crooksandliars--2020-02-27--CPAC Insanity: 'Socialized Medicine Killed Princess Diana'

A panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference ( CPAC ) on Thursday alleged that socialized medicine — not a car accident — killed Princess Diana .
The remarks came during a panel on the alleged dangers of socialized medicine .
“ Socialized medicine killed Princess Diana , ” the announcer revealed before asking one of the panelists to explain why .
“ Princess Diana was in the car accident in France , ” Dr. David Schneider , an orthopedic surgeon , told the crowd .
“ They actually don ’ t have any trauma specialists in France.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , she was still in that tunnel , ” he continued .
“ And after an hour , they took her to a nearby hospital and she was alive for another three hours and they couldn ’ t control the bleeding from her pulmonary artery.
” According to Schneider , “ there were no trauma trained people there.
” “ I really believe , knowing what I know about her care and comparing it to what Congressman Scalise had , Princess Diana would have lived had that accident happened here in America , @ @ @ @

A panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Thursday alleged that socialized medicine — not a car accident — killed Princess Diana.
The remarks came during a panel on the alleged dangers of socialized medicine.
“Socialized medicine killed Princess Diana,” the announcer revealed before asking one of the panelists to explain why.
“Princess Diana was in the car accident in France,” Dr. David Schneider, an orthopedic surgeon, told the crowd. “They actually don’t have any trauma specialists in France.”
“For the first hour after that accident, she was still in that tunnel,” he continued. “And after an hour, they took her to a nearby hospital and she was alive for another three hours and they couldn’t control the bleeding from her pulmonary artery.”
According to Schneider, “there were no trauma trained people there.”
“I really believe, knowing what I know about her care and comparing it to what Congressman Scalise had, Princess Diana would have lived had that accident happened here in America,” he concluded.
Editor's note (Frances Langum)


crooksandliars--2020-02-27--Oh, Never Mind Then: Joe Scarborough Is 'Comforted' By Trump's Virus Presser

The Morning Joe crew was at it again , stroking Trump 's wafer-thin ego and coming this close to resurrecting the tired , pathetic question , `` Gee , is THIS the day Trump becomes presidential ? ''
Praising his performance at the press conference yesterday , and congratulating him on his choice of location — the BRIEFING Room !
Huzzah !
— Joe Scarborough whispered his gentle mitigation of the praise by sheepishly admitting he was grading on a slight curve .
He then went so far as to say he was pleased and `` actually comforted '' by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : First of all , I was very glad he had a press conference ...
In the Briefing Room .
I thought that was very important ... Now , listen , people might say it 's because he cares more about the stock market than the coronavirus .
I do n't really care why he 's in there .
It 's important he 's in there ...
He brought his team together .
He had the experts come up and lay out the possibility and , of course , we 're grading on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we had to listen to poor Mike Pence bow and scrape and talk about how great Donald Trump was every three seconds , but , again , all that aside , the president came out , got the message out ...
So , yes , grading on the lower scale , grading on the Trump scale , I was very pleased and actually comforted that the president of the United States brought the entire health care team out , and they talked to Americans about this very important situation .
OH , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as Governor of Indiana was responsible for the state 's worst outbreak of HIV ?
The one who said that smoking cigarettes does n't kill ?
Sure , Mika and Joe , just sit there and giggle your knowing sympathy that Pence had to grovel to Trump .
After all , that 's basically what YOU both are doing .
Willie Geist was n't much better .
First , he said Trump , while having earned everyone 's skepticism , he `` did what presidents traditionally do . ''
Oh , really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientific , and blaming the Speaker of the House for trying to induce panic ?
Do n't forget this was the press conference where Trump expressed shock at learning for the very first time in his seven decades on this earth that the flu virus is deadly to thousands each year .
But to Geist , that 's just Trump not getting into `` the nitty-gritty of the science of the whole thing . ''
GEIST : The president has obviously has earned everyone 's skepticism when he first starts talking .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's protected his own interests many times before the interests of the country , but he did what presidents traditionally do in that moment , which is not to get in the nitty-gritty of the science of the whole thing but try to ease the country as a sense of panic begins to set in around the world .
He said the risk is very low , then those CDC officials came forward and said , actually , no .
We do n't know where this is headed Richard Haass .
We have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk is low , so he did his job , the scientists did theirs .
Then Richard Haass gravely agrees that we just do n't know what the risk is , but he praises Trump for putting Pence in charge .
We need this , he says .
One person who can coordinate the response of people like Sec .
of Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf , who has no idea how many respirators we have , and Sec .
of Health and Human Services Alex Azar , who has no interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affordable for all who need it .
I know *I* am comforted knowing the anti-science , anti-woman , anti-LGBQT+ , Trump-loving Mike Pence is in charge of the coronavirus response !
Honestly , if the Morning Joe Team was any softer on this Trump response , they 'd be on Fox News .

The Morning Joe crew was at it again, stroking Trump's wafer-thin ego and coming this close to resurrecting the tired, pathetic question, "Gee, is THIS the day Trump becomes presidential?"
Praising his performance at the press conference yesterday, and congratulating him on his choice of location — the BRIEFING Room! Huzzah! — Joe Scarborough whispered his gentle mitigation of the praise by sheepishly admitting he was grading on a slight curve. He then went so far as to say he was pleased and "actually comforted" by Trump's actions and words.
Skip the handwashing, kids, Joe Scarborough feels just fine.
SCARBOROUGH: First of all, I was very glad he had a press conference...In the Briefing Room. I thought that was very important...Now, listen, people might say it's because he cares more about the stock market than the coronavirus. I don't really care why he's in there. It's important he's in there...He brought his team together. He had the experts come up and lay out the possibility and, of course, we're grading on a lower scale and, of course, we had to listen to poor Mike Pence bow and scrape and talk about how great Donald Trump was every three seconds, but, again, all that aside, the president came out, got the message out...So, yes, grading on the lower scale, grading on the Trump scale, I was very pleased and actually comforted that the president of the United States brought the entire health care team out, and they talked to Americans about this very important situation.
OH, POOR MIKE PENCE. The one who, as Governor of Indiana was responsible for the state's worst outbreak of HIV? The one who said that smoking cigarettes doesn't kill? Sure, Mika and Joe, just sit there and giggle your knowing sympathy that Pence had to grovel to Trump. After all, that's basically what YOU both are doing.
Willie Geist wasn't much better. First, he said Trump, while having earned everyone's skepticism, he "did what presidents traditionally do." Oh, really? Like have zero grasp on anything scientific, and blaming the Speaker of the House for trying to induce panic? Don't forget this was the press conference where Trump expressed shock at learning for the very first time in his seven decades on this earth that the flu virus is deadly to thousands each year. But to Geist, that's just Trump not getting into "the nitty-gritty of the science of the whole thing."
GEIST: The president has obviously has earned everyone's skepticism when he first starts talking. He's told so many lies, he's protected his own interests many times before the interests of the country, but he did what presidents traditionally do in that moment, which is not to get in the nitty-gritty of the science of the whole thing but try to ease the country as a sense of panic begins to set in around the world. He said the risk is very low, then those CDC officials came forward and said, actually, no. We don't know where this is headed Richard Haass. We have to be careful when we say the risk is low, so he did his job, the scientists did theirs.
Then Richard Haass gravely agrees that we just don't know what the risk is, but he praises Trump for putting Pence in charge. We need this, he says. One person who can coordinate the response of people like Sec. of Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, who has no idea how many respirators we have, and Sec. of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, who has no interest whatsoever in making the future coronavirus vaccine affordable for all who need it. I know *I* am comforted knowing the anti-science, anti-woman, anti-LGBQT+, Trump-loving Mike Pence is in charge of the coronavirus response!
Honestly, if the Morning Joe Team was any softer on this Trump response, they'd be on Fox News.


crooksandliars--2020-02-28--Betsy DeVos Flails Pathetically In The Face Of Charter School Critiques

In another impressive exchange during yesterday 's budget hearing , Betsy DeVos exhibits the selective ignorance so common in the GOP cult of Trump , but this time in relation to her precious charter schools .
Oh , do n't you come for her charter schools , Rep. Mark Pocan .
Do n't you dare question the charter schools that , according to a recent study from the Network for Public Education , has wasted $ 1 billion of its grant money , illegally discriminated against children in the admissions process , pushed out low-performing students , and whose CMOs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conflicts of interest with the schools they managed .
The authors of that study just `` had it in '' for charter schools , ca n't you see that ?
REP. POCAN : Madam Secretary , I think just the fact that you could n't answer yes or no , and you look at this terrible rating of charter schools , this is why people have a worry that there could be a conflict or something else ... REP. POCAN : They 're not performing academically .
40 % are closing down that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's a waste ... DEVOS : That has been a totally debunked report .
It was nothing but propaganda by an individual who has an IN for charter schools .
According to The Washington Post : The Education Department ’ s office of inspector general has over the years issued reports citing problems with the program , most recently in 2016 .
It found that of the 33 schools it reviewed , most had conflicts of interest with the organizations managing them , known as charter management organizations ( CMOs ) .
Burris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ troubling examples of CMO ’ s that received massive grants that engaged in practices that push-out low-performing students , violate the rights of students with disabilities and cull their student bodies through policies , programs and requests for parental donations.
” By all means , though , let 's get back to the numbers .
REP. POCAN : What percent of charter schools are failing ?
REP. POCAN : Do you have an idea ?
Numbers ?
REP. POCAN : You 're the Secretary of Education and you do n't have this ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ but you do n't have a number ?
DEVOS : Charter schools are chartered by states .
They are not chartered by the federal government .
REP. POCAN : Yeah , but you know that that number 's not right , but you do n't have a correct number .
Is that what you 're telling me ?
DEVOS : What I know is parents and families are choosing to send their children to charter schools .
Parents and children are going to charter schools .
REP. POCAN : So , you do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know the answer .
That 's a yes or no , so you do n't know the answer .
That 's a yes or no , so you do n't know the answer .
Of course she does n't know the answer .
Why would she ?
All that matters is making the money and putting the `` Christ '' back in `` educhristian ! ''
Oops .
I meant `` education . ''

