1:00 pm

    They did, but like I said before, am I to believe the democrats weren’t just as cynical about Trump’s impeachment and scandal? Am I really more ethically governed by Warren and Feinstein? Of course not.

    I would put Romney at the front of the party right now, don’t get me wrong, but most GOP candidates are better than Biden, even with this rather terrible event on their record.

    Dustin (064e00)

  88. ‘Trump is nothing like Reagan. Reagan was a normal person.’

    One is a showman; the other was an actor. “Normal person…”

    “They are? Have you ever eaten with one?” – Max Bialystock [Zero Mostel] ‘The Producers’ 1967

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  89. Tedtoo is done; Nikki needs a hair cut, a touch of grey and at her age, literally tanned rested and ready for 2024. Tee her up for the drive; she is the future.

    Otherwise, expect a return of the Wilderness Years for two or three decades.

    Glorious.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  90. One is a showman; the other was an actor. “Normal person…”

    You can be normal and be in sales. Or however you want to define it. If it makes you feel better about voting for Trump, tell me he’s Jesus. Doesn’t make it so, man. He was such a no-brainer disaster, and that’s been the case for 20 years. It’s simple. Trump’s the bad guy.

    This is a guy who, on 9/11, bragged that now he’s got the tallest building. This is a guy who ripped his wife’s hair out of her head while brutally sexually assaulting her. This is guy who has sexualized his relatives, nieces, daughters, etc. Trump’s defense when he is prosecuted will be that he lacks the mental capacity to aid in his own defense. Who said the Tienanmen Square Massacre was a good move. Who offered to support concentration camps.

    Weren’t you mad that Reagan remarried or something? Heavens.

    Dustin (064e00)

  91. 🐘 < – elephant

    Dustin (064e00)

  92. He did fall for what used to be called a tender trap.

    urbanleftbehind (fd4b58)

  93. Weren’t you mad that Reagan remarried or something? Heavens.

    And he’s apoplectic because Joe Biden borrowed some other politician’s ice-breaker in a throwaway stump speech 30 years ago.

    In other words a few degrees short of a full orbit, as they say at Mission Control.

    Dave (1bb933)

  94. Now I grant that was a long time ago and it’s not as big a deal as 140,000 dead people, but Biden plagiarized the crap out of that speech and I believe a law school paper. It’s weirdly out of perspective in comparison to bulldozing an old lady’s house so your casino can have a parking lot, but if someone wants to give Biden grief for that, it’s no cream off my cankles.

    Dustin (064e00)

  95. harkin (5af287) — 7/20/2020 @ 12:41 pm

    It looked like a scene out of 300,” Napolitano said. “We need help.”

    An apt statement.

    felipe (023cc9)

  96. He did fall for what used to be called a tender trap.
    urbanleftbehind (fd4b58) — 7/20/2020 @ 1:42 pm

    I thought you needed a link.

    felipe (023cc9)

  97. It’s important Trump’s critics not lose themselves. Biden is pulling one of the most egregious ‘blank slate’ candidacies I’ve ever seen. It is amusing because it must drive the Trump campaign insane, but he is just refusing to be goaded into… taking a risk and acting like a leader.

    This is a good sign for his election, but what’s it mean for what kind of leader he will be, when it would mean taking a costly risk to cross the aisle or pull his side together ethically?

    Dustin (064e00)

  98. 93… https://images.app.goo.gl/xibqPbKMSMgA8haP7

    Colonel Haiku (5243a2) — 7/20/2020 @ 2:16 pm

    Good point

    Dustin (064e00)

  99. Colonel Haiku (5243a2) — 7/20/2020 @ 2:16 pm

    GAHH!! My eyes!

    felipe (023cc9)

  100. 101… ya mess with da bull, ya get da horn!

    Colonel Haiku (5243a2)

  101. When you’re right you’re right, what can I say?

    Dustin (064e00)

  102. There were 12 murders in Chicago over the weekend.

    That Republican alderman must be reading the PG-13 version of the Old Testament.

    Other than serving President Trump’s political interests by provoking more high-profile urban unrest and more opportunities for Barr’s anonymous, unaccountable legions to gas, grenade, beat, trample and abduct unarmed civilians on FoxNews, under what authority are federal paramilitaries supposed to “dominate the streets” of yet another American city?

