Comey Firing: Key Day in History?

I remember how Right Wing World used to pick on
Hillary Clinton's looks. Now they ignore Donnie's.
Funny that.

The firing by (shudder) President Donald Trump of FBI Director James Comey could be a key day in history.

Why am I, runner of a half-abandoned hobbyist blog, qualified to say such a thing? I'm not. But call it a hunch. It simply feels momentous, this day. The left sees it as the move of a desperate man, but with the horrifying possibility of actually working. The right is overjoyed, seemingly unable to see Trump in anything but the most forgiving light. I mistakenly thought this was a very temporary effect of both winning an unexpected win, and of making liberals unhappy.

But Trump is very, very good at making liberals unhappy. And, if you haven't figured it out by now, conservatives like little more than "liberal tears." It's becoming very clear, that is largely what the whole Trump thing is about. He can hire people wholly unqualified for their jobs, to the point of opposing the very agencies they're put in charge of. He can use worse English than Sarah Palin hopped up on goofers. He can embarrass us on a world stage, show the most rudimentary of knowledge on civics. Doesn't matter how oafish, cartoonish, buffoonish and asinine he displays himself to be, they love him, because he pisses off the correct people.

For everyone not under that thrall, the experience is quite different. This is a presidency off the rails. An absolute train wreck that just gets worse as the days go by. And the suspicion of corruption, and even collusion with the Russians seems far more plausible. It's feeling more and more like an unfolding Watergate-type scandal, and the Comey firing feels like a key moment.

Depending on how much focus this story holds on the news cycle, and whether it grows, or peters out, it's still key. Because if Trump survives it, and we move on to the next outrage. If nothing comes of the Russia investigations, and in two months the story is on Trump insulting another ally, then that key moment will be, he got away with it.

And that will make a lot of people wonder, what on earth would or could be his undoing, if he can skate by after probably colluding with a hostile foreign government (not to mention the many and varied conflicts of interest, nepotism and the rest).

But, if this is the moment when some of the saner conservatives (they are out there, they've gotta be. . .right?) begin to peel off, and get on board the anti-Trump train. Or at least start demanding some real answers. I guess we'll see which way it unfolds together. Maybe I'll try to poke my head in here a bit more often as we find out.

[Excerpt]

Trump's love-hate relationship with James Comey

The same day FBI Director James Comey announced he was recommending that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton not be charged in connection with her use of a private email server, then-candidate Donald Trump walked onto a stage in Raleigh, North Carolina, and proclaimed: "Our system is absolutely, totally rigged. . ."

Read more at: CNN

Right Wing World: The Downfall of Milo Yiannopoulos

I know the whole world knows that twerpy alt-right troll, Milo Yiannopoulous has suffered a career setback or three. But since I last wrote about him on Saturday, I just had to comment on how far little Milo has fallen. As I said in the previous post, there is little redeeming value in Milo's oeuvre. He's a self-admitted troll. He played Ann Coulter's game, a game even she has at times come close to setting onfire. And he really got burned.

He went from the start of a book tour, on the heels of a career-boosting liberal protest/riot at Berkeley, to headline the most recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. He succeeded in getting liberals pissed at Maher, just for the appearance. He got a distinguished former spy Malcom Nance to tell him to fuck off! And Milo lives for that kind of thing. And since then, he's:

To borrow a question from BoyCulture.com,
"Why the long face, Milo?"

- Had a lucrative book deal cancelled
- Been announced as keynote speaker of 2017 CPAC and then immediately have the offer withdrawn; and
- Resigned/been fired from Breitbart.com, both his claim-to-fame, and his Visa qualifying job

Conceivably, Milo could get a new publisher, could turn his misfortune into tour fodder, get a new job, and possibly get to stay in the country. Britain probably doesn't really want him back. But it is doubtful that he'll ever be on top of the heap as he surely felt he was. See, he has always been awful. And his awfulness has never been a secret, not even the thing--seemingly endorsing sex between men and boys--that brought him down. It's just that he became instantly more famous, the trashier parts of his escapades were more publicized, and it was conservatives leading the charge. The very ones he was catering to, and those who made him a "star."