In another impressive exchange during yesterday's budget hearing, Betsy DeVos exhibits the selective ignorance so common in the GOP cult of Trump, but this time in relation to her precious charter schools. Oh, don't you come for her charter schools, Rep. Mark Pocan.
Don't you dare question the charter schools that, according to a recent study from the Network for Public Education, has wasted $1 billion of its grant money, illegally discriminated against children in the admissions process, pushed out low-performing students, and whose CMOs (Charter Management Organizations) had serious conflicts of interest with the schools they managed. The authors of that study just "had it in" for charter schools, can't you see that?
REP. POCAN: Madam Secretary, I think just the fact that you couldn't answer yes or no, and you look at this terrible rating of charter schools, this is why people have a worry that there could be a conflict or something else... DEVOS: You're wrong about charter schools. REP. POCAN: They're not performing academically. 40% are closing down that you're giving grants to. That's a waste... DEVOS: That is not true. REP. POCAN: That's a waste... DEVOS: That has been a totally debunked report. It was nothing but propaganda by an individual who has an IN for charter schools.
(NARRATOR VOICE: It is not a debunked report. Au contraire.)
According to The Washington Post:
The Education Department’s office of inspector general has over the years issued reports citing problems with the program, most recently in 2016. It found that of the 33 schools it reviewed, most had conflicts of interest with the organizations managing them, known as charter management organizations (CMOs). Burris and Bryant wrote: "We found troubling examples of CMO’s that received massive grants that engaged in practices that push-out low-performing students, violate the rights of students with disabilities and cull their student bodies through policies, programs and requests for parental donations.”
By all means, though, let's get back to the numbers.
REP. POCAN: What percent of charter schools are failing? DEVOS: *mouth open catching flies* REP. POCAN: Do you have an idea? Numbers? DEVOS: I don't have a state...a national... REP. POCAN: You're the Secretary of Education and you don't have this? You know this report's wrong, but you don't have a number? DEVOS: Charter schools are chartered by states. They are not chartered by the federal government. REP. POCAN: Yeah, but you know that that number's not right, but you don't have a correct number. Is that what you're telling me? DEVOS: What I know is parents and families are choosing to send their children to charter schools. Parents and children are going to charter schools. REP. POCAN: So, you don't know. So you don't know the answer. That's a yes or no, so you don't know the answer. That's a yes or no, so you don't know the answer.
Of course she doesn't know the answer. Why would she? All that matters is making the money and putting the "Christ" back in "educhristian!" Oops. I meant "education."


crooksandliars--2020-02-28--Milwaukee Mass Shooting Sponsored By The NRA And GOP

On Wednesday , Milwaukee became the site of the latest mass shooting .
Anthony Ferrill , a 51 year old electrician and long time employee at the Molson Coors brewery chose to bring two handguns - one equipped with a silencer - to his job site .
He shot and killed five coworkers before turning one of the handguns on himself , committing suicide .
Authorities have not given an official motive , but it is known that Ferrill was a gun nut and was often seen going around the neighborhood carrying a gun .
We also know that Ferrill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the victims and felt that he was being discriminated against due to being African American .
It also appeared that he had a dysfunctional thought process : About a year ago , the co-worker said , Ferrill started saying he believed brewery workers were coming into his home , bugging his computer and moving chairs around .
`` I was : 'Are you serious , Anthony ?
What ? '
We all kind of joked about it , saying we should maybe get him an aluminum hat .
Things just started getting weird @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , '' the co-worker said .
The usual suspects on the right have started their normal litany of excuses including that Ferrill was evil , that it was n't the right time to discuss guns , etc .
However , those are mere excuses to distract from the fact that Republicans have been willfully refusing to take any action to pass even the most common sense gun laws .
Mitch McConnell has been sitting on such a bill for over a year now .
Likewise , Wisconsin Republicans , under the thrall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse .
They have systematically dismantled almost all the gun laws in the state .
Not coincidentally , Wednesday 's shooting was the eleventh mass shooting in the state since 2004 .
But there 's more .
There 's always more .
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers had called the legislation to a special session to pass two common sense gun laws - one to stop the loophole in background checks and a red flag law .
In a poll , more than 80 % of Wisconsinites supported these two bills .
Not only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honest debate about these laws , but State Senate Majority Leader , Scott Fitzgerald , went beyond the pale to avoid any such debate , much less pass these two laws : But it wasn ’ t until 8 p.m. , after most of the activists had gone home , that Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald , R-Juneau , called the session to order with no other lawmakers in the room .
He adjourned the session a few seconds later , avoiding debate or a vote on the gun control measures Democratic lawmakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I think if there are bills that would make sense to Republican legislators , that we would call ourselves into regular session or extraordinary session to take those up , ” Fitzgerald said .
“ I think the governor knows the bills that he ’ s offered are not going to pass the Legislature … As they ’ ve been presented by the governor , there ’ s no momentum for them.
” You can almost see the NRA 's hand sticking up his backside .
On Wednesday morning , Evers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and reconsider the bills .
About an hour before the shooting occurred , Fitzgerald again absolutely refused to even entertain the idea : Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald , R-Juneau , early Wednesday afternoon made clear that the state 's gun laws would not change under a Republican-controlled Legislature despite a call for a review from Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers .
`` We ’ re going to have that discussion about the Second Amendment forever , '' Fitzgerald told reporters in Franklin , about an hour before the shooting at the Molson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the provisions that are in place already , people are satisfied with . ''
His comments came just after Evers again called on lawmakers to take up legislation aimed at keeping guns away from people who are dangerous , underscoring the deep divide between Evers , Democrats and Republicans on the issue of gun restrictions .
It should be noted that while most politicians on both sides of the aisle only offered the perfunctory thoughts and prayers , one politician showed that he truly gets it and has the courage to say it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shooting , State Representative Jonathan Brostoff issued a statement that read in part : “ But in times like this , thoughts and prayers are not - and never have been - enough .
In the past 16 years , Wisconsin communities have suffered ten mass shootings , and countless other fatal and near-fatal incidents involving firearms .
Time and again , public opinion polling shows that Wisconsinites are in favor of common sense gun reform legislation .
We have committed community groups like Moms Demand Action and the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep these issues at the forefront .
We have a governor who specifically called a special session of the Legislature this session in order to address gun violence .
And yet , time and again , bought-and-paid-for Republican politicians in this state do everything they possibly can to block simple and popular reform measures from making their way through the political process , all while more and more Wisconsinites die as a direct result of their antipathy and inaction .
So today , I have one question for any politician who continues to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ NRA dollars are Wisconsin lives worth ?
” It should also be noted that Fitzgerald is running for Congress , to replace the retiring James Sensenbrenner , which goes a long way to explain why he is so ready to bend over backwards for those NRA

On Wednesday, Milwaukee became the site of the latest mass shooting. Anthony Ferrill, a 51 year old electrician and long time employee at the Molson Coors brewery chose to bring two handguns - one equipped with a silencer - to his job site. He shot and killed five coworkers before turning one of the handguns on himself, committing suicide.
Authorities have not given an official motive, but it is known that Ferrill was a gun nut and was often seen going around the neighborhood carrying a gun. We also know that Ferrill had an ongoing dispute with one of the victims and felt that he was being discriminated against due to being African American. It also appeared that he had a dysfunctional thought process:
About a year ago, the co-worker said, Ferrill started saying he believed brewery workers were coming into his home, bugging his computer and moving chairs around. "I was: 'Are you serious, Anthony? What?' We all kind of joked about it, saying we should maybe get him an aluminum hat. Things just started getting weird. But he was dead serious about it," the co-worker said.
The usual suspects on the right have started their normal litany of excuses including that Ferrill was evil, that it wasn't the right time to discuss guns, etc.
However, those are mere excuses to distract from the fact that Republicans have been willfully refusing to take any action to pass even the most common sense gun laws. Mitch McConnell has been sitting on such a bill for over a year now.
Likewise, Wisconsin Republicans, under the thrall of the NRA, have been even worse. They have systematically dismantled almost all the gun laws in the state. Not coincidentally, Wednesday's shooting was the eleventh mass shooting in the state since 2004.
But there's more. There's always more.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers had called the legislation to a special session to pass two common sense gun laws - one to stop the loophole in background checks and a red flag law. In a poll, more than 80% of Wisconsinites supported these two bills.
Not only did the Republicans refuse to have an honest debate about these laws, but State Senate Majority Leader, Scott Fitzgerald, went beyond the pale to avoid any such debate, much less pass these two laws:
But it wasn’t until 8 p.m., after most of the activists had gone home, that Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, called the session to order with no other lawmakers in the room. He adjourned the session a few seconds later, avoiding debate or a vote on the gun control measures Democratic lawmakers had been advocating for throughout the day. “I think if there are bills that would make sense to Republican legislators, that we would call ourselves into regular session or extraordinary session to take those up,” Fitzgerald said. “I think the governor knows the bills that he’s offered are not going to pass the Legislature … As they’ve been presented by the governor, there’s no momentum for them.”
You can almost see the NRA's hand sticking up his backside.
On Wednesday morning, Evers again implored the state legislature to review and reconsider the bills. About an hour before the shooting occurred, Fitzgerald again absolutely refused to even entertain the idea:
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, early Wednesday afternoon made clear that the state's gun laws would not change under a Republican-controlled Legislature despite a call for a review from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. "We’re going to have that discussion about the Second Amendment forever," Fitzgerald told reporters in Franklin, about an hour before the shooting at the Molson Coors brewery. "A lot of the provisions that are in place already, people are satisfied with." His comments came just after Evers again called on lawmakers to take up legislation aimed at keeping guns away from people who are dangerous, underscoring the deep divide between Evers, Democrats and Republicans on the issue of gun restrictions.
It should be noted that while most politicians on both sides of the aisle only offered the perfunctory thoughts and prayers, one politician showed that he truly gets it and has the courage to say it as it is. Shortly after the shooting, State Representative Jonathan Brostoff issued a statement that read in part:
“But in times like this, thoughts and prayers are not - and never have been - enough. In the past 16 years, Wisconsin communities have suffered ten mass shootings, and countless other fatal and near-fatal incidents involving firearms. Time and again, public opinion polling shows that Wisconsinites are in favor of common sense gun reform legislation. We have committed community groups like Moms Demand Action and the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort who have organized their communities and continue to keep these issues at the forefront. We have a governor who specifically called a special session of the Legislature this session in order to address gun violence. And yet, time and again, bought-and-paid-for Republican politicians in this state do everything they possibly can to block simple and popular reform measures from making their way through the political process, all while more and more Wisconsinites die as a direct result of their antipathy and inaction. So today, I have one question for any politician who continues to block these life-saving reforms: how many NRA dollars are Wisconsin lives worth?”
It should also be noted that Fitzgerald is running for Congress, to replace the retiring James Sensenbrenner, which goes a long way to explain why he is so ready to bend over backwards for those NRA


crooksandliars--2020-02-28--Rep. Ted Lieu Torches Mike Pompeo: You're 'Shameful'

