palmerreport--2020-02-18--Mike Bloomberg shouldn’t be the nominee – but he’s exposed the roadmap for taking Donald Trump down

Give me Joe Biden , Elizabeth Warren , Amy Klobuchar , or Pete Buttigieg – in any order – as the 2020 Democratic nominee for president , and I ’ ll be plenty happy .
They ’ re varying degrees of liberal , but they ’ re all smart , noble , and politically competent , meaning they ’ d each be able to move the nation forward and to the left .
Mike Bloomberg is liberal on issues like gun control , but he ’ s not a liberal overall – and there are things about his personal and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So Bloomberg is , at best , my fifth choice .
I spell all of this out so it ’ s clear that I ’ m not endorsing Mike Bloomberg on any level when I speak positively of how he ’ s running his campaign .
But we really need to be paying attention to his approach against Donald Trump , because it ’ s really resonating with voters .
Bloomberg has the unfair advantage of being able to run an essentially limitless number of TV ads , because he has limitless money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those ads wouldn ’ t be helping him any , if they were the wrong kinds of ads .
The other Democratic candidates are largely focusing on important political and social issues , and I applaud them for their willingness to do this .
But because they each have their own variation of how best to move things forward on matters like health care and the economy , what the average nonpartisan voter takes away from it all is that the Democrats are endlessly arguing with each other over policy .
Our whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , who is still running around with a blowtorch and setting more things on fire , and the firefighters are busy arguing with each other about which kind of equipment to use .
That ’ s not what ’ s really going on , of course .
None of the Democrats running for president can do anything to stop Trump ’ s arson today , because none of them can get into power any sooner than January .
So they ’ re all talking about their plans for how to fix things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bloomberg is doing something very different .
He ’ s using his TV ads to take a blowtorch directly to Donald Trump .
Can Bloomberg ’ s ads do anything to stop Trump ’ s arson before January ?
No , not really .
But it signals to the public that he understands that Trump is the 2020 issue .
Hillary Clinton spelled out in 2016 why Trump would be a disaster , and not enough people believed her at the time , but now many of them can see it for themselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she was talking about the issues .
Instead , they only covered her when she was talking about Trump , and then they bashed her for not talking about the issues .
Spoiler alert : whoever the 2020 Democratic nominee is , they ’ ll get that same unfair treatment from the media no matter what they talk about , so they might as well just go right at Trump .
This is not to say that the Democratic candidates should abandon the issues .
Not at all .
You have to show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Talking about the issues is what won the Democrats the House majority in 2018 .
But the midterms are different .
You had to find a way to motivate people to show up and vote in an off-year when the president isn ’ t even on the ballot , so you had to promote each Democratic House candidate as being someone worthy of making the effort to show up and vote for .
Millions of Americans see the 2020 election as an opportunity to put an end to this Donald Trump disaster @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re not necessarily looking for ideology , plans , or virtue .
They ’ re just looking for someone who understands that , for all of America ’ s problems , Trump is the most immediate problem .
They ’ re looking for someone who is punching Trump in the mouth .
Mike Bloomberg is largely ignoring the rest of the Democratic field , in favor of punching Trump every chance he gets .
The other Democratic candidates should take note .
Yes , they ’ re ( unfairly ) working with smaller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showing us that punching Donald Trump in the mouth – even at this very early stage of the primary race – may be the singularly most effective way to fire up voters in favor of that candidate .
If Liz , Joe , Pete or Amy wants to fend off Bloomberg ’ s surge , they should consider focusing more on Trump , and at least a bit less on the incremental disagreements they have with each other on policy .