Milo, ultimately, is irrelevant to anything that matters much in the world. He's an unfortunate symptom of how politics works right now. He's further evidence that conservatives will elevate anyone to star status in their charisma-starved ranks. And he would seemingly show that there are certain lines you can't cross, even in today's Right Wing World. But not so fast.

Remember the Duggar family? In this era of a reality TV "celebrity" somehow becoming president, even those who decry the genre have a thing for a particular kind of reality show. 19 Kids and Counting was right up there with Duck Dynasty in conservative "culture," such as it is. The "wholesome" Duggars had an absurd number of of kids, and a fuzzily odd religion, but conservatives loved 'em.  And then older son Josh really got any particular treatment for his disturbing issue.

Image from source, Washington Post

was found to have been a repeated sex offender, who preyed upon a couple of his sisters (among others). Worse, Mom and Dad not only didn't turn him in, he never

The public outcry eventually got the show canned. But the conservative wave of support was loud, public, and very disturbing. Clearly, even child sex abuse and incest can be glossed over if you swear that Jesus has cleansed your soul. Or something. So, don't be so quick to congratulate right wingers for any kind of moral aptness.

It was always a matter of time with Milo. No way an effeminate gay man gets to stay a right wing star after a while. His time ran out.

One more thing: I've said it before, and I'll say it again, conservatives, find better heroes!

[Excerpt]

Milo learns the First Amendment isn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card for foolishness

Speech is free, but not consequence-free. Milo Yiannopoulos managed to skirt this reality for years, but eventually it comes for us all. A quick recap for those who have not been following this sordid tale: MILO, as he’s best known (all-caps his own), is an Internet personality and now-former Breitbart News senior editor best known for his glibly offensive remarks about minority groups, his hatred of “political correctness” and his support of Donald Trump. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Michael Flynn, Trump's National Security Advisor, Resigns Amid Russian Controversy

Earlier today, we were told by Kellyanne Conway that
Michael Flynn had the complete confiedence of the Trump White House

It's week three, folks. Week three.


[Excerpt]


Senior Trump adviser Flynn 'quits role'

White House national security adviser Michael Flynn has resigned over his contacts with Russia, US media are reporting. Mr Flynn is alleged to have discussed US sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Mr Trump took office. He is said to have misled officials about the conversation. . .

Read more at: BBC News

Alec Baldwin's "Donald Trump" Once Again Riles @RealDonaldTrump

Donald Trump is a lot of things, and may actually require the invention of several new negative adjectives (and other parts of speech). But one of his best/worst qualities is his thin-skinnedness. And also, naturally, his predictability, at least in his knee-jerk Twitter responses. In this case, he's having another freakout about Alec Baldwin's Saturday Night Live impression of him, and also in this case, the parody was SPOT ON.

.@NBCNews is bad but Saturday Night Live is the worst of NBC. Not funny, cast is terrible, always a complete hit job. Really bad television!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2017

Deplorable Donald: Is His Goose Cooked? Or Will Pence Leave Him to Roast?

The interesting question being asked by laypeople and insiders alike is: will Donald Trump drop out of the presidential race, now that he's landed in a scandal that isn't spinnable? He says he won't, but nobody knows what really will happen if this fire can't be put out.

If Trump quits, it's too late to reprint ballots with new contenders. And Mike Pence isn't an automatic lock for the top of the ticket, should that event come to pass. Still, many in the GOP are asking him to step down. Much more tantalizing, to me anyway, would be if Pence were to quit. The party wouldn't be left without a candidate, but Trump would be left without a rudder. So, the real question is, if The Donald has his heels dug in, will Pence decide it's career suicide to stick it out?

[Excerpt]

Amid growing calls to drop out, Trump vows to ‘never withdraw’

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said in an interview Saturday that he would not drop out of the race under any circumstances, following calls from several prominent members of his party to do so.