During today 's House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings , Rep. Ted Lieu exposed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as being more interested in speaking at the CPAC convention than in dealing with the coronavirus .
Earlier in the day Trump 's Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney claimed the media is focusing on the coronavirus just to bring down Donald Trump and he also told Americans ( not making this up ) to ignore what was happening .
“ The press was covering their hoax of the day because they thought it would bring down the president , ” Mulvaney concluded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seeing so much attention to [ the coronavirus ] today is that they think this is going to be what brings down the president .
That ’ s what this is all about.
” During his questioning of Mike Pompeo , Rep. Lieu asked if he agreed with Mulvaney 's assessment that the coronavirus was the `` hoax of the day ? ''
Instead of answering the question directly Pompeo said the State Department was doing everything it could to protect American citizens .
Rep. Lieu , once again asked him if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day and Pompeo continued to refuse to answer .
Then the California Congressman directly asked him , `` Do you believe the coronavirus is a hoax ? ''
`` You ca n't even answer that question ? ''
he said .
Pompeo hesitated and Rep. Lieu said it 's not even a gotcha question .
I do n't understand how directly saying the coronavirus is not a hoax is a gotcha moment , but Trump surrogates have a completely different set of priorities than `` public safety . ''
`` Is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answer that question , '' Rep. Lieu continued .
Pompeo replied `` we 're taking it seriously . ''
Then the California congressman changed directions and asked Secretary Pompeo if he was speaking at CPAC today at 12:15 .
Rep. Lieu , `` Are you speaking at CPAC today ? ''
Rep. Lieu said , `` Right , so you could only give two hours to this bipartisan group of members of Congress , and instead of answering questions on life and death issues -- - you 're going to go talk to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said , `` You sir represent all Americans , not a special interest group .
It 's shameful you ca n't even answer basic questions . ''
To Trump and his staff and surrogates , any crisis or newsworthy moment that ca n't be turned to Trump 's political benefit is n't worth doing .
That includes answering to Congress .
Rep. Ted Lieu used his time wisely and pinned SOS Mike Pompeo to the mat and choked him out for being more enthralled to the the bidding of a right wing extremest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the American people .

During today's House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings, Rep. Ted Lieu exposed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as being more interested in speaking at the CPAC convention than in dealing with the coronavirus.
Earlier in the day Trump's Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney claimed the media is focusing on the coronavirus just to bring down Donald Trump and he also told Americans (not making this up) to ignore what was happening.
“The press was covering their hoax of the day because they thought it would bring down the president,” Mulvaney concluded. “The reason you’re seeing so much attention to [the coronavirus] today is that they think this is going to be what brings down the president. That’s what this is all about.”
During his questioning of Mike Pompeo, Rep. Lieu asked if he agreed with Mulvaney's assessment that the coronavirus was the "hoax of the day?"
Instead of answering the question directly Pompeo said the State Department was doing everything it could to protect American citizens.
Rep. Lieu, once again asked him if he believed the coronavirus was a hoax of the day and Pompeo continued to refuse to answer.
Then the California Congressman directly asked him, "Do you believe the coronavirus is a hoax?"
"You can't even answer that question?" he said.
Pompeo hesitated and Rep. Lieu said it's not even a gotcha question.
Pompeo replied it's "a gotcha moment."
I don't understand how directly saying the coronavirus is not a hoax is a gotcha moment, but Trump surrogates have a completely different set of priorities than "public safety."
"Is the coronavirus a hoax? Can you just answer that question," Rep. Lieu continued.
Pompeo replied "we're taking it seriously."
Then the California congressman changed directions and asked Secretary Pompeo if he was speaking at CPAC today at 12:15.
Rep. Lieu, "Are you speaking at CPAC today?"
Pompeo replied, "Yes, I am."
Rep. Lieu said, "Right, so you could only give two hours to this bipartisan group of members of Congress, and instead of answering questions on life and death issues --- you're going to go talk to a special interest group?
"Yes," Pompeo replied.
Rep. Lieu said, "You sir represent all Americans, not a special interest group. It's shameful you can't even answer basic questions."
To Trump and his staff and surrogates, any crisis or newsworthy moment that can't be turned to Trump's political benefit isn't worth doing. That includes answering to Congress.
Rep. Ted Lieu used his time wisely and pinned SOS Mike Pompeo to the mat and choked him out for being more enthralled to the the bidding of a right wing extremest group instead of working for the safety of the American people.


crooksandliars--2020-02-28--Huckabee: Trump Could 'Personally Suck The Virus' Out Of Infected People

Mike Huckabee is smokin ' something , and I would like to know why he is not sharing .
Ca n't be sure what prompted this strange soliloquy , but he seems to think he was `` pwning the libs '' as the kids say .
In reality , he was really demonstrating an unhealthy tendency to fantasize about bizarre ways Trump might use his mouth .
HUCKABEE : Let me tell you something .
He could personally suck the virus out of every one of the sixty thousand people in the world , and suck it out of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ocean , and spit it out , and he would be accused of pollution for messing up the ocean if he did that .
First of all , how would he do that ?
Would he use a straw ?
Second of all , why does Mike Huckabee hate us so much that he puts that picture in our heads ?
Third of all , can Trump really swim to the bottom of the ocean , and if so , when can that be arranged ?
Finally , because this was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) to make , he thinks if Trump actually did all that , we 'd be MAD at him ?
And for polluting the ocean ?
I mean , he WOULD be , just with his toxic aura , but we are n't like Republicans , man .
We actually DO N'T want people to die from this .
And an exercise like this would have the added benefit of keeping him off Twitter for a really long time , so , go for it , dude .
Just consider getting consent first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content we all pay for .

Mike Huckabee is smokin' something, and I would like to know why he is not sharing.
Can't be sure what prompted this strange soliloquy, but he seems to think he was "pwning the libs" as the kids say. In reality, he was really demonstrating an unhealthy tendency to fantasize about bizarre ways Trump might use his mouth.
HUCKABEE: Let me tell you something. He could personally suck the virus out of every one of the sixty thousand people in the world, and suck it out of their lungs, swim to the bottom of the ocean, and spit it out, and he would be accused of pollution for messing up the ocean if he did that.
First of all, how would he do that? Would he use a straw? Second of all, why does Mike Huckabee hate us so much that he puts that picture in our heads? Third of all, can Trump really swim to the bottom of the ocean, and if so, when can that be arranged?
Finally, because this was the point Huckadeedoodah was trying (and failing) to make, he thinks if Trump actually did all that, we'd be MAD at him? And for polluting the ocean? I mean, he WOULD be, just with his toxic aura, but we aren't like Republicans, man. We actually DON'T want people to die from this. And an exercise like this would have the added benefit of keeping him off Twitter for a really long time, so, go for it, dude. Just consider getting consent first?
As usual, Twitter brings the content we all pay for.
You do NOT want to see Mike Huckabee’s PornHub search history. https://t.co/ht5DcHE2r6 — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) February 28, 2020
Welcome to a nice little glimpse into Mike Huckabee's Dream Journal. https://t.co/whPlIsoITG — bob clendenin (@bobclendenin) February 28, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-02-28--Trump Flips Out About New Fox News Presidential Poll

In the new Fox News Poll , all six Democratic candidates vying for the presidential nomination are leading Trump .
Among all voters , all six Democratic candidates tested top the president in trial ballots .
Trump trails Biden and Bloomberg by 8 points and Sanders by 7 .
Those are the only leads outside the poll ’ s margin of error .
Warren ( +3 points ) , Buttigieg ( +3 ) and Klobuchar ( +1 ) are barely ahead .
And 52 % of the country would vote him out of office right now as opposed to 42 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since the cockwomble ca n't handle any negative thoughts or news about himself , in typical fashion he attacked : Trump should have given James Comey a medal for the October surprise that turned the 2016 election .
That one event got Trump elected in the first place .
Instead , Trump obstructed justice and fired Comey for not signing onto a loyalty pledge .
In modern presidential elections , margins are usually fairly close : except of course when Trump lost the popular vote by almost 3 million , but this snapshot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act , because that 's what it is , an act - is getting stale .