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Give me Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, or Pete Buttigieg – in any order – as the 2020 Democratic nominee for president, and I’ll be plenty happy. They’re varying degrees of liberal, but they’re all smart, noble, and politically competent, meaning they’d each be able to move the nation forward and to the left. Mike Bloomberg is liberal on issues like gun control, but he’s not a liberal overall – and there are things about his personal and professional past that are red flags. So Bloomberg is, at best, my fifth choice.
I spell all of this out so it’s clear that I’m not endorsing Mike Bloomberg on any level when I speak positively of how he’s running his campaign. But we really need to be paying attention to his approach against Donald Trump, because it’s really resonating with voters. Bloomberg has the unfair advantage of being able to run an essentially limitless number of TV ads, because he has limitless money in his bank account. But all those ads wouldn’t be helping him any, if they were the wrong kinds of ads.
The other Democratic candidates are largely focusing on important political and social issues, and I applaud them for their willingness to do this. But because they each have their own variation of how best to move things forward on matters like health care and the economy, what the average nonpartisan voter takes away from it all is that the Democrats are endlessly arguing with each other over policy. Our whole country is on fire thanks to Donald Trump, who is still running around with a blowtorch and setting more things on fire, and the firefighters are busy arguing with each other about which kind of equipment to use.
That’s not what’s really going on, of course. None of the Democrats running for president can do anything to stop Trump’s arson today, because none of them can get into power any sooner than January. So they’re all talking about their plans for how to fix things once Trump is gone. But Mike Bloomberg is doing something very different. He’s using his TV ads to take a blowtorch directly to Donald Trump.
Can Bloomberg’s ads do anything to stop Trump’s arson before January? No, not really. But it signals to the public that he understands that Trump is the 2020 issue. Hillary Clinton spelled out in 2016 why Trump would be a disaster, and not enough people believed her at the time, but now many of them can see it for themselves. The media rarely covered Hillary when she was talking about the issues. Instead, they only covered her when she was talking about Trump, and then they bashed her for not talking about the issues. Spoiler alert: whoever the 2020 Democratic nominee is, they’ll get that same unfair treatment from the media no matter what they talk about, so they might as well just go right at Trump.
This is not to say that the Democratic candidates should abandon the issues. Not at all. You have to show people that you’re not Trump. Talking about the issues is what won the Democrats the House majority in 2018. But the midterms are different. You had to find a way to motivate people to show up and vote in an off-year when the president isn’t even on the ballot, so you had to promote each Democratic House candidate as being someone worthy of making the effort to show up and vote for.
Millions of Americans see the 2020 election as an opportunity to put an end to this Donald Trump disaster once and for all. They’re not necessarily looking for ideology, plans, or virtue. They’re just looking for someone who understands that, for all of America’s problems, Trump is the most immediate problem. They’re looking for someone who is punching Trump in the mouth. Mike Bloomberg is largely ignoring the rest of the Democratic field, in favor of punching Trump every chance he gets.
The other Democratic candidates should take note. Yes, they’re (unfairly) working with smaller TV ad budgets. But Bloomberg is showing us that punching Donald Trump in the mouth – even at this very early stage of the primary race – may be the singularly most effective way to fire up voters in favor of that candidate. If Liz, Joe, Pete or Amy wants to fend off Bloomberg’s surge, they should consider focusing more on Trump, and at least a bit less on the incremental disagreements they have with each other on policy.
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palmerreport--2020-02-19--I beg your pardon

I beg your pardon

Attorney General Bill Barr was reportedly seen heading to the White House in the midst of Trump ’ s flurry of pardons and commutations .
Trump ’ s not only signaling to Roger Stone that he ’ s got his back , he ’ s also signaling to the entire Republican Senate that they ’ ll be looked after as well .
Lisa Murkowski got her grant and Susan Collins got her housing money for their states .
It ’ s interesting that Tennessee , Maine and Alaska were awarded big sums for public projects two weeks after Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican Party of “ Just Us ” is as corrupt as we ’ ve seen since Boss Tweed .
The only remedy for AG Barr is disbarment .
Impeaching him will take too long .
Meanwhile , Paul Manafort has been in prison for two years and counting .
Trump is either going to lump him in the slew to look as if he ’ s just pardoning everyone and not doing any special favors , or Manafort will be notably absent .
Again , if Trump pardons anyone involved in his schemes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s taking a real chance that , once pardoned , these guys will go on to squawk about their Trump crimes once Trump is out of office and unable to offer anymore relief .
The dangling of pardons is very effective , however , in order to buy silence and Trump needs a lot of it .
The Deutsche Bank documents on the Trump loans are getting ready to drop .
John Bolton is hinting at the explosiveness of his book .
( Don ’ t buy the book .
Get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ royalties . )
Nancy Pelosi will be forced to have to have another impeachment even though it risks martyring Trump .
The Trump cult is just that .
There are signs on lawns posted on the internet that God bows down to Donald Trump .
These people are politically unsalvageable and thankfully , they are not most Americans .
The majority of Americans love their country and are appalled at what has happened , both Republican and Democrat .
Mitt Romney proved this .
We ’ re in a historical time of change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s happening to their country and they will vote accordingly .