    Dave (1bb933)

  103. 102… get up on teh downstroke, ev’rybody get up!

    Colonel Haiku (5243a2)

  104. DHS Authorizes Domestic Surveillance to Protect Statues and Monuments
    ……
    A document provided to Lawfare on July 19 from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A) describes personnel as “collecting and reporting on various activities in the context of elevated threats targeting monuments, memorials, and statues”—and it gives legal guidance concerning the “expanded intelligence activities necessary to mitigate the significant threat to homeland security” posed by such activities.

    The document, titled “Job Aid: DHS Office of Intelligence & Analysis (I&A) Activities in Furtherance of Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, Statues, and Combatting Recent Criminal Violence,” is not classified. Its three pages each bear the heading “UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.” But it clearly indicates that at least parts of the intelligence community are being tasked with monitoring and collecting information on some protest activities.
    …….
    But the memo makes clear that the authorized intelligence activity covers significantly more than just planned attacks on federal personnel or facilities. It appears to also include planned vandalism of Confederate (and other historical) monuments and statues, whether federally owned or not. DHS did not respond to a voicemail and email seeking comment by the time of publication. We will add any comments or statements the department may release.
    …….

    RipMurdock (d2a2a8)

  105. what is that amy schumer, or some other nameless horror, that would much ctluthu blanche,

    speaking of jokers, gardner has indicted the mccloskeys,

    narciso (7404b5)

  106. @92. Hardly.

    Roger wasn’t a John Glenn fan.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  107. It’s important Trump’s critics not lose themselves. Biden is pulling one of the most egregious ‘blank slate’ candidacies I’ve ever seen. It is amusing because it must drive the Trump campaign insane, but he is just refusing to be goaded into… taking a risk and acting like a leader.

    Laying relatively low in the period between locking up the nomination and accepting it at the convention is not unheard of, although perhaps not to the degree Biden is doing.

    For most of American history, the presidential candidates didn’t personally campaign at all.

    This is a good sign for his election, but what’s it mean for what kind of leader he will be, when it would mean taking a costly risk to cross the aisle or pull his side together ethically?

    In 2016 Trump won both the GOP nomination and the general election by trashing his opponents 24×7 while offering no policy proposals of any seriousness or substance himself. It would be stupid for Biden to follow the same losing playbook.

    Biden on his worst day is still preferable to Trump on his best.

    Dave (1bb933)

  108. ‘You can be normal and be in sales.’

    Do tell…

    “I want to go on record as saying that I think radio has to turn over a new leaf. We’ve pushed and badgered the listeners, we’ve sung to them and screamed at them, we’ve insulted them, cheated them and angered them, turned their homes into a combination grocery store, crap game and midway. Kim, some day, 50 million people are going to just reach out and turn off their radios, [and] snap, just like that – and that’s the end of the gravy, for you, and me, and Evans… love and kisses, Vic.” – Vic Norman [Clark Gable] ‘The Hucksters’ 1947

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  109. In 2016 Trump won both the GOP nomination and the general election by trashing his opponents 24×7 while offering no policy proposals of any seriousness or substance himself. It would be stupid for Biden to follow the same losing playbook.

    Biden on his worst day is still preferable to Trump on his best.

    Dave (1bb933) — 7/20/2020 @ 3:11 pm

    I pretty much agree, but I don’t actually know what Biden on his worst day is like. This is what I mean. Blank slate. Obviously I’m not saying vote for Trump. But gird up your loins and fresh courage take.

    If Biden and Trump were exchanging attacks, it would take attention away from this miserable performance. This was indeed the annoying aspect of 2016. The press would endlessly talk about things that don’t matter. Did Ted Cruz’s dad kill JFK? Wow Trump landed again. Oh hey here’s Trump being silly.

    Dustin (064e00)

  110. A Late Show
    @colbertlateshow

    May 2, 2018

    Today is huge because we have
    @StormyDaniels attorney @MichaelAvenatti joining our #StormyWatch and you got 5 mins until it all goes down! #LSSC
    __ _

    Indy World
    @IndyWorld

    July 20, 2020

    Michael Avenatti is broke and can’t afford legal defense, lawyer claims
    _

    harkin (5af287)

  111. Vic Norman [Clark Gable] ‘The Hucksters’ 1947

    1947 was 25,000 years ago.