In the new Fox News Poll, all six Democratic candidates vying for the presidential nomination are leading Trump.
Among all voters, all six Democratic candidates tested top the president in trial ballots. Trump trails Biden and Bloomberg by 8 points and Sanders by 7. Those are the only leads outside the poll’s margin of error. Warren (+3 points), Buttigieg (+3) and Klobuchar (+1) are barely ahead.
And 52% of the country would vote him out of office right now as opposed to 42% that said they would not.
Since the cockwomble can't handle any negative thoughts or news about himself, in typical fashion he attacked:
Worst Polls, just like in 2016 when they were so far off the mark, are the @FoxNews Polls. Why doesn’t Fox finally get a competent Polling Company? — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2020
Trump should have given James Comey a medal for the October surprise that turned the 2016 election. That one event got Trump elected in the first place. Instead, Trump obstructed justice and fired Comey for not signing onto a loyalty pledge.
In modern presidential elections, margins are usually fairly close: except of course when Trump lost the popular vote by almost 3 million, but this snapshot is still an indication that Trump's act, because that's what it is, an act - is getting stale.


crooksandliars--2020-02-28--In Midst Of Two Crises, Trump Meets With Diamond And Silk

Please note : We have not have any correspondence from Diamond and Silk since last September when they threatened to @ @ @ @ @ of them on our site and `` crafting besmirch statements '' about their `` brand @ @ @ @ @ continue the practice .
Like many Republican sideshow attractions , Diamond and Silk had a @ @ @ @ @ up , CPAC .
Then a trip to the White House to discuss the Coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ , oh wait ...
This is n't about Diamond and Silk .
It 's about @ @ @ @

Please note: We have not have any correspondence from Diamond and Silk since last September when they threatened to sue us over running videos of them on our site and "crafting besmirch statements" about their "brand." So now we continue the practice.
Like many Republican sideshow attractions, Diamond and Silk had a very busy Thursday. First up, CPAC.
Onion? No. SNL? No. Old Gong Show bit? No. This is CPAC. For real. Lincoln and Reagan have given way to “Diamond and Silk”.... doing this. https://t.co/qJeOtcvcDI — Shaye Ganam (@ShayeGanam) February 27, 2020
Then a trip to the White House to discuss the Coronavirus pandemic and stock market correction, oh wait...
Diamond and Silk: "They sing the song 'I Don't Feel No Ways Tired," but I haven't got tired of winning." pic.twitter.com/iwVjk9j40s — The Hill (@thehill) February 28, 2020
Investors seem skeptical that Trump's meeting with @DiamondandSilk and upcoming rally in South Carolina are gonna be enough to stop the #coronavirus. — Hoag in da House (@HoagML) February 28, 2020
Putting Diamond and Silk out there to alleviate the country's fear of the Corona Virus, is like giving a rubber bone to a starving dog... pic.twitter.com/nLDZZWDLmN — Lou Corradi (@LouCorradi) February 28, 2020
This isn't about Diamond and Silk. It's about Donald J. Trump.
And while a global coronavirus pandemic threatens us all, Trump is busy re-enacting some stupid parody text exchange between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.
While the Dow Jones crashes hard on everyone’s 401Ks, Trump hangs out with Diamond and Silk.
We have no President. — Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) February 28, 2020


crooksandliars--2020-02-28--Don Jr. Is Worried Dems Using Coronavirus 'Killing Millions' To 'Stop The Winning'

How are your stocks doing today , Don Jr ?
No one on Fox and Friends dared to ask such @ @ @ @ @ let the spawn of stable genius spew out nonsense like this : DON JR. : @ @ @ @ @ to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills @ @ @ @ @ they can end Donald Trump 's streak of winning is a new level of sickness @ @ @ @ @ stock market ?
This after spending his stage time at CPAC railing about Instagram .
@ @ @ @ @ time , you haven ’ t seen worst of the Trump Family until you have @ @ @ @ @ to tell you that but he makes his father seem like a nice guy .
@ @ @ @ @ hated on ‘ Apprentice ’ set .
Vanky was the most feared .
@ DonaldJTrumpJr @ @ @ @ @ know in comments what you think Don Jr. will be doing in 2021 .
Betcha @ @ @ @ @ and Friends bitching about Democrats in the White House ( fingers crossed ) .

How are your stocks doing today, Don Jr?
No one on Fox and Friends dared to ask such a question. Instead they let the spawn of stable genius spew out nonsense like this:
DON JR.: For them [Democrats] to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they can end Donald Trump's streak of winning is a new level of sickness.
Streak of winning? Like...the midterms, Don?
The GOP lost 40 House seats in the 2018 midterms. pic.twitter.com/tu6FXIHk9m — pmandvik (@pmandvik) February 2, 2020
Or maybe, the stock market?
This after spending his stage time at CPAC railing about Instagram.
Nobody in the world cares more about Instagram's UX than Donald Trump Jr pic.twitter.com/gAaCSfv8Xr — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 28, 2020
I tell people all the time, you haven’t seen worst of the Trump Family until you have met Jr. it pains me to tell you that but he makes his father seem like a nice guy. He was easily the most hated on ‘Apprentice’ set. Vanky was the most feared. @DonaldJTrumpJr https://t.co/pGqSHEsG3G — NoelCaslerComedy (@CaslerNoel) February 28, 2020
Let us know in comments what you think Don Jr. will be doing in 2021. Betcha he'll be on Fox and Friends bitching about Democrats in the White House (fingers crossed).


crooksandliars--2020-03-01--Joe Biden Mistakenly Calls Chris Wallace 'Chuck' After He's Asked About His Mental Capacity

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden incorrectly thanked `` Chuck '' for an interview after Fox News host Chris Wallace asked him about his mental capacity .
`` Mr. Vice President , I do n't especially like asking you about this but it is an issue in the campaign , '' Wallace said , `` and that has been your sometimes shaky performance on the campaign trail . ''
The Fox News host then pointed out several misstatements that Biden has made in recent days .
Wallace also noted that President Donald Trump had mocked Biden 's mental capacity at CPAC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` home somewhere '' instead of the White House .
`` Is that the stable genius saying that ? ''
Biden laughed .
`` Oh , give me a break .
God love him .
I 'm going to resist saying what I feel like saying . ''
`` Mr. Vice President , thanks for your time , '' Wallace said , concluding the interview .
`` Alright , Chuck , thank you very much , '' Biden replied , possibly confusing Wallace for NBC 's Chuck Todd .
`` Chris ! ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ did Chuck .
I tell you what , man , these [ interviews ] are back to back . ''
`` It 's okay , '' Wallace said .

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden incorrectly thanked "Chuck" for an interview after Fox News host Chris Wallace asked him about his mental capacity.
"Mr. Vice President, I don't especially like asking you about this but it is an issue in the campaign," Wallace said, "and that has been your sometimes shaky performance on the campaign trail."
The Fox News host then pointed out several misstatements that Biden has made in recent days. Wallace also noted that President Donald Trump had mocked Biden's mental capacity at CPAC by saying that he belonged in a "home somewhere" instead of the White House.
"Is that the stable genius saying that?" Biden laughed. "Oh, give me a break. God love him. I'm going to resist saying what I feel like saying."
"Mr. Vice President, thanks for your time," Wallace said, concluding the interview.
"Alright, Chuck, thank you very much," Biden replied, possibly confusing Wallace for NBC's Chuck Todd.
"It's Chris," Wallace reminded him.
"Chris!" Biden corrected himself. "I just did Chuck. I tell you what, man, these [interviews] are back to back."
"It's okay," Wallace said.


crooksandliars--2020-03-01--Mike Pence On COVID-19:  'With The Prayers Of Millions Of Americans We're Going To Get Through This'

Vice President Mike Pence said over the weekend that it is `` understandable '' that President Donald Trump 's son , Donald Trump Jr. , would say that Democrats want millions of Americans to die of the coronavirus .
In an interview that aired on Sunday , CNN 's Jake Tapper asked Pence about the remarks made by the son of the president several days earlier .
`` For them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they can end Donald Trump 's streak of winning is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pence told Fox News on Friday .
`` Can we agree that neither Democrats or Republicans wants Americans to get the coronavirus and die ? ''
Tapper asked the vice president .
`` You do n't think Democrats want people to contract the coronavirus and die ? ''
`` This is no time for politics , '' the vice president said .
`` And , frankly , I think that was Don Jr. 's point .
That there has been some very strong rhetoric directed at the president by some members of Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that was strong rhetoric [ from Donald Trump Jr. ] ? ''
Tapper pressed .
`` But responding to the kind of things that have been hurled is understandable , '' Pence replied , before arguing that the Trump administration has `` set the politics aside . ''
`` I continue to believe that we have an opportunity to come together , '' he added .
`` And with the proper expertise , and the proper resources and the prayers of millions of Americans , we 're going to get through this .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought prayer would take care of the HIV epidemic in his state while he was governor , too .

Vice President Mike Pence said over the weekend that it is "understandable" that President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., would say that Democrats want millions of Americans to die of the coronavirus.
In an interview that aired on Sunday, CNN's Jake Tapper asked Pence about the remarks made by the son of the president several days earlier.
"For them to try to take a pandemic and seemingly hope that it comes here and kills millions of people so that they can end Donald Trump's streak of winning is a new level of sickness," Pence told Fox News on Friday.
"Can we agree that neither Democrats or Republicans wants Americans to get the coronavirus and die?" Tapper asked the vice president. "You don't think Democrats want people to contract the coronavirus and die?"
Pence declined to directly answer the question.
"This is no time for politics," the vice president said. "And, frankly, I think that was Don Jr.'s point. That there has been some very strong rhetoric directed at the president by some members of Congress."
"You don't think that was strong rhetoric [from Donald Trump Jr.]?" Tapper pressed.
"But responding to the kind of things that have been hurled is understandable," Pence replied, before arguing that the Trump administration has "set the politics aside."
"I continue to believe that we have an opportunity to come together," he added. "And with the proper expertise, and the proper resources and the prayers of millions of Americans, we're going to get through this."
Ed. Note: :Pence thought prayer would take care of the HIV epidemic in his state while he was governor, too.


crooksandliars--2020-03-01--Partial Sanity On Women's Health Returns To Republican Party In . . . Utah?