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Attorney General Bill Barr was reportedly seen heading to the White House in the midst of Trump’s flurry of pardons and commutations. Trump’s not only signaling to Roger Stone that he’s got his back, he’s also signaling to the entire Republican Senate that they’ll be looked after as well. Lisa Murkowski got her grant and Susan Collins got her housing money for their states. It’s interesting that Tennessee, Maine and Alaska were awarded big sums for public projects two weeks after Trump’s shame acquittal.
Trump’s Republican Party of “Just Us” is as corrupt as we’ve seen since Boss Tweed. The only remedy for AG Barr is disbarment. Impeaching him will take too long. Meanwhile, Paul Manafort has been in prison for two years and counting. Trump is either going to lump him in the slew to look as if he’s just pardoning everyone and not doing any special favors, or Manafort will be notably absent.
Again, if Trump pardons anyone involved in his schemes such as Manafort and Stone, he’s taking a real chance that, once pardoned, these guys will go on to squawk about their Trump crimes once Trump is out of office and unable to offer anymore relief.
The dangling of pardons is very effective, however, in order to buy silence and Trump needs a lot of it. The Deutsche Bank documents on the Trump loans are getting ready to drop. John Bolton is hinting at the explosiveness of his book. (Don’t buy the book. Get the summary and shut him out of his royalties.) Nancy Pelosi will be forced to have to have another impeachment even though it risks martyring Trump.
The Trump cult is just that. There are signs on lawns posted on the internet that God bows down to Donald Trump. These people are politically unsalvageable and thankfully, they are not most Americans. The majority of Americans love their country and are appalled at what has happened, both Republican and Democrat. Mitt Romney proved this. We’re in a historical time of change and its scary. But people see what’s happening to their country and they will vote accordingly.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--Bill Barr should be worried about what Donald Trump just said

There ’ s a scenario in sports in which a team is struggling and the head coach is on the hot seat , but the team owner doesn ’ t want to have to fire the coach just yet .
Maybe the coach will find a way to turn it around , the owner rationalizes .
Of course the team owner knows this is a long shot .
But he wants to buy a little more time , so he publicly gives the coach a “ vote of confidence.
” There ’ s almost never an instance where the team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confidence and then doesn ’ t end up having to fire him anyway .
In fact , those words are generally seen as the kiss of death , because it means the boss knows there ’ s a real problem .
So what does it tell us that Donald Trump publicly expressed “ total confidence ” ( source ) in Attorney General Bill Barr today ?
Well , for one thing , it doesn ’ t mean that Trump is about to fire Barr .
Barr is by far Trump ’ s most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really counting on the guy coming through for him .
But the other side of the coin is that while Barr may be the best Trump has left , Barr is rapidly proving that he ’ s middling at best .
We all learned this week , as did Trump , that Barr ’ s supposed criminal pursuit of Trump nemesis Andrew McCabe was all a charade .
Trump saw today that the judge in the Roger Stone case is moving ahead with sentencing instead of granting a new trial .
Barr ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make Trump believe that progress is being made , instead of actually delivering progress – and you have to figure that even an oblivious Trump is finally starting to see through that .
It would not be particularly logical for Donald Trump to fire his most effective remaining henchman , simply because the guy is a bumbler whose batting average keeps dropping .
But Barr is becoming an increasing liability , in terms of the ugly scandals he keeps creating for Trump as he flubs his way through the kinds of schemes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t get a lot of attention .
Even though most of the sports world hates Donald Trump , he is familiar with how it works .
He owned a USFL football team , before his bad decisions bankrupted the entire league .
Trump knows full well that a public “ vote of confidence ” is the last thing an employee wants to hear from the boss , because it means the boss now has specific expectations for the employee turning things around in short order .
It ’ s certainly not time for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s remarks today should at least have him worried .