    Dustin (064e00)

  112. Biden on his worst day is still preferable to Trump on his best.

    Drivel.

    Trump’s best day: Nominating Gorsuch. (Or, sticking firm with Kavanaugh.)
    Biden’s worst day, among many: Smearing Clarence Thomas.

    beer ‘n pretzels (1e5b3c)

  113. Michael Avenatti is broke and can’t afford legal defense, lawyer claims

    Maybe he can get the charges dropped, like Flynn’s.

    Or the sentence commuted, like Stone’s.

    Or a pardon, like the three war criminals.

    Dave (1bb933)

  114. The only reason I don’t want to see Trump Mussolinied or, better, Robespierred, is that the Italians had the Allies to reimpose law and order, and the French had Napoleon eventually, and we won’t have either. But that is how he deserves to “leave office”.

    nk (1d9030)

  115. the colonels were slackers, they could have wiped out the whole papandreou line, if they had been diligent,

    narciso (7404b5)

  116. Greeks are a civilized, law-abiding, and sociable race, and that includes the dictators.

    nk (1d9030)

  117. Biden on his worst day is still preferable to Trump on his best.

    Translaton to a nation which doesn’t not want to be governed but wishes to be entertained:

    ‘George Wilson on his worst day is still preferable to J.R. Ewing on his best.’

    Uhhhh, no; Mr. Wilson lasted just three years– and died. J.R. got shot his third year in, survived– and lived out a full life of 14 seasons.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  118. DCSCA, Trump is not entertaining anymore.

    Do you find him entertaining? I know what he’s going to do months in advance.

    Meanwhile, Biden’s so mysterious, hiding all the time. You never know what speech he will plagiarize tomorrow. Now that’s entertainment.

    Dustin (064e00)

  119. 🐘

    Dustin (064e00)

  120. What’s sad is that the day after Biden is elected all the Democrats, Leftists, and NeoCon Never Trumper grifters, – who have been tearing this country apart – will demand we put politics aside and unite around Joe Biden, Pelosi and Schumer for THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY. “This is no time to play politics” the national review and the dispatch gang will harrumph. While Jonah Goldberg will breathe a sigh of relief & intone that “the days of tribalism” are over.

    And what’s even more sad, is that Republicans and those on the Right will believe them and go along.

    rcocean (fcc23e)

  121. 1947 was 25,000 years ago.

    Only by the Reagan Calendar; which makes his 1948 divorce from Jane Wyman just 24,500 years ago… and the U.S. Constitution of 1789 a fossil fuel for Trump to burn.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  122. I thought Hillary’s campaign was the weirdest most disgraceful thing ever. After a Democrat Party coronation, where Bernie never tried to land one solid blow, she simply gave a few speeches to friendly audiences and newsmen, had the debates, and then went back to a few low-key speeches and rallies. She probably did less work up till election day than anyone since Gerald Ford sat in the Rose Garden.

    Now Biden is outdoing that. He just stays in his basement with a mask on, and occasionally trots out for a few brief remarks or issues a press release. I’ve never seen anything like it. And yet, all the D’s (at least 45% of the USA) is A-ok with it. Incredible. The D’s don’t even seem to care who the VP is going to be. Hey, any standard Female Pol with D after her name is all right with them.

    rcocean (fcc23e)

  123. 124.DCSCA, Trump is not entertaining anymore.

    Sure he is.

    Helluva showman; he cut taxes, made deadbeat NATO members pay up; jumped a porn star and a few models, has the hottest wives and ex-wives on TeeVee; lies so much he makes an average citizen- even you- feel much, much smarter — and honest; tweaks the snout of every journalist he meets into reactive mode and like any wreck at a NASCAR race, you just can’t help but watch.

    He’s endlessly entertaining.

    But who will play him in the movie?

    Himself.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  124. ; he cut taxes,

    I am tired of debating on actual real policy stuff. But how can it be said he cut taxes? He spent 500 gazillion dollars. That’s a tax increase. Sure, Trump is passing the bill along, but Trump’s fiscal policy will bankrupt your great grandchildren.

    Which makes sense, Trump and bankruptcy.

    like any wreck at a NASCAR race

    Also super boring. I know it’s supposed to be a spectacle of exciting crashes but it’s really just a doritos logo driving in a circle.