This week the Utah state Senate nearly unanimously passed legislation to expand access to birth control for lower-income Utahns .
With just one dissenting vote , the Senate passed the bill requiring the state to apply for an automatic pre-approved federal Medicaid waiver to extend coverage of family planning services to people making up to 250 % of the poverty level , or $ 62,750 for a family of four .
That 's about 10,000 people , all told .
`` This is an opportunity for the state of Utah to be proactive in health policy for average Utah families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their lives and make better , educated decisions , '' the Democratic sponsor of the bill , Sen. Derek Kitchen , said .
According to the information he used in crafting the bill , it would `` likely prevent about 2,100 unintended pregnancies , up to 730 abortions , and 410 miscarriages following unintended pregnancies . ''
The bill built on an effort by a Utah House Republican , Rep. Raymond Ward , to expand Medicaid coverage .
With just one dissenting vote in the Senate and a Republican House sponsor , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's also typical Republican politics , which includes efforts by Republicans to ban most abortions in the state , among other forced-birther heinous creations , most of which a huge majority of Utahns are opposed to—80 % say further restrictions are n't necessary , according to state polling by the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah , the Alliance for a Better Utah and the ACLU of Utah .
Utah 's passed more than 30 restrictions to abortion since it was legalized by Roe v. Wade , including a 72-hour waiting period and state-directed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the now-nearly universal recognition that the state needs to make birth control more widely available .
But the key takeaway here remains that 52 % of deep-red Utah supports legal abortion under Roe and majorities `` support sex education in schools and state-funded reproductive health services for low-income Utahns , including birth control and family planning . ''

This week the Utah state Senate nearly unanimously passed legislation to expand access to birth control for lower-income Utahns. With just one dissenting vote, the Senate passed the bill requiring the state to apply for an automatic pre-approved federal Medicaid waiver to extend coverage of family planning services to people making up to 250% of the poverty level, or $62,750 for a family of four. That's about 10,000 people, all told.
"This is an opportunity for the state of Utah to be proactive in health policy for average Utah families, empowering them to have control over their lives and make better, educated decisions," the Democratic sponsor of the bill, Sen. Derek Kitchen, said. According to the information he used in crafting the bill, it would "likely prevent about 2,100 unintended pregnancies, up to 730 abortions, and 410 miscarriages following unintended pregnancies." The bill built on an effort by a Utah House Republican, Rep. Raymond Ward, to expand Medicaid coverage. With just one dissenting vote in the Senate and a Republican House sponsor, there's clearly bipartisan support.
But there's also typical Republican politics, which includes efforts by Republicans to ban most abortions in the state, among other forced-birther heinous creations, most of which a huge majority of Utahns are opposed to—80% say further restrictions aren't necessary, according to state polling by the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, the Alliance for a Better Utah and the ACLU of Utah.
Utah's passed more than 30 restrictions to abortion since it was legalized by Roe v. Wade, including a 72-hour waiting period and state-directed counseling. Which could be a factor in the now-nearly universal recognition that the state needs to make birth control more widely available. But the key takeaway here remains that 52% of deep-red Utah supports legal abortion under Roe and majorities "support sex education in schools and state-funded reproductive health services for low-income Utahns, including birth control and family planning."
Again, in Utah.
Republished with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-03-01--Joe Biden Wins South Carolina Primary

Joe Biden Wins South Carolina Primary

As soon as the results started coming in news outlets like the AP , CNN , NBC , and ABC @ @ @ @ @ had won the South Carolina Democratic primary .
We will see how the rest of @ @ @ @ @ the night unfolds in regards to the delegates , but Super Tuesday looms large for @ @ @ @ @ said , `` Let me talk directly to Democrats across America .
Especially those voting @ @ @ @ @ `` This is the moment to choose the path forward for our party -- -- @ @ @ @ @ across America the next few days will determine what this party stands for , what @ @ @ @ @ we 'll get done , '' he said .

As soon as the results started coming in news outlets like the AP, CNN, NBC, and ABC News announced that Joe Biden had won the South Carolina Democratic primary.
We will see how the rest of the state shakes out as the night unfolds in regards to the delegates, but Super Tuesday looms large for all the candidates.
Biden said, "Let me talk directly to Democrats across America . Especially those voting on super Tuesday."
"This is the moment to choose the path forward for our party ---- The decisions Democrats make all across America the next few days will determine what this party stands for, what we believe, and what we'll get done," he said.


crooksandliars--2020-02-29--Rep.John Garamendi Did Not Take Kindly To Don Jr.'s Accusations About Coronavirus

Donald Trump Jr. 's despicable characterization of the Democrats ' and media response to the coronavirus outbreak has made it back to the ears of one Rep. John Garamendi , of California .
He did not take kindly to Junior 's accusations that Dems were rooting for Americans to sick and die because it might make his criminal grifter psycho-dad-in-chief look bad .
Hallie Jackson caught up with him and asked him for a response .
JACKSON : When you look at the discussion around coronavirus as it exists in the politics sphere , Donald Trump Jr. was on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Democrats are taking a pandemic , seemingly hoping , and I quote , it comes here to kill millions of people so it can end the president 's streak of winning .
He called that a new level of sickness .
I want to give you a chance to respond to that comment from Don Jr.. REP. GARAMENDI : He should not be near me when he says that .
REP. GARAMENDI : There would be a serious altercation .
That is just totally outrageous .
That 's totally outrageous .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick .
What we are concerned about is the administration 's response to this illness .
We have known since December that there was an epidemic in China .
We have known since that time there were Americans that were exposed to this in Wuhan and other parts of China .
and we know there was a Princess cruise ship with high exposure and cases in Japan .
Those people who were brought back to the United States frankly with very little planning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no testing available in the United States to see whether they had the virus or not .
Those are known facts .
We also suspect that there was inadequate safeguards for the personnel that were serving these evacuees at the air bases .
We 'll continue to investigate that .
We now know there 's community spread in my district .
I know that there 's an individual that 's very sick .
Don jr. had better not get anyplace close to me .
It would not be a healthy situation .

Donald Trump Jr.'s despicable characterization of the Democrats' and media response to the coronavirus outbreak has made it back to the ears of one Rep. John Garamendi, of California. He did not take kindly to Junior's accusations that Dems were rooting for Americans to sick and die because it might make his criminal grifter psycho-dad-in-chief look bad. Hallie Jackson caught up with him and asked him for a response.
JACKSON: When you look at the discussion around coronavirus as it exists in the politics sphere, Donald Trump Jr. was on this morning and suggested, or said outright that Democrats are taking a pandemic, seemingly hoping, and I quote, it comes here to kill millions of people so it can end the president's streak of winning. He called that a new level of sickness. I want to give you a chance to respond to that comment from Don Jr..
REP. GARAMENDI: He should not be near me when he says that.
JACKSON: Why not?
REP. GARAMENDI: There would be a serious altercation. That is just totally outrageous. That's totally outrageous. I can assure you there's not a Democrat or Republican in Congress that wants anybody to be sick. What we are concerned about is the administration's response to this illness. We have known since December that there was an epidemic in China. We have known since that time there were Americans that were exposed to this in Wuhan and other parts of China. and we know there was a Princess cruise ship with high exposure and cases in Japan. Those people who were brought back to the United States frankly with very little planning. And very little preparation. And no testing available in the United States to see whether they had the virus or not. Those are known facts. We also suspect that there was inadequate safeguards for the personnel that were serving these evacuees at the air bases. We'll continue to investigate that. We now know there's community spread in my district. I know that there's an individual that's very sick. Don jr. had better not get anyplace close to me. It would not be a healthy situation.


crooksandliars--2020-02-29--Wisconsin Appeals Court Rejects Voter Purge Targeting More Than 200,000 People

Voting rights advocates applauded a Wisconsin appeals court ruling Friday which is set to stop a voter purge from going forward—sparing more than 200,000 people from having their names removed from voter lists .
A three-judge panel unanimously rejected a lawsuit filed by conservative law group Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty arguing that the voter purge of about 209,000 should go forward ahead of the 2020 election .
The decision represented `` good news for democracy for all , '' tweeted Mary Kay Henry , president of the SEIU .
The voter purge was put on hold last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considered the case .
As Common Dreams reported in December , voters across Wisconsin were notified last year that their names would be removed from the rolls if they did not confirm their address with the state election commission .
The state told residents the purge would not take place until 2021 , spurring the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty to attempt to institute the purge before the general election in November .
More than half of the voters who were targeted for the purge lived in districts that Hillary Clinton won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the state with fewer than 23,000 more votes than Clinton , making the purge of likely Democratic voters even more consequential .
Pro-democracy think tank Demos wrote that the `` discriminatory '' purge would have `` disproportionately [ removed ] voters of color from the rolls . ''
In Wisconsin , purged voters can register again later or on Election Day when they show up at the polls , assuming they have the required documentation .
However , when the purge was originally approved last year , the state Democratic Party warned the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` A win over voter suppression is a win for the people of Wisconsin , '' tweeted Democratic state Rep. David Crowley in response to Friday 's ruling .
The Wisconsin Democratic Party warned Friday that the case would likely be appealed to the state Supreme Court , and called on voters in the state to support Judge Jill Karofsky in the upcoming judicial election on April 7 .
Karofsky is running against Judge Dan Kelly , who has been endorsed by Trump and was appointed to the court by former Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purge case is appealed State Supreme Court , '' state party chair Ben Wikler tweeted , `` Dan Kelly can cast tie-breaking vote to purge the voters—UNLESS , if timing works , we beat him on April 7 . ''

Voting rights advocates applauded a Wisconsin appeals court ruling Friday which is set to stop a voter purge from going forward—sparing more than 200,000 people from having their names removed from voter lists.
A three-judge panel unanimously rejected a lawsuit filed by conservative law group Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty arguing that the voter purge of about 209,000 should go forward ahead of the 2020 election.
The decision represented "good news for democracy for all," tweeted Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU.
Good news for democracy for all!https://t.co/TdBNBhLae6 — Mary Kay Henry (@MaryKayHenry) February 28, 2020
The voter purge was put on hold last month while the 4th District Court of Appeals considered the case.
As Common Dreams reported in December, voters across Wisconsin were notified last year that their names would be removed from the rolls if they did not confirm their address with the state election commission. The state told residents the purge would not take place until 2021, spurring the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty to attempt to institute the purge before the general election in November.
More than half of the voters who were targeted for the purge lived in districts that Hillary Clinton won in 2016. President Donald Trump carried the state with fewer than 23,000 more votes than Clinton, making the purge of likely Democratic voters even more consequential.
Pro-democracy think tank Demos wrote that the "discriminatory" purge would have "disproportionately [removed] voters of color from the rolls."
👀Looks like the discriminatory voter purge won't be happening in #Wisconsin.
Our research showed this purge would disproportionately remove voters of color from the rolls: https://t.co/bv2STeogjg https://t.co/DsNDMfDbC9 — Demos (@Demos_Org) February 28, 2020
In Wisconsin, purged voters can register again later or on Election Day when they show up at the polls, assuming they have the required documentation. However, when the purge was originally approved last year, the state Democratic Party warned the move would prevent eligible voters from voting.
"A win over voter suppression is a win for the people of Wisconsin," tweeted Democratic state Rep. David Crowley in response to Friday's ruling.
The Wisconsin Democratic Party warned Friday that the case would likely be appealed to the state Supreme Court, and called on voters in the state to support Judge Jill Karofsky in the upcoming judicial election on April 7. Karofsky is running against Judge Dan Kelly, who has been endorsed by Trump and was appointed to the court by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
🚨WI Appeals Court blocks the voter purge! 🚨
BUT: this means that when purge case is appealed State Supreme Court, Trump-endorsed/Walker-appointed Dan Kelly can cast tie-breaking vote to purge the voters—UNLESS, if timing works, we beat him on April 7.
Vote Jill Karofsky! https://t.co/mjzg422mjN — Ben Wikler (@benwikler) February 28, 2020
"When purge case is appealed State Supreme Court," state party chair Ben Wikler tweeted, "Dan Kelly can cast tie-breaking vote to purge the voters—UNLESS, if timing works, we beat him on April 7."
Republished from Common Dreams (Julia Conley, staff writer) under a Creative Commons License.