“I’d never withdraw. I’ve never withdrawn in my life,” Trump told The Washington Post in a phone call from his home in Trump Tower in New York. “No, I’m not quitting this race. I have tremendous support.”

“People are calling and saying, ‘Don’t even think about doing anything else but running,” Trump said when asked about Republican defections. “You have to see what’s going on. The real story is that people have no idea about the support. I don’t know how that’s going to boil down, but people have no idea about the support. . .

Read more at: Washington Post

Bulletproof: Hillary Clinton Clear of Email "Scandal"; Benghazi

The way my posts (when I actually get around to writing them) go is, a bit of editorializing on my part, followed by a story in today's news that backs up my point. And if I get another story about this up today, I'll probably do that. But for now, on this subject, I'm just going to say something loudly and clearly that I believe to be true:

FOR HILLARY CLINTON, BENGHAZI AND THE EMAIL "SCANDAL" ARE OVER.

That's it. They're wrung out, they're exhausted. Right Wing World is furious, but when are they not? The thing is, they're not furious about four dead Americans, or the political consequences of what happened in Libya. They're not furious about a former Secretary of State potentially endangering state secrets, or leaving the country open to a attack, or any other potential pitfalls or consequences. They're furious that it didn't stick. They're furious that their Fitzmas didn't come, and that it didn't send Hillary Rodham Clinton to jail, or to obscurity.

Remember, there was no fury over any other prior email scandal, attached to George W. Bush, Karl Rove, Rick Perry or Jeb! Bush. Remember also, that Benghazi was a) originally used as an albatross around President Obama's neck, not Clinton's. It was tried to prevent a second term. It didn't work. Then, someone got the bright idea to attach it to Hillary Clinton instead. They've been trying ever since. Along the way, they picked up the email "scandal," which--let's face it--had to be known to anyone who cared for literally years.

Hillary Clinton sent thousands upon thousands of emails. Each time she did, there was a recipient, whether it was an underling, a family member or the President. And whenever she did, it would say who it was from. It could not have gone unnoticed if she didn't have an official ".gov" or whatever designation the officially correct one was. That's been the great mystery to me. If this was such an obvious, grievous breech of protocol, why didn't anyone she sent mail to ever question it and/or her? Why did it take muck raking to decide this was a terrible, terrible thing?

Anyway, this thing; these things are now dead. Right Wing World will continue to bellow and bleat. We'll continue to hear things about decision making and trustworthiness and the lot of stuff they already throw at her. But nothing is looming anymore. The subjects as headwinds are gone. This was a great week for Hillary Clinton, I don't care what pundit says otherwise.

Rachel Maddow Explains What Hillary Clinton's Official Email Policy Should Have Been

When people ponder Hillary Clinton's very tedious email "scandal" (and isn't the very word tedious, when attached to Clintons particularly?), if they're not being knee-jerk defensive, or knee-jerk offensive, they might ponder "why?" Why would the official way be undesirable (assuming there wasn't anything particularly nefarious intended, which I realize, many people would never, ever assume)? For the first time that I'm aware of, we have an explanation, courtesy of Rachel Maddow.

And don't get all, "well of course Rachel's shilling for Hillary," since she's just as likely to get criticized for being on Bernie's side, or even for allowing a Trump speech during her show, and just listen.

[Excerpt]

Clinton e-mail report illustrates antiquated IT system

Rachel Maddow looks at how a new inspector general's report on Hillary Clinton's violation of State Department e-mail rules describes the archaic archiving system Clinton was supposed to have followed.



Kinda nuts, right? But apparently, the rest of the MSNBC crew doesn't watch Rachel's show, because the Morning Joe crew seemed absolutely baffled at why Clinton wouldn't done this "for convenience." Maybe for the same reason her predecessors did? Nah, had to be nefarious, right?

Right Wing World: Ben Carson Caught an Unspinnable Lie, Now What?

Ben Carson has told a series of whoppers that had little effect on his sudden rise past longtime, improbable juggernaut Donald Trump. But just as Trump could seemingly say or do nothing to dent his support, Carson shrugged most of them off, in that borderline narcoleptic way he's got. The base didn't care. But this latest one? They care. I checked.