    Dustin (064e00)

  125. Smearing Clarence Thomas.

    He voted against him.

    Can you point to an instance of Biden “smearing” Thomas?

    I just watched Biden questioning Thomas for close to an hour. It was completely cordial, respectful, and professional.

    Dave (1bb933)

  126. Maybe he was thinking of Bork. I seem to recall Anita Hill being angry with Biden.

    Dustin (064e00)

  127. The only reason I don’t want to see Trump Mussolinied or, better, Robespierred, is that the Italians had the Allies to reimpose law and order, and the French had Napoleon eventually, and we won’t have either. But that is how he deserves to “leave office”.

    Better watch what you say.

    A detachment of the Trump Abteilung is headed to Chicago, nk.

    In case you wind up bound and gagged in an unmarked vehicle with a squad of nameless paramilitaries, remember that your first and highest obligation is to your Inner Party comrades.

    Dave (1bb933)

  128. Maybe he was thinking of Bork. I seem to recall Anita Hill being angry with Biden.

    Well, Thomas got very angry about the process at one point during the hearings, and played the race card. Although Biden voted against Thomas, many on the left feel he (and the rest of the all-male, all-white committee) treated Hill insensitively.

    I would say Biden’s questioning of Thomas that I just watched was long-winded and generally inane, but it wasn’t hostile or disrespectful. It probably wasn’t a complete record of all the questioning, either, so there may have been other parts that reflect more poorly on Biden.

    Dave (1bb933)

  129. Heh! This is Chicago, Comrade Dave. Our meter maids are tougher than the ex-tranny tatters of DHS.

    nk (1d9030)

  130. I know the thread has wandered way off, but it seems to me that the Lincoln project’s viewpoint is basically that the Republican party has gone so far off track that it needs to be burned all the way down in order to revive itself as a truly conservative party again.

    As far as Trump is concerned, yes he’s a product of the cultural zeitgeist of the Reagan era, but not necessarily of Reagan himself.

    What Trump is, though, is a product of right-wing grievance politics. Unhappy with your life? Blame it on the feminazis and the illegals and the secularists and the low-T soyboy beta-males. It’s not any better than left-wing grievance politics, it’s just a different set of people to blame, and Trump is a result of the very extreme end of that.

    Nic (896fdf)

  131. Nic (896fdf) — 7/20/2020 @ 5:21 pm

    Bingo.

    The GOP (obviously) wasn’t perfect but until Trump came along it was the antidote for grievance politics and the advocate for reality-based policy.

    Now it tries to compete with the Democrats in dishonesty, irresponsibility and hatefulness.

    Dave (1bb933)

  132. 136.I know the thread has wandered way off, but it seems to me that the Lincoln project’s viewpoint is basically that the Republican party has gone so far off track that it needs to be burned all the way down in order to revive itself as a truly conservative party again.

    That’s just the point- it never was a ‘truly conservative party’- it was just infested by so-called conservatives too few in number to start their own party. So they’re mere riders on the storm. 1964 was their Waterloo; 1980 their Battle of the Bulge… and 2016 their Alamo.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  133. Dave: Can you point to an instance of Biden “smearing” Thomas?

    Not only can I do that, I can also show you how to open a link in a comment.

    You’re of course not addressing the point, which is that your claim is dumb nonsense on its face. You couldn’t name a Supreme Court justice that a President Biden would nominate that would be better than Trump has nominated, or will nominate.

    beer ‘n pretzels (883307)

  134. Sounds like the same frankfurt school garbage hofstadler directed toward new right figures, of course eisenhower who let the new deal remain wasnt touched but nixon was attacked then goldwater reagan

    Narciso (7404b5)

  135. Not only can I do that, I can also show you how to open a link in a comment.

    There were no Biden statements “smearing” Thomas in the article you linked. In fact there were no Biden statements about Thomas in that article at all.

    So I’ll ask again for you to provide a reference to such a statement.

    Trump is a disgrace to America and to the Republican party.

    Would you also vote for David Duke, Don Black or Richard Spencer if they appointed judges you liked?

    If so, then we don’t have much more to talk about.

    If not, then you acknowledge a threshold of decency that transcends even your precious judges. In that case, yours is simply lower than mine.