crooksandliars--2020-02-29--New Jaime Harrison Ad Hammers Lindsey Graham, And Trump Does All The Talking

Yes , South Carolina is a deep , deep red state but CNN points out that Harrison has outraised most other Democratic challengers in the country and he is likely forcing Graham into his toughest race since his first contest in 2002 .
With his latest ad , Harrison is putting that money to good use !
TRUMP : This guy Graham is one of the dumbest human beings I have ever seen .
The guy is a nutjob .
I do n't want his endorsement .
I don ’ t want anything to do with him .
He went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the worst representatives .
Next , we see Graham calling Trump “ a kook ” and “ not fit to be president of the United States.
” TRUMP : I do n't think I 've seen a guy so totally out of control .
I do n't think he could run for dogcatcher in this state and win again .
I really don ’ t .
I think Graham is a disgrace .
Joy Reid and her guests had a good time watching it this morning .
And who but a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t ?
More importantly , African-American Harrison has a real chance to win .
Trav Robertson , chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party , said that in 2018 , the state had a historically high turnout for a midterm election , and that now 29.9 % of the state ’ s electorate is nonwhite .
Guest Jimmy Williams , an adviser to the Tom Steyer campaign , argued that Harrison only needs 8 % more votes than Graham ’ s last challenger .
“ He can get it , ” Williams said @

Yes, South Carolina is a deep, deep red state but CNN points out that Harrison has outraised most other Democratic challengers in the country and he is likely forcing Graham into his toughest race since his first contest in 2002.
With his latest ad, Harrison is putting that money to good use!
The ad begins with Trump trashing Graham:
TRUMP: This guy Graham is one of the dumbest human beings I have ever seen. The guy is a nutjob. I don't want his endorsement. I don’t want anything to do with him. He went literally crazy and I think you have one of the worst representatives.
Next, we see Graham calling Trump “a kook” and “not fit to be president of the United States.”
Then it’s back to Trump:
TRUMP: I don't think I've seen a guy so totally out of control. I don't think he could run for dogcatcher in this state and win again. I really don’t. I think Graham is a disgrace.
Joy Reid and her guests had a good time watching it this morning. And who but a humorless, die-hard Graham supporter wouldn’t?
More importantly, African-American Harrison has a real chance to win. Trav Robertson, chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said that in 2018, the state had a historically high turnout for a midterm election, and that now 29.9% of the state’s electorate is nonwhite.
Guest Jimmy Williams, an adviser to the Tom Steyer campaign, argued that Harrison only needs 8% more votes than Graham’s last challenger. “He can get it,” Williams said.


crooksandliars--2020-02-29--Trump Calls Coronavirus 'The New Hoax' As He Repeats Lies About Spread Within The U.S.

On Friday night , Donald Trump called the coronavirus epidemic a “ hoax ” by Democrats who “ failed ” to bring him down over his collusion with Russia , or the extortion of Ukraine that led to his impeachment .
After weeks of downplaying the threat , of ignoring the spread around the world , and of demonstrating that his concerns begin and end with the stock market , Trump has moved on to the next stage of how he is handling the COVID-19 issue — affixing the blame .
On a rally stage in South Carolina , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans and get away with it out of the realm of theory and put it into practice .
The people that he murdered might not be dead yet , but his words on that stage have killed them as certainly as if he lined them up on Fifth Avenue and opened fire .
Trump has criminally underplayed the importance of emergency preparations of all kinds .
His gutted White House has disposed of epidemiologists and emergency response specialists from the National Security Council , CDC , and elsewhere — for reasons that don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defined than Trump ’ s lifelong hatred of having people around who know that what is doing is foolish .
During his positively incoherent press event on Thursday , Trump already knew that there were sixty cases of coronavirus within the United States .
More importantly , he knew that the CDC had just identified the first case of “ community spread ” in the country — a case that didn ’ t come in from overseas , and wasn ’ t obviously tied to someone who had caught it outside the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , three more cases had been identified , including another case of community spread .
However , Trump insisted on telling his rally audience that there were still only “ fifteen cases in this huge country.
” Trump took credit for this “ pretty amazing ” imaginary victory , claiming it was because he “ moved early.
” But it ’ s clear that Trump wants to declare the win … won .
And everything that happens from now on can ’ t be blamed on him .
Trump : “ Now the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know that … coronavirus .
We did one of the great jobs , you say , ‘ How ’ s President Trump doing ?
’ They say , ‘ Oh , not good .
Not good.
’ They have no clue .
They don ’ t have any clue .
… They tried to beat you on ‘ Russia , Russia , Russia , ’ that didn ’ t work out to well .
They tried the impeachment hoax .
That was on a perfect conversation .
They tried anything .
They tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it since you got in .
It ’ s all turning , they lost , it ’ s all turning .
Think of it .
Think of it .
And this is their new hoax.
” The worst thing with Trump ’ s statement isn ’ t that it once again treats an infectious disease as a political talking point .
It ’ s not that he ’ s failing to warn his listeners of the genuine threat they and their families will be facing .
It ’ s not even that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response that has already proven inadequate .
The worst thing is that Trump never has a worst thing .
There is always more ahead .
Because when confronted , he won ’ t admit a mistake , or apologize , or even try to sidestep .
He will double down .
And where he ’ s going can already be seen in the way that this story is being handled by right-wing media and by politicians who are racing to get ahead of the issue … the Republican way .
Joanne Wright is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 34th California district currently held by Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez .
Gomez won his last race with 72 % of the vote … over a Green Party candidate , as Republicans didn ’ t even field a challenger .
Wright doesn ’ t actually represent a threat to take away a seat in the House .
But she represents a threat all right .
Her version of the coronavirus situation , with conspiracy theory ladled on top of conspiracy theory , with a heaping helping of both antisemitism and anti-Catholicism is exactly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wing channels .
That may seem like the batsh # t fringe of the party .
But at this point , the Trumpist party is all fringe .
Trump is already stepping onto this ground with his claim that the coronavirus is a Democratic hoax .
With the stock market already in free-fall , and the disease beginning to spread across the nation in earnest , there is no place he will not go .
Or at least … no place except responsible behavior and good management .

On Friday night, Donald Trump called the coronavirus epidemic a “hoax” by Democrats who “failed” to bring him down over his collusion with Russia, or the extortion of Ukraine that led to his impeachment. After weeks of downplaying the threat, of ignoring the spread around the world, and of demonstrating that his concerns begin and end with the stock market, Trump has moved on to the next stage of how he is handling the COVID-19 issue — affixing the blame.
On a rally stage in South Carolina, Trump took his statement that he could kill Americans and get away with it out of the realm of theory and put it into practice. The people that he murdered might not be dead yet, but his words on that stage have killed them as certainly as if he lined them up on Fifth Avenue and opened fire.
Trump has criminally underplayed the importance of emergency preparations of all kinds. His gutted White House has disposed of epidemiologists and emergency response specialists from the National Security Council, CDC, and elsewhere — for reasons that don’t seem to be much more defined than Trump’s lifelong hatred of having people around who know that what is doing is foolish.
During his positively incoherent press event on Thursday, Trump already knew that there were sixty cases of coronavirus within the United States. More importantly, he knew that the CDC had just identified the first case of “community spread” in the country — a case that didn’t come in from overseas, and wasn’t obviously tied to someone who had caught it outside the country. Before his speech in South Carolina, three more cases had been identified, including another case of community spread. However, Trump insisted on telling his rally audience that there were still only “fifteen cases in this huge country.”
Trump took credit for this “pretty amazing” imaginary victory, claiming it was because he “moved early.” But it’s clear that Trump wants to declare the win … won. And everything that happens from now on can’t be blamed on him.
Trump: “Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. You know that … coronavirus. We did one of the great jobs, you say, ‘How’s President Trump doing?’ They say, ‘Oh, not good. Not good.’ They have no clue. They don’t have any clue. … They tried to beat you on ‘Russia, Russia, Russia,’ that didn’t work out to well. They tried the impeachment hoax. That was on a perfect conversation. They tried anything. They tried over and over. They been doing it since you got in. It’s all turning, they lost, it’s all turning. Think of it. Think of it. And this is their new hoax.”
The worst thing with Trump’s statement isn’t that it once again treats an infectious disease as a political talking point. It’s not that he’s failing to warn his listeners of the genuine threat they and their families will be facing. It’s not even that he’s dodging the blame for a response that has already proven inadequate.
The worst thing is that Trump never has a worst thing. There is always more ahead. Because when confronted, he won’t admit a mistake, or apologize, or even try to sidestep. He will double down.
And where he’s going can already be seen in the way that this story is being handled by right-wing media and by politicians who are racing to get ahead of the issue … the Republican way.
The Corona virus was man-made. Bill Gates is one of the financiers of the Wujan lab where it was being developed. I wouldn’t put it past them and by “them” I mean everyone from Adam Schiff to George Soros, Hillary Clinton and the Pope. #DeepStateCabal #KAG2020 @CIA https://t.co/NYHkEp5UHH — JoanneWrightForCongress (@JWrightforCA34) February 24, 2020
Joanne Wright is an actual Republican candidate for Congress in the 34th California district currently held by Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez. Gomez won his last race with 72% of the vote … over a Green Party candidate, as Republicans didn’t even field a challenger. Wright doesn’t actually represent a threat to take away a seat in the House.
But she represents a threat all right. Her version of the coronavirus situation, with conspiracy theory ladled on top of conspiracy theory, with a heaping helping of both antisemitism and anti-Catholicism is exactly how this story is circulating in right wing channels. That may seem like the batsh#t fringe of the party. But at this point, the Trumpist party is all fringe.
Trump is already stepping onto this ground with his claim that the coronavirus is a Democratic hoax. With the stock market already in free-fall, and the disease beginning to spread across the nation in earnest, there is no place he will not go. Or at least … no place except responsible behavior and good management.
Published with permission from Daily Kos.