Some choice quotes from FreeRepublic.com, Right Wing World's bell weather.

 

"This is the end for Carson. Where will his white guilt GOP supporters go?"

 

"This ones bad for Carson... We have 'rights' to our own opinions, but NOT to 'our own' facts."

"This will be his undoing."

 

Image from source, Poltico

"You lie, you wither and die. Bye bye Ben."

Before you give them too much credit, realize that it's not the fact that he lied, so much. He's done that before. It's that he lied about a core section of his biography. And there wasn't a nifty way to spin it.

Now, the question is, who will reap the spoils? Back to Trump, or onto the next hot thing?

[Excerpt]
 
Ben Carson admits fabricating West Point scholarship
 
Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. . .

Read more at: Politico

Scandal: Can We Finally Put Benghazi to Bed?

Seriously, if this current Trey Gowdy-headed group still doesn't find anything to smear President Obama or Hillary Clinton, can we put it in the vault? After the healthcare reform fight, I didn't think it was possible for me to get more tired of a subject. But the Benghazi thing may be worse.

[Excerpt]

Trey Gowdy’s Benghazi setback: New humiliation for GOP’s scandal hunter
 


Congressman Trey Gowdy

In case you were at all concerned that the relative lack of Benghazi news of late meant that the issue was finally receding after nearly two years of intensive and fruitless investigation, fear not: in just a few short weeks, Benghazi-mania will live and breathe again. Rep. Trey Gowdy, chair of the House select committee tasked with beating whatever Benghazi bushes and dead horses remain, announced on July 30 that his committee’s first hearings will take place in September. If past is prologue, then Gowdy’s people will likely take advantage of the slow August news cycles and leak a few stripped-of-context tidbits to some bored and easily misled reporters. With the midterms bearing down, you’ll have all the necessary ingredients for yet more obsessive Benghazi “scandal” coverage. . .

Read more at: Salon

Scandal: IRS Lady Didn't Like Conservatives

I've struggled to find the "scandal" in the IRS scandal since it broke. It was a case of the IRS investigating political groups who had filed for tax exempt status. And tax exempt status is not supposed to be granted to political organizations. But for an odd policy at the IRS itself, none of these political groups, left or right, should actually get granted the status. That is the only scandal I really see there.

But, of course, Right Wing World doesn't see it that way. Though liberal groups were targeted as well, they've maintained that the IRS focused on right wing groups more, using key words to determine who to "harass." It's kind of strange that a group called the Tea Party could object to being classified as political, but whatever. Anyway, there's this lady who ran one of the offices, and it turns out she doesn't like conservatives very much, and has spoken her mind about it in an email or two. What she had to say sounded like something I might write on this blog, so clearly, conservatives are very unhappy (or happy, depending upon your point of view) about it.


Image from source, NewsCorpse

The problem is, even if they're dead right: Lois Lerner hated conservatives, and went after conservative political groups. . .she had every right to! They're political groups looking to get a status they shouldn't get! But they got it anyway! So, what's the problem? Moreover, there hasn't been a line drawn to the White House about this at all, so how it can be an "Obama Scandal" is ponderous.

[Excerpt]

So F**king What? Former IRS Official Says That GOP Crazies Are…CRAZY!

Republicans and their friends at Fox News have mastered the art of building mountains of bullshit from the lowliest troll-hills. It’s one of their favorite tactics to malign Democrats. Just grab a sentence fragment from a long speech and pretend that it is the whole of the comment from which it was extracted. Then feign outrage that such an awful remark could have been uttered. . .

Read more at: NewsCorpse

Lindsey Graham's Dick Cheney-Style Sourcing on Benghazi

Southern belle Lindsey Graham has been a Benghazi! shouting machine for a year and a half, determined to make it the next "fetch." So much so, that he's resorted to circular, Dick Cheney-style sourcing when he's gone on the--wait for it--very same Sunday shows the right wing is so obsessed with, regarding Susan Rice. You know how it works. You give a reporter info, she makes it a story, then you relentlessly tout the story as proof of your info! Like magic!
 