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There’s a scenario in sports in which a team is struggling and the head coach is on the hot seat, but the team owner doesn’t want to have to fire the coach just yet. Maybe the coach will find a way to turn it around, the owner rationalizes. Of course the team owner knows this is a long shot. But he wants to buy a little more time, so he publicly gives the coach a “vote of confidence.”
There’s almost never an instance where the team owner gives the coach a vote of confidence and then doesn’t end up having to fire him anyway. In fact, those words are generally seen as the kiss of death, because it means the boss knows there’s a real problem. So what does it tell us that Donald Trump publicly expressed “total confidence” (source) in Attorney General Bill Barr today?
Well, for one thing, it doesn’t mean that Trump is about to fire Barr. Barr is by far Trump’s most effective remaining henchman, and Trump is really counting on the guy coming through for him. But the other side of the coin is that while Barr may be the best Trump has left, Barr is rapidly proving that he’s middling at best.
We all learned this week, as did Trump, that Barr’s supposed criminal pursuit of Trump nemesis Andrew McCabe was all a charade. Trump saw today that the judge in the Roger Stone case is moving ahead with sentencing instead of granting a new trial. Barr’s schemes are all about trying to make Trump believe that progress is being made, instead of actually delivering progress – and you have to figure that even an oblivious Trump is finally starting to see through that.
It would not be particularly logical for Donald Trump to fire his most effective remaining henchman, simply because the guy is a bumbler whose batting average keeps dropping. But Barr is becoming an increasing liability, in terms of the ugly scandals he keeps creating for Trump as he flubs his way through the kinds of schemes that are only effective if they don’t get a lot of attention.
Even though most of the sports world hates Donald Trump, he is familiar with how it works. He owned a USFL football team, before his bad decisions bankrupted the entire league. Trump knows full well that a public “vote of confidence” is the last thing an employee wants to hear from the boss, because it means the boss now has specific expectations for the employee turning things around in short order. It’s certainly not time for Barr to panic – but Trump’s remarks today should at least have him worried.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--All bets are off

All bets are off

If Donald Trump had truly been “ emboldened ” by his acquittal , as so many pundits have suggested , we ’ d be seeing him corruptly abusing his office to try to make himself unstoppable in the 2020 election .
Instead what we ’ re seeing from Trump is something frantically and almost incoherently stupid .
It ’ s a relief in the sense that he ’ s definitely not helping himself , and a concern in the sense that there ’ s no telling how stupid this could get .
Donald Trump just gave pardons or clemency to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal orbit .
Former Governor Rod Blagojevich , who was on Celebrity Apprentice .
Financial fraudster Michael Milken , who hosted fundraisers for Trump .
Former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo , his old pal .
If Trump were trying to pick names that would make him look as bad as possible , he ’ d come up with basically this same list .
Trump is handing a very easy talking point to his 2020 opponents by doing something this obviously corrupt , in the kind of blatant manner that leaves no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ busy trying to spin these pardons as “ laying the groundwork ” for Trump pardoning his own co-conspirators like Roger Stone – but pardons stop being magic wands when your co-conspirators are involved .
Whenever one of Trump ’ s co-conspirators is about to be arrested or sentenced to prison , Trump always pardons someone who ’ s not involved in his own crime spree , to try to get his co-conspirator to believe that a pardon is coming .
Paul Manafort fell for it , and he ’ s wasting away in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point isn ’ t even whether Donald Trump does something like pardoning Roger Stone , which would be a huge mistake – but at least it would be a coherent mistake .
What we ’ re seeing from Trump right now is the desperate desire to do pointless idiotic nonsense like pardoning the most notorious criminals he happens to know .
We ’ re literally one step away from Trump pardoning serial killers , or just running around Washington DC with a blowtorch and setting fire to American monuments .
Again , none @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump , and some of them will likely hurt him .
It ’ s not that this is a failed strategy for 2020 ; it ’ s that there is no strategy .
If this guy were trying to win , he ’ d be making moves aimed at boosting his approval rating so he ’ s at least within cheating distance in the election .
Instead he ’ s either decided he can ’ t win , so he ’ s seeking arbitrary revenge , or his mind is screwed up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of nonsense will actually make him more popular .
Either way , the danger here is the incoherency of his behavior .
Trump ’ s flamethrower is really pointed at himself – but that doesn ’ t make the prospect any safer for the rest of us .