    Dave (1bb933)

  136. You couldn’t name a Supreme Court justice that a President Biden would nominate that would be better than Trump has nominated, or will nominate.

    Any gerbil from the local Petco.

    nk (1d9030)

  137. I know the thread has wandered way off, but it seems to me that the Lincoln project’s viewpoint is basically that the Republican party has gone so far off track that it needs to be burned all the way down in order to revive itself as a truly conservative party again.

    As far as Trump is concerned, yes he’s a product of the cultural zeitgeist of the Reagan era, but not necessarily of Reagan himself.

    What Trump is, though, is a product of right-wing grievance politics. Unhappy with your life? Blame it on the feminazis and the illegals and the secularists and the low-T soyboy beta-males. It’s not any better than left-wing grievance politics, it’s just a different set of people to blame, and Trump is a result of the very extreme end of that.

    Nic (896fdf) — 7/20/2020 @ 5:21 pm

    So they want to destroy the Republican party, raze it to the ground by electing leftists, then wear it as a skin suit, walking around demanding respect.

    Yep. That about covers it.

    NJRob (b20c41)

  138. @143 Well, since you are heavily invested in the section of the current R. party that they want to burn down, of course you object.

    Nic (896fdf)

  139. Whats the track record around here, .001, while barnabas cuomo is given a pass as well as death head ferrer

    https://mobile.twitter.com/ClimateAudit/status/1285356419399610368

    Narciso (7404b5)

  140. Specially after the travesty she comducted against greitens

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/07/shocking-leftist-violence-in-denver.php

    Narciso (7404b5)

  141. I know the thread has wandered way off, but it seems to me that the Lincoln project’s viewpoint is basically that the Republican party has gone so far off track that it needs to be burned all the way down in order to revive itself as a truly conservative party again.

    Nic,

    I quoted you. You didn’t say anything about part or section. You said party. You said all the way down. I agree that’s what they and the left want. Just one party, no opposition, no patriotism, no freedom.

    NJRob (b20c41)

  142. They like a one party police state, njrob,

    Narciso (7404b5)

  143. The GOP used to be important because it stood for and represented important things; personal freedom, fiscal discipline, rule of law, limited government. Now those are gone and what we have left are conspiracy theories, incompetence, corruption and fearful white grievance. Why would I care about who wears the clown suite?

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  144. @148 The segment of the population who has traditionally been part of the party, who they don’t want to burn down, has pretty much left the official party at this point.

    Nic (896fdf)

  145. Dave, nobody anointed you arbiter of what a smear is. It can be a statement, or the manner in which someone is treated, or clearing the way for others to broadcast their smears in a committee you chair.

    In 1986, the year before Biden was lifted to chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Antonin Scalia had been approved 98-0 by the Senate. There weren’t really any Supreme Court confirmation battles before then. A year later, in 1987, Robert Bork — who, Warren Burger, the former chief justice, claimed was one of the most qualified jurist he’d seen in 50 years — would be grossly caricatured by real-life sexual harasser Ted Kennedy, who warned that “Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids.” Thomas would be accused of being a puppet of his white colleagues, among other racist stereotypes, merely for his ideological outlook. In those days, hyperbolic statements from senators were somewhat rare. Now they are a modus operandi.

    To be fair to Biden, he was an exceptionally incompetent and indecisive chairman, easily cowed and unable to control the hearings. After promising to support Bork, he switched his vote. After promising to afford Thomas some semblance of due process, he presided over what the future justice famously called a “high-tech lynching.”

    Neither Duke, nor Black nor Spencer would appoint judges I would like, nor could they ever be president (for good reason) so it’s a dumb question, even as a hypothetical. Turning people, repulsive as they are, into 2D comic book villains is puerile. As repulsive as they are, they are no worse than the race merchants and hate mongers Biden will surround himself with. And, whereas the racists you mention won’t ever get my vote, Biden will get yours. That’s the level of decency you seem comfortable with, and it’s subterranean compared to mine.

    beer ‘n pretzels (005b09)

  146. “You said party. You said all the way down. I agree that’s what they and the left want. Just one party, no opposition, no patriotism, no freedom.”

    You’re projecting.

    Davethulhu (05bf21)

  147. “They like a one party police state”

    Now this is some irony.