Scandal: IRS Scandal-ette Turns Out to be Scandal Free

The IRS "scandal" has always stuck in my craw for really not being a scandal, or more specifically, a completely miscast one. The scandal was never who the IRS targeted in their probe, it was that they ended up giving tax exempt status to political groups at all. But Right Wing World was frothing at the mouth that Tea Party groups were targeted for auditing. How dare the IRS examine a political group for claiming to not be a political group! I mean, it was ridiculous.

But it's turned out to be even less than they thought it was. What are the odds that FOX "News" and right-wing talk radio set the record straight now? I'm guessing, never. But maybe Darrell Issa will finally shut up. At least about this subject.

[Excerpt]

New Records: IRS Targeted Progressive Groups More Extensively Than Tea Party



Image from source, Think Progress

A series of IRS documents, provided to ThinkProgress under the Freedom of Information Act, appears to contradict the claims by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that only Tea Party organizations applying for tax-exempt status “received systematic scrutiny because of their political beliefs.” The 22 “Be On the Look Out” keywords lists, distributed to staff reviewing applications between August 12, 2010 and April 19, 2013, included more explicit references to progressive groups, ACORN successors, and medical marijuana organizations than to Tea Party entities. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

GOP Report: Military Couldn't Have Changed Benghazi Outcome

Image from source, ThinkProgress

Huh. Okay, can we finally table the whole Benghazi scandal/conspiracy theory thing? Ya think?

[Excerpt]

GOP Report Acknowledges That The U.S. Military Couldn’t Have Changed Benghazi Outcome

In a new report released on Tuesday, the House Armed Services Committee concludes that there was no way for the U.S. military to have responded in time to the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya to save the four Americans killed that night. In doing so, the report debunks entirely a right-wing myth that says the White House ordered the military not to intervene. . .

Read more at: Think Progress

Bridgegate Gets Worse: 5th Amendment Pleas will Not Stop Subpeonas

I'm an MSNBC watcher and a bonafide Rachel Maddow Show fan. But occasionally, even I will start to roll my eyes at the latest Chris Christie "Bridgegate" nugget. Kinda. I mean, I still find it interesting. But with Christie's diminishing relevance on the national stage, I wonder if it all makes any difference at this point. I'm all for getting to the bottom of it, and I like to see a big braggart get his comeuppance. But I'm getting just a little Bridgeghazi burnout.

[Excerpt]

 

New Jersey lawmakers vote to reject Chris Christie staffers’ invoking of Fifth Amendment

 

The state legislative committee investigating the George Washington Bridge scandal today voted to compel Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Stepien to produce the documents they have refused to provide by citing their Fifth Amendment rights against incrimination and other objections. . .

 

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Chris Christie's Former Deupty Chief to Plead the Fifth

Image from source, TPM

Whether you think the whole Chris Christie "Bridgegate" story is overblown or not, there's one thing I think everybody can agree on: Christie's ex-Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly knows the whole story. She's at the center of it. She was instrumental in the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge. And she could clear up almost every question about the whole affair just by talking.

But, she's not going to, apparently. Which I kind of expected. I'm not sure what is so bad that it can't be said. The damage is now pretty much done. I tell you what I'm not buying though, is that Christie supposedly didn't already get the whole story from Kelly. It would be beyond ridiculous if he just fired her, and didn't find out what happened. Well, unless he already knew what happened. . .

[Excerpt]

Fired Christie Staffer Pleads 5th, Refuses to Turn Over Documents

Gov. Chris Christie's (R-NJ) former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly, said through her lawyer Monday evening that she will invoke her 5th Amendment right not to testify before a state legislative panel. She is also refusing to turn over documents subpoenaed by the panel, according to the Bergen Record. . .

Read more at: Talking Points Memo

Former VA Gov. McDonnell and Wife Indicted

Image from source,
Wonkette

Well, Governor Vaginal Ultrasound is finally getting his comeuppance. Odd that they had to wait for his term to be over, but whatever. Since his catalogue of crimes is kind of dry, here's the most entertaining summation I could find. Sorry Bob! But it's better than having gone down with the Romney Campaign ship, isn't it?