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If Donald Trump had truly been “emboldened” by his acquittal, as so many pundits have suggested, we’d be seeing him corruptly abusing his office to try to make himself unstoppable in the 2020 election. Instead what we’re seeing from Trump is something frantically and almost incoherently stupid. It’s a relief in the sense that he’s definitely not helping himself, and a concern in the sense that there’s no telling how stupid this could get.
Donald Trump just gave pardons or clemency to a bunch of convicted criminals in his personal orbit. Former Governor Rod Blagojevich, who was on Celebrity Apprentice. Financial fraudster Michael Milken, who hosted fundraisers for Trump. Former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, his old pal. If Trump were trying to pick names that would make him look as bad as possible, he’d come up with basically this same list. Trump is handing a very easy talking point to his 2020 opponents by doing something this obviously corrupt, in the kind of blatant manner that leaves no doubt about his intentions.
Pundits are busy trying to spin these pardons as “laying the groundwork” for Trump pardoning his own co-conspirators like Roger Stone – but pardons stop being magic wands when your co-conspirators are involved. Whenever one of Trump’s co-conspirators is about to be arrested or sentenced to prison, Trump always pardons someone who’s not involved in his own crime spree, to try to get his co-conspirator to believe that a pardon is coming. Paul Manafort fell for it, and he’s wasting away in solitary confinement.
The question at this point isn’t even whether Donald Trump does something like pardoning Roger Stone, which would be a huge mistake – but at least it would be a coherent mistake. What we’re seeing from Trump right now is the desperate desire to do pointless idiotic nonsense like pardoning the most notorious criminals he happens to know. We’re literally one step away from Trump pardoning serial killers, or just running around Washington DC with a blowtorch and setting fire to American monuments.
Again, none of these bizarre antics will help Donald Trump, and some of them will likely hurt him. It’s not that this is a failed strategy for 2020; it’s that there is no strategy. If this guy were trying to win, he’d be making moves aimed at boosting his approval rating so he’s at least within cheating distance in the election. Instead he’s either decided he can’t win, so he’s seeking arbitrary revenge, or his mind is screwed up to the point that he thinks this kind of nonsense will actually make him more popular. Either way, the danger here is the incoherency of his behavior. Trump’s flamethrower is really pointed at himself – but that doesn’t make the prospect any safer for the rest of us.
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palmerreport--2020-02-19--We’ve got bigger issues