crooksandliars--2020-02-29--No Joke: Trump Administration Considers Tax Cuts To Combat Coronavirus Impact

Will more tax cuts do anything to help with a possible pandemic or to reassure the markets that everything is okay ?
Absolutely not .
But if impeached president Donald Trump thinks that maybe they 'll keep his approval numbers from tanking , then the White House is going to float it .
That 's what the Washington Post is hearing from `` five people with knowledge of the planning . ''
Because it 's all about the economy and his reelection for Trump .
The lifesaving part simply seems not to have occurred to him .
In addition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the sources told the Post the White House team is looking at pushing the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates , something the Fed has already said it is considering .
This is what happens when the global pandemic response team includes Larry Kudlow , who says `` I just do n't think anybody ought to panic right now .
We 're going to stay the course on our policies . ''
Which is pretty much the best reason for rational people to panic , considering policy for Trump means tax cuts .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the entire public health infrastructure which seems to continue to be the course the White House intends to stay .
This just reinforces the general ineptitude of the Trump team , which is woefully inadequate to begin with .
The White House is sidelining the actual experts and trotting out the likes of Mick Mulvaney to downplay the threat .
That 's with Trump in the background doing his raging elephant routine .
It was Trump 's rage at how the crisis was being handled , CNN reports , that led to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference on Wednesday .
That was organized on the fly , CNN reports , and with no guidance from Trump .
`` By 4:30 pm , the jet-lagged President had only just come down to the Oval Office from the residence , and to the assembled officials who were there , it was still unclear what he intended to say at the news conference , which was just two hours away , said one senior Republican who was in the White House . ''
That included who was going to lead up the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pence `` shortly before the news conference '' which `` came as a shock to [ Health Secretary Alex ] Azar , according to a senior Republican official . ''
That Trump is entirely focused on the economic impact and the stock market may not be entirely his fault , except that the people who he chooses to surround himself with have been trying `` to impress upon him the seriousness of the coronavirus situation , warning him of the threat to the global economy and—by proxy—his reelection prospects , according to people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the agency officials actually responsible for trying to save lives complain of chaos and indecision .
That means scattered and cursory information sharing and `` a breakdown in communication that has led to bursts of outrage by the President , who has complained he 's been kept out of the loop on key decisions regarding potentially infected Americans returning to the US . ''
In other words , the situation is your worst nightmare of what a global pandemic would look like with Trump as president .

Will more tax cuts do anything to help with a possible pandemic or to reassure the markets that everything is okay? Absolutely not. But if impeached president Donald Trump thinks that maybe they'll keep his approval numbers from tanking, then the White House is going to float it. That's what the Washington Post is hearing from "five people with knowledge of the planning." Because it's all about the economy and his reelection for Trump. The lifesaving part simply seems not to have occurred to him.
In addition to "a targeted tax cut," the sources told the Post the White House team is looking at pushing the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates, something the Fed has already said it is considering. This is what happens when the global pandemic response team includes Larry Kudlow, who says "I just don't think anybody ought to panic right now. We're going to stay the course on our policies." Which is pretty much the best reason for rational people to panic, considering policy for Trump means tax cuts. Oh, and budget cuts, including to the entire public health infrastructure which seems to continue to be the course the White House intends to stay.
This just reinforces the general ineptitude of the Trump team, which is woefully inadequate to begin with. The White House is sidelining the actual experts and trotting out the likes of Mick Mulvaney to downplay the threat. That's with Trump in the background doing his raging elephant routine. It was Trump's rage at how the crisis was being handled, CNN reports, that led to the absolute debacle of his incoherent press conference on Wednesday.
That was organized on the fly, CNN reports, and with no guidance from Trump. "By 4:30 pm, the jet-lagged President had only just come down to the Oval Office from the residence, and to the assembled officials who were there, it was still unclear what he intended to say at the news conference, which was just two hours away, said one senior Republican who was in the White House." That included who was going to lead up the response team, with Trump deciding on Pence "shortly before the news conference" which "came as a shock to [Health Secretary Alex] Azar, according to a senior Republican official."
That Trump is entirely focused on the economic impact and the stock market may not be entirely his fault, except that the people who he chooses to surround himself with have been trying "to impress upon him the seriousness of the coronavirus situation, warning him of the threat to the global economy and—by proxy—his reelection prospects, according to people familiar with the conversations." Meanwhile, the agency officials actually responsible for trying to save lives complain of chaos and indecision. That means scattered and cursory information sharing and "a breakdown in communication that has led to bursts of outrage by the President, who has complained he's been kept out of the loop on key decisions regarding potentially infected Americans returning to the US."
In other words, the situation is your worst nightmare of what a global pandemic would look like with Trump as president.
Published with permission of Daily Kos


crooksandliars--2020-02-29--Deja Vu: Trump Nominates John Ratcliffe For Head Of DNI — Again

We are at the point in Season 3 of the Worst Reality TV Show Ever™ where the story writers have resorted to bringing back old characters to try to drum up interest in really bad story lines .
In this weeks episode , the main character , the evil and dumb President* , has decided to bring back the bumbling , lying , ass-kissing government official to lead National Intelligence , even after he was laughed out of the nomination .
This storyline is extra funny because during the last attempt at this promotion , members of this officials own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very embarrassing withdrawal of the nomination .
I guess the writers think this will end better the second time around !
Here we go again : Or is there something more nefarious going on ?
This is almost certainly a play to keep Richard A. Grenell in the Acting ODNI chair .
It seems unlikely that Ratcliffe will be confirmed , but this allows Grenell to stay in the chair past the March 11 date on which he otherwise would have had to step down under the Vacancies Act .
https : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have in store for the Spring Break Cliffhanger Episode !
Who will get fired ?
!
Who will fall in love ?
!
Who will break up with who ?
!
It is all so ... dramatic !

We are at the point in Season 3 of the Worst Reality TV Show Ever™ where the story writers have resorted to bringing back old characters to try to drum up interest in really bad story lines. In this weeks episode, the main character, the evil and dumb President*, has decided to bring back the bumbling, lying, ass-kissing government official to lead National Intelligence, even after he was laughed out of the nomination. This storyline is extra funny because during the last attempt at this promotion, members of this officials own party torched him publicly, leading to a very embarrassing withdrawal of the nomination. I guess the writers think this will end better the second time around!
Here we go again:
Seven months after first picking John Ratcliffe for the DNI job, and then dropping plans to nominate him after he came under intense scrutiny from senators, Trump again announces he'll nominate him for the position. — Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 28, 2020
Democrats remember:
Asked by @mkraju earlier this week about reports Trump was once again considering Ratcliffe, Sen. Mark Warner, who is vice chairman of Senate Intel, said, "I think there was pretty uniform bipartisan opposition to that pick earlier and I don't think anything has changed." — Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) February 28, 2020
Replacing one highly partisan operative with another does nothing to keep America safe
When Putin is interfering in our elections—we need a nonpartisan leader at the helm of the Intel Community who speaks truth to power
Neither Richard Grenell nor Rep Ratcliffe comes even close pic.twitter.com/PXYxiQg7Ob — Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 28, 2020
Twitter remembers:
Has John Ratcliffe somehow un-lied about rounding up terrorists with his bare hands? — Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) February 28, 2020
Ratcliffe withdrew from a nomination to this very post once before in the face of GOP concerns about his lackluster resume and limited qualifications. Also my phone autocorrects his name to Rat Life. https://t.co/U0CwmkvAcc — southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) February 28, 2020
SureJanDotGif:
Trump said he advised Ratcliffe to withdraw last time because of the criticism/attacks he was facing for allegedly inflating his resume. Now he says it was to wait for the IG report... https://t.co/ay895fxv2s — Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 28, 2020
Or is there something more nefarious going on?
Don’t be fooled; this isn’t a serious nomination. Trump, Ratcliffe, and Senate Rs all know he’ll never be confirmed.
This is a transparent effort to reset the clock on Grenell’s appointment — and a de facto installation of him as DNI for months to come. https://t.co/QgB37ceSpD — Ned Price (@nedprice) February 28, 2020
This is almost certainly a play to keep Richard A. Grenell in the Acting ODNI chair. It seems unlikely that Ratcliffe will be confirmed, but this allows Grenell to stay in the chair past the March 11 date on which he otherwise would have had to step down under the Vacancies Act. https://t.co/7wN2zscQ77 — Oona Hathaway (@oonahathaway) February 28, 2020
Let's see what the writers have in store for the Spring Break Cliffhanger Episode! Who will get fired?! Who will fall in love?! Who will break up with who?! It is all so...dramatic!


crooksandliars--2020-03-01--Mayor Pete Buttigieg Exits Democratic Primary

Former South Bend , Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of the 2020 primary race , presumably to make way for Joe Biden 's ascent on Super Tuesday .
Buttigieg ’ s decision comes shortly before Super Tuesday , the biggest primary day of the year , at a time when the Democratic race shows signs of becoming a race between Sen. Bernie Sanders and former vice president Joe Biden , with Biden occupying a centrist position that Buttigieg had hoped to make his own .
If there was one vulnerability that felled him , it was his inability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters , a key pillar of the Democratic coalition .
After a fourth-place finish in South Carolina Saturday — and results that showed he achieved abysmal levels of support with black voters -- Buttigieg consulted with his team Saturday night before flying to Georgia to meet with former President Jimmy Carter Sunday .
His campaign scheduled a Sunday night call for donors , and did not provide a subject .
In the end , my issue with Pete was the same as it was with Tom Steyer : Going from mayor to president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one is , involves too much of a learning curve right now .
He clearly has a bright political future and should definitely run for statewide office in Indiana , or somewhere else where he can build the kind of coalition he needs to win .
But this is not his year , and apparently he agrees .