[Excerpt]

Virginia Ex-Gov Bob McDonnell Indicted For Being The ‘Alleged,’ Whatever, Griftiest In All The Land Read
 
We hope former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell enjoyed the ten days off since his term ended since he now will spend the immediate future trying to avoid a stretch in the pokey. That’s because old Grifter Bob and his wife Maureen were indicted by a federal grand jury on 14 counts of corruption. Hey, at least he got something for his corruption besides the nihilistic sensation of being a sneering asshole sticking it to a political enemy. Chris Christie must be wiping copious amounts of sweat from his massive Neanderthal brow now that we’ll all be focused on another corrupt Republican governor for a day or two. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Rachel Maddow Fires Back At Christie

Image from source, RawStory

Over the years, whenever a public figure has complained about FOX "News," they're met with a firestorm of poutrage from the right-wing blogosphere, and often by right wing talk radio hosts and FOX pundits themselves. Beyond an obligatory defense of the FOX "News" operation and its journalistic integrity (ha!), they'll then call it whining, and blaming the messenger, and call it a weak excuse and on and on.

But just as Chris Christie and his administration has been embodying Right Wing World's every bullet-list item that they dislike about President Obama (or rather, the cartoonish version of Obama they imagine exists), now there's the excuse that this is all the fault of MSNBC!

Now, it's true that MSNBC--Rachel Maddow and Steve Kornacki in particular--is responsible from turning this from a local to a national story. But there's meat (and fat) on this bone, and there keep turning out to be more bones! Christie may not like it, but this isn't one of those faux controversies, conspiracy theories or out-of-context outrages that FOX specializes in. And it's pretty weak as an excuse.

[Excerpt]

Rachel Maddow to Chris Christie’s administration: You want a piece of me?


 
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow responded on Monday to accusations by members of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) staff that her network is out to get him, pointing out that Christie’s administration has still not explained the September 2013 lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that has led to several Christie appointees being subpoenaed. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Benghazi Report Doesn't Bear Out Conservative Conspiracy Theories

Image from source, MSNBC

The Senate Intelligence Committee Benghazi report is out, and it spells out a few things. One of them is that the State Department could have heeded warnings, and possibly prevented the attack. This isn't exactly new information, though it is worded in a soundbite-ready way. But that's the way these things turn out sometimes, and the point is to find where the problems were, shore up policies and readiness, and not let similar things happen in the future.

So, assign blame and criticize for that if you're going to go on about Benghazi, mmmkay? Because the rest of the stuff that's been spun and turned into various Right Wing World conspiracy theories? Bupkis. No conspiracy. No "stand down" order. No scandal beyond not preventing it from happening in the first place, which surely would mean at least a bit of blame for the cutting in funding.

[Excerpt]
 
Benghazi report: State Dept. didn’t heed security warnings

The State Department’s failure to heed warnings and requests for more security by diplomatic staff left the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, and its CIA annex vulnerable to the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks that ultimately took the lives of four Americans, according to an unclassified Senate Intelligence Committee report released Wednesday. . .

. . .Yet the report also makes clear that many of the most frequent repeated and widely accepted criticisms of how the administration handled the aftermath of the attack are false. . .

Read more at: NBC News

Bruce Springsteen & Jimmy Fallon 'Gov. Christie Traffic Jam' Parody

To the tune of Born to Run, Chris Christie gets his comeuppance from his hero Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Fallon. Hilarious.

 

Maddow: Christie Lied About Staff’s Bridge Closure Knowledge

Pretty much.

[Excerpt]

Rachel Maddow: Chris Christie lied about his staff’s knowledge of bridge closures
 


A growing paper trail continues to implicate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) with regards to the September 2013 lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said on Tuesday. “The governor has absolutely and blatantly not told the truth about what was going on in his office,” Maddow said. . .

Read more at: Raw Story