We’ve got bigger issues

John Bolton has finally spoken .
We wanted to hear from him a lot sooner , but he has indeed spoken .
Bolton was limited in what he could say , claiming he is under threat of legal action from the White House , as it reviews his book .
While the details in his book about Ukraine and the “ perfect ” phone call remain secret , he directed us to the correct chapter .
Chapter 14 of the soon to be published book is where we will find the information about Donald Trump and Ukraine .
Bolton suggested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ice cream sundae ” compared with other Trump scandals dealt with in the book .
He also confirmed that we do need to worry , teasing various revelations .
We can have those details for a price , of course .
There is a chapter about Putin and suggestions that China was aware of coronavirus weeks and weeks before it was made public .
Bolton also spoke of Trump “ jiving ” Americans about progress with North Korea .
History will tell all one day .
More book deals will be gotten , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Others will likely follow suit ; patriotic ideals have not been enough to prompt them to speak out when it mattered .
The use of political office for personal gain is the norm for this administration .
Trump ’ s bold solicitation , such as essentially attempting a hostage exchange with New York State last week , shows that unlike the optimistic message provided by Susan Collins , Trump ’ s only lesson learned is the opportunity to commit more crimes .
For Trump , the world is his bag of possibility @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been the undoing of an election .
Americans were commanded by Republicans to voice their opinion at the ballot box .
The Constitutional remedy for a criminal president ignored , Americans now get to punish Donald Trump ourselves .
We are less than a year away from playing the judge .
Now is not the time to care that John Kelly and John Bolton never spoke up when it mattered .
We should not waste time caring that they will profit later from their words .
Now is the time to look forward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ballot box .
It will be the only consequence Trump understands .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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John Bolton has finally spoken. We wanted to hear from him a lot sooner, but he has indeed spoken. Bolton was limited in what he could say, claiming he is under threat of legal action from the White House, as it reviews his book. While the details in his book about Ukraine and the “perfect” phone call remain secret, he directed us to the correct chapter.
Chapter 14 of the soon to be published book is where we will find the information about Donald Trump and Ukraine. Bolton suggested that Ukraine is “sprinkles on the ice cream sundae” compared with other Trump scandals dealt with in the book. He also confirmed that we do need to worry, teasing various revelations. We can have those details for a price, of course. There is a chapter about Putin and suggestions that China was aware of coronavirus weeks and weeks before it was made public. Bolton also spoke of Trump “jiving” Americans about progress with North Korea.
History will tell all one day. More book deals will be gotten, and the silent will find their price. Others will likely follow suit; patriotic ideals have not been enough to prompt them to speak out when it mattered. The use of political office for personal gain is the norm for this administration. Trump’s bold solicitation, such as essentially attempting a hostage exchange with New York State last week, shows that unlike the optimistic message provided by Susan Collins, Trump’s only lesson learned is the opportunity to commit more crimes. For Trump, the world is his bag of possibility.
Republicans declared that impeachment would have been the undoing of an election. Americans were commanded by Republicans to voice their opinion at the ballot box. The Constitutional remedy for a criminal president ignored, Americans now get to punish Donald Trump ourselves. We are less than a year away from playing the judge. Now is not the time to care that John Kelly and John Bolton never spoke up when it mattered. We should not waste time caring that they will profit later from their words. Now is the time to look forward, not backward. The punishment is the ballot box. It will be the only consequence Trump understands.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--Susan Collins just got hit with some really bad news

Whenever Donald Trump does something negative that could hurt Susan Collins ’ chances of keeping her Senate seat in 2020 , she routinely says that she ’ s “ concerned ” by Trump ’ s antics .
Then she always finds a way to let him off the hook for his antics .
This vicious cycle has been going on for some time .
Now it turns out Collins really does have a reason to be concerned – about her own career .
Susan Collins now has an upstart Democratic challenger named Sara Gideon , who has long been popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s been months since we ’ ve seen a major poll conducted in that race , so it ’ s never been entirely clear how it was shaping up .
That changed today when the Wall Street Journal published a new poll which has Gideon up by one point over Collins , by a 43 % to 42 % margin .
All the usual caveats about polls apply here .
Polls can be flat out wrong .
Polls can change .
And you always want to look at the polling averages if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one poll .
But in this instance the one new poll is all we have to work with , and it paints a highly competitive race .
At this stage in a Senate election cycle , the incumbent should be ahead based on built-in name recognition alone .
So if this poll is even close to being accurate , and Collins is already behind ( or statistically tied ) , it ’ s a really bad sign for her prospects .
And because this poll shows Gideon ahead , she can now campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which should boost her fundraising and her media opportunities .
Now that one major polling outlet has conducted a poll in the Maine Senate race , we can likely expect other major polling outlets to start doing the same .
So we should begin forming a more reliable polling average in the race soon .
But today ’ s numbers are undeniably worrisome for Susan Collins .
She ’ s already given up her credibility , her reputation , and her soul while trying to cover for Donald Trump .
Now there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll also cost her the only thing she has left – her seat .