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is dropping out of the 2020 primary race, presumably to make way for Joe Biden's ascent on Super Tuesday.
Washington Post reports:
Buttigieg’s decision comes shortly before Super Tuesday, the biggest primary day of the year, at a time when the Democratic race shows signs of becoming a race between Sen. Bernie Sanders and former vice president Joe Biden, with Biden occupying a centrist position that Buttigieg had hoped to make his own. If there was one vulnerability that felled him, it was his inability to win trust or support from black voters, a key pillar of the Democratic coalition. After a fourth-place finish in South Carolina Saturday — and results that showed he achieved abysmal levels of support with black voters--Buttigieg consulted with his team Saturday night before flying to Georgia to meet with former President Jimmy Carter Sunday. His campaign scheduled a Sunday night call for donors, and did not provide a subject.
In the end, my issue with Pete was the same as it was with Tom Steyer: Going from mayor to president, no matter how smart and savvy one is, involves too much of a learning curve right now. He clearly has a bright political future and should definitely run for statewide office in Indiana, or somewhere else where he can build the kind of coalition he needs to win. But this is not his year, and apparently he agrees.
UPDATE: Video of his speech is now included.


crooksandliars--2020-03-01--Tom Steyer Bids Goodbye To Campaign Trail, Vows To Stay Active In SC

Tom Steyer ended his bid for the Democratic nomination Saturday night after his distant third-place showing in South Carolina 's primary .
In an emotional speech he promised South Carolina he was n't leaving , signaling that he may be putting his resources and on-the-ground contacts toward voter registration and get-out-the-vote operations in that state to defeat Lindsey Graham .
`` I 'm not leaving , '' he vowed .
`` We 're already figuring out ways in fact to make sure that we stay in South Carolina .
And our -- I have loved the people and I feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I want to make sure that 's true going forward , '' he vowed , just before announcing that he was leaving the campaign trail .
After telling everyone he did n't see a path forward to the presidency , Steyer talked about his love for the people in South Carolina and his determination to stay active .
`` Lindsey Graham 's a disaster , '' he said to loud applause and cheers .
`` He 's a disaster for the people here .
So , of course I 'll be working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lord closes a door , he opens a window , '' he added .
`` I will find that window and crawl through it with you . ''
I 'm so relieved .
I can like Tom Steyer again .
After interviewing him in 2015 at the California Democratic Convention , I genuinely liked the soft-spoken yet determined guy who was looking to raise the tobacco tax in California to keep vaping products out of the hands of kids after his mother died of lung cancer .
He has always been a passionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really , genuinely a good guy .
But now is not the time to put another novice at the helm of the ship of state .
And his presence in the campaign made it virtually impossible for truly qualified candidates to continue by driving the price of admission up too high .
So I 'm glad to see him drop out and gladder still to being able to go back to liking the happy warrior for climate policy that I first met in San Jose .

Tom Steyer ended his bid for the Democratic nomination Saturday night after his distant third-place showing in South Carolina's primary. In an emotional speech he promised South Carolina he wasn't leaving, signaling that he may be putting his resources and on-the-ground contacts toward voter registration and get-out-the-vote operations in that state to defeat Lindsey Graham.
"I'm not leaving," he vowed. "We're already figuring out ways in fact to make sure that we stay in South Carolina. And our -- I have loved the people and I feel as if their fight is my fight and I want to make sure that's true going forward," he vowed, just before announcing that he was leaving the campaign trail.
After telling everyone he didn't see a path forward to the presidency, Steyer talked about his love for the people in South Carolina and his determination to stay active.
"Lindsey Graham's a disaster," he said to loud applause and cheers. "He's a disaster for the people here. So, of course I'll be working on that."
"When the lord closes a door, he opens a window," he added. "I will find that window and crawl through it with you."
I'm so relieved. I can like Tom Steyer again. After interviewing him in 2015 at the California Democratic Convention, I genuinely liked the soft-spoken yet determined guy who was looking to raise the tobacco tax in California to keep vaping products out of the hands of kids after his mother died of lung cancer. He has always been a passionate advocate for climate change policy and is really, genuinely a good guy.
But now is not the time to put another novice at the helm of the ship of state. And his presence in the campaign made it virtually impossible for truly qualified candidates to continue by driving the price of admission up too high. So I'm glad to see him drop out and gladder still to being able to go back to liking the happy warrior for climate policy that I first met in San Jose.


crooksandliars--2020-03-01--MAGA Fans Invent Conspiracy Theory On COVID-19: 'Blue States Inject People With The Virus' To Hurt T

MAGA Fans Invent Conspiracy Theory On COVID-19: 'Blue States Inject People With The Virus' To Hurt Trump

Fans of President Donald Trump on Twitter over the weekend put forth theories about why reports of the coronavirus have @ @ @ @ @ controlled by Democrats .
Officials at the Center for Disease Control ( CDC ) said @ @ @ @ @ at least 71 cases and one death in the U.S. from the virus , which @ @ @ @ @ Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed on Sunday that one new case has @ @ @ @ @ Several hours later , the CDC said the first case had been found in Rhode @ @ @ @ @ addition to cases in other left-leaning states like California , Massachusetts and Oregon .
Several @ @ @ @ @ , Texas and Arizona -- also reportedly have patients with the virus .
On Twitter @ @ @ @ @ speculated why the majority of cases are in blue states .

Fans of President Donald Trump on Twitter over the weekend put forth theories about why reports of the coronavirus have been mostly confined to states controlled by Democrats.
Officials at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) said on Saturday that there are at least 71 cases and one death in the U.S. from the virus, which is known as COVID-19.
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed on Sunday that one new case has been identified in Chicago. Several hours later, the CDC said the first case had been found in Rhode Island.
Those come in addition to cases in other left-leaning states like California, Massachusetts and Oregon. Several so-called red states -- Wyoming, Texas and Arizona -- also reportedly have patients with the virus.
On Twitter, the president's supporters speculated why the majority of cases are in blue states.
Why is the #coronavirus only in Democrat ran states so far🤔 coincidence 🤔 — Dingusmo Joe (@Kokomojoe6) March 1, 2020
Dear Californians, 2016/18, Hepatitis epidemic! 600 sick, 20 died in San Diego! Guess what Californians did nothing! Every citizen was quiet.Took 2 years to combat! Where was the media then? Oh wait, Democrat state! Notice this C virus areas infected,Democrat states! Ca,Or,WA,IL — Diana Pickard (@DianaPickard4) March 1, 2020
It’s insane! When the homeless cause a true pandemic virus in Ca cities, it will be on the Democrats & their ridiculous policies — Dani (@seadancer811) March 1, 2020
Have you noticed all new cases of coronavirus are in Democrat states Wash. Or. Cal. I’ll. Ri. do you think the dems are dumb enough to get sick to make Trump look bad just saying — bob berger (@bobberg19110252) March 1, 2020
It appears the blue cities and states are the only ones needing those billions the Congress is about to allocate for the virus.🤔 — AnnieFoutz (@anniefoutz) March 1, 2020
I said it the 1st day we heard the coronavirus is here "The Coronavirus will start spreading in Sanctuary States, the Democrats will put Americans in jeopardy to make @POTUS Trump look bad. All that matters is the 2020 Election."
Coincidence? 🤔 — Coni (@Coni23245898) March 1, 2020
Prediction: Democrat run cities in the US will start announcing many sick people with #coronavirus “symptoms” to crash the Mkts to hurt Trump.
It’s sad that this is where we are as a country but it’s the truth. Democrats know the only chance to beat Trump is a mkt crash. — ADHD Capital LLC ™ (@ADHD_Capital) March 1, 2020
Notice how the virus is located in Democrat states? Are the Dems purposely contaminating these people? It’s a fair question. @SolangeLemieux https://t.co/YNmpRqgOp5 — TMC (@TMCROCKSOLID) March 1, 2020
If this Coronavirus should turn into a "pandemic"...the difference, between republican and dumb dem leadership will, ONCE AGAIN, be obvious. Red states will be prepared; blue states will not! RED state residents live; blue state residents die! It WILL be that stark! #Trump2020 https://t.co/SUQHtyhM3M — DavidRo68159236 (@ro68159236) March 1, 2020
Every confirmed case of the coronavirus in the United States is in a state that's ran by democrats.
Does anyone think this is just a coincidence? — 🇺🇸JMiller4Trump2020🇺🇸 (@Churchhill2112) March 1, 2020
>Associated Press Has Confirmed That The Democrats Are Lying About Coronavirus Readiness
States give drivers licenses to illegals, don't info share to DHS, or turn from working w/fed authorites on health issues. Like a loophole where they throw any (due) process under the bus. — Grace Anne (@os_anne) March 1, 2020
Its is irrational, because … Democrat.
Their cities are disease breeding shitholes due to their policies, but Dems are worried to the extreme about germs/virus outbreak.
There is no logic or consistency in their space. — Bully Pulpit #WeDecide (@BullyPulpit5) March 1, 2020
So it's interesting that the Coronavirus pops up in the Democratic states where people shit on the streets. — Michael Legero #MAGAvetran#BUILD THE WALL# (@michael_legero) March 1, 2020
All positive coronavirus victims reside in blue states & blue cities run by Democrats. Coincidence? — Mr. Wick, “A Dog-Faced Pony Soldier” (@ImperialWick) March 1, 2020
Gee Go figure the Democrat run states already have the virus challenges! That’s a big duh! — Reasoned Rhetoric (@cogentcraig) March 1, 2020
Democrat run Blue States will infect the poor with the virus in State Run Hospitals to exploit their deaths against Trump, because, well, it’s the Democrats. — Set The Narrative (@SETTHENARRATIVE) March 1, 2020
BUT I DONT PUT IT BENEATH THE DEMOCRATS TO INJECT PEOPLE WITH THE VIRUS IN STATE RUN FACILITIES LIKE HOSPITALS FOR POOR PEOPLE IN BLUE STATES. Democrats are evil! — Set The Narrative (@SETTHENARRATIVE) March 1, 2020