    Davethulhu (05bf21)

  148. @153 NJRob has forgotten that abt 40% of the country is unpartied. My understanding is that a heck of a lot of them used to be Republicans. He seems to think that everyone who isn’t down with the Trump republicans is liberal.

    Nic (896fdf)

  149. Dave, nobody anointed you arbiter of what a smear is.

    Actually, I did.

    And you have still not produced any statement by Joe Biden “smearing” Clarence Thomas.

    And, whereas the racists you mention won’t ever get my vote

    Trump is one of the racists I mentioned. If he won’t get your vote, then good for you.

    Dave (1bb933)

  150. Nic,

    No I don’t Nic. I think if there are that many, they could form a dominant plurality party. But based on the schism in America, I think your claim might be a tad high.

    NJRob (b20c41)

  151. @157 Who has left the Rs and is not down with Trump that you don’t think is a liberal?

    Nic (896fdf)

  152. 143… keep shining that light, Rob. Expose these lefties!

    Colonel Haiku (3c8e87)

  153. ένα gerbil έχει κάνει ένα επικό ταξίδι στην πεπτική οδό της nk

    Colonel Haiku (3c8e87)

  154. Heh! Corporal Hentai, when will you get your head out of yours?

    nk (1d9030)

  155. I don’t think Patterico, Dustin, nk, Dana or DRJ are lefties.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  156. I know at least a couple of them have officially left the party.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  157. No but why all they welcoming those who are. Its like bringing a scorpion home.

    Narciso (7404b5)

  158. I also have a couple of friends who are squishes that aren’t politically active, but voted Obama then Trump based on media coverage. They are down on Trump at the moment for the same reason, but not nearly as panicky as some here and could easily vote either way.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  159. @162 I’m pretty sure you’ve accused at least 3 of them of going over to the liberals as some point, but it could be that I’m confusing you with someone else.

    Nic (896fdf)

  160. Never happened.

    I’ve argued passionately with Dustin at times as you can see in our thread, but I don’t accuse them of lying about their political beliefs. They’ve all been here (as have I) long enough that it’s clear where we stand. We just have different priorities.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  161. I do think voting for a democrat is the same as voting for our nation’s demise. So you have me there.

    It’s why I put up with Trump even though he isn’t my cup of tea. BTW, voted for Cruz in the primary and I would vote for him again in a heartbeat even though I know the left would claim he isn’t eligible to be president.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  162. Ditto and id vote for cotton for sure hawleys coming up in the world but hes a little fresh after that the pickings are slim,

    Narciso (7404b5)

  163. All the “destroying Trumpism” talk makes little sense given the choices we have. Do I vote for someone whose policies I mostly agree with but whom I loathe and who can only be in office for 4 more years, and the country has a chance, or do I vote for a man with dementia whose Vice President- Kamala Harris or Elizabeth Warren probably – tries to destroy our energy independence and shut down all freedom of expression that they dislike – possibly for the next 8 years? This isn’t even close, and almost all voting is voting against what you loathe more than voting for what you like.

    Lazlo Toth (cbb623)

  164. 152.

    Antonin Scalia had been approved 98-0 by the Senate. There weren’t really any Supreme Court confirmation battles before then

    ot true.

    Remember Chief Justice Abe Fortas in 1968, and Associate Justices Clement Haynesworth and G. Harrold Carswell in 1969 and 1970?

    Sammy Finkelman (375edc)

  165. 172.

    Wood responded, saying: “Yes, but not surprising. I thought the stratagem unlikely to succeed…”

    Gubarev’s lawyers said they were uncertain what “strategem” Steele and Wood were working on, though they plan to ask Steele about it during his testimony this

    The stratagem was to make the dossier public by giving it to John McCain. This was after the November 2016 election. That much I understand. I did not know a libel trial was just now starting in England. I knew Steele had answered questions under subpoena.

    Steele seems to have really believed this. He wanted it made public after the election, without being known as the source.

    Sammy Finkelman (2178a8)

  166. Rudy Giuliani said some minutes ago on his radio show, on WABC 770 AM in New York that he remembers when he was first introduced to Joe Biden, I think he said 35 years ago. That would be 1985. He said he was told he’s a nice guy, but he was the stupidest person in our law school class. And he cheated to get through. (had other people write papers, or copied other work?)

    Sammy Finkelman (5b43a3)


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