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Whenever Donald Trump does something negative that could hurt Susan Collins’ chances of keeping her Senate seat in 2020, she routinely says that she’s “concerned” by Trump’s antics. Then she always finds a way to let him off the hook for his antics. This vicious cycle has been going on for some time. Now it turns out Collins really does have a reason to be concerned – about her own career.
Susan Collins now has an upstart Democratic challenger named Sara Gideon, who has long been popular and respected in Maine. But it’s been months since we’ve seen a major poll conducted in that race, so it’s never been entirely clear how it was shaping up. That changed today when the Wall Street Journal published a new poll which has Gideon up by one point over Collins, by a 43% to 42% margin.
All the usual caveats about polls apply here. Polls can be flat out wrong. Polls can change. And you always want to look at the polling averages if you can, as opposed to just one poll. But in this instance the one new poll is all we have to work with, and it paints a highly competitive race. At this stage in a Senate election cycle, the incumbent should be ahead based on built-in name recognition alone. So if this poll is even close to being accurate, and Collins is already behind (or statistically tied), it’s a really bad sign for her prospects. And because this poll shows Gideon ahead, she can now campaign on the viability of her candidacy, which should boost her fundraising and her media opportunities.
Now that one major polling outlet has conducted a poll in the Maine Senate race, we can likely expect other major polling outlets to start doing the same. So we should begin forming a more reliable polling average in the race soon. But today’s numbers are undeniably worrisome for Susan Collins. She’s already given up her credibility, her reputation, and her soul while trying to cover for Donald Trump. Now there’s a very real chance it’ll also cost her the only thing she has left – her seat.
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So now what?

New polling has Republican Senator Susan Collins behind by one point in her reelection bid , despite her Democratic opponent Sara Gideon ’ s relative lack of national name recognition .
New polling has Republican Senator Martha McSally behind by seven points to her popular Democratic opponent Mark Kelly , husband of Gabby Giffords .
These are terrible numbers for an incumbent at this stage of the race .
It ’ s pretty darn clear that voters are looking to punish the Republican Senate for giving Donald Trump a sham impeachment trial and an illegitimate acquittal – and they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the Republican Senators who are up for reelection in November .
Right now Collins , McSally , Cory Gardner , and others in the same boat are waiting and hoping that the public forgets how angry it is at the GOP Senate by November .
Fat chance of that , but when you ’ re behind the eight ball , all hope is fleeting hope .
But what happens once they realize they ’ re likely to lose ?
As nice as it would be , these Republican Senators aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their seats slip away from them .
If they reach a point where they ’ re truly worried that their complicity in Donald Trump ’ s crime spree is likely to cost them their seats , they ’ ll try to do something about it .
No , they won ’ t suddenly try to remove Trump .
That ship has sailed .
But weasels like Collins and Gardner are surely sitting on some half-baked , weak willed plan for partially distancing themselves from Trump in case he continues dragging them down .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s stunningly inappropriate and corrupt decision to appoint Richard Grenell of all people to be the new Acting Director of National Intelligence .
Grenell is the current United States Ambassador to Germany , where he ’ s hated , and he appears to mostly spend his time trolling people on Twitter instead of doing his job .
Remember when Trump wanted to make some hapless idiot Republican Congressman his new DNI ?
This guy would be ten times worse .
Even though the Senate doesn ’ t get to formally confirm an Acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can easily use their unofficial leverage to push Donald Trump into dropping Richard Grenell if they really want to .
In fact we already saw them torpedo Trump ’ s previous attempt at putting a loyalist into the same position .
You have to wonder if this is the part where certain GOP Senators take a look at their ugly 2020 poll numbers and decide to take down Grenell , so they can ( weakly ) argue to voters later on that they stopped Trump on this one occasion .
The Republican Senators @ @ @ @ @ @

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New polling has Republican Senator Susan Collins behind by one point in her reelection bid, despite her Democratic opponent Sara Gideon’s relative lack of national name recognition. New polling has Republican Senator Martha McSally behind by seven points to her popular Democratic opponent Mark Kelly, husband of Gabby Giffords.
These are terrible numbers for an incumbent at this stage of the race. It’s pretty darn clear that voters are looking to punish the Republican Senate for giving Donald Trump a sham impeachment trial and an illegitimate acquittal – and they’re looking to take it out specifically on the Republican Senators who are up for reelection in November. Right now Collins, McSally, Cory Gardner, and others in the same boat are waiting and hoping that the public forgets how angry it is at the GOP Senate by November. Fat chance of that, but when you’re behind the eight ball, all hope is fleeting hope. But what happens once they realize they’re likely to lose?
As nice as it would be, these Republican Senators aren’t simply going to sit there and let their seats slip away from them. If they reach a point where they’re truly worried that their complicity in Donald Trump’s crime spree is likely to cost them their seats, they’ll try to do something about it. No, they won’t suddenly try to remove Trump. That ship has sailed. But weasels like Collins and Gardner are surely sitting on some half-baked, weak willed plan for partially distancing themselves from Trump in case he continues dragging them down.
That brings us to Donald Trump’s stunningly inappropriate and corrupt decision to appoint Richard Grenell of all people to be the new Acting Director of National Intelligence. Grenell is the current United States Ambassador to Germany, where he’s hated, and he appears to mostly spend his time trolling people on Twitter instead of doing his job. Remember when Trump wanted to make some hapless idiot Republican Congressman his new DNI? This guy would be ten times worse.
Even though the Senate doesn’t get to formally confirm an Acting Director of National Intelligence, Republican Senators can easily use their unofficial leverage to push Donald Trump into dropping Richard Grenell if they really want to. In fact we already saw them torpedo Trump’s previous attempt at putting a loyalist into the same position. You have to wonder if this is the part where certain GOP Senators take a look at their ugly 2020 poll numbers and decide to take down Grenell, so they can (weakly) argue to voters later on that they stopped Trump on this one occasion. The Republican Senators deserve no points either way.
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palmerreport--2020-02-20--Mike Bloomberg’s debate meltdown is bad news for Donald Trump

Prisoners are being let out of their cells by an unhinged man wearing clown paint , and a flawed billionaire who lives in the shadows has decided he ’ s our only hope of stopping him .
No , we ’ re not living in a Batman sequel .
Donald Trump isn ’ t nearly as clever as the Joker , and as it turns out , Mike Bloomberg is no Bruce Wayne .
How bad was Bloomberg ’ s debate performance on Wednesday night ?
He ’ d have done far better if he hadn ’ t qualified for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have just continued sitting back and using TV ads to win people over in sterile and safe fashion .
Instead he had to go ruin it for himself by getting on stage and being an actual candidate , getting hit with actual questions about his record and his scandals and his failures , and suddenly Batman looked like , well , anything but a superhero .
Donald Trump couldn ’ t help but gloat : “ Mini Mike Bloomberg ’ s debate performance tonight was perhaps the worst in the history of debates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad ones .
He was stumbling , bumbling and grossly incompetent .
If this doesn ’ t knock him out of the race , nothing will .
Not so easy to do what I did !
” That ’ s rich , coming from a guy who only won the Republican nomination because he was competing against people like Ben Carson , who wasn ’ t bright enough to go on stage when his name was called , and whatever Ted Cruz is supposed to be .
Then Trump lost all three debates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her , and only took office through a complex combination of cheating and dumb luck that just happened to put him over the top in the weirdest way possible .
Trump shouldn ’ t be so quick to celebrate .
Mike Bloomberg was always going to have to face the bright lights , and while no one was expecting him to wilt this badly , he was never going to be able to simply snatch the nomination from the shadows .
If he wants to stay in this race he ’ ll have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a crowded field : by scrapping it out , with good days and bad days alike , and the hope that there are more good days and bad days .
Mike Bloomberg ’ s real threat to Donald Trump continues to be this : Bloomberg clearly wants to take Trump down so badly , we ’ re starting to believe him when he says he ’ ll run massive TV ads in favor of any of these candidates if they become the Democratic nominee .
If that ’ s the case , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether Bloomberg survives very long in the race or not .
Come to think of it , perhaps that ’ s the plan here .
Mike Bloomberg clearly didn ’ t do much debate prep .
He didn ’ t look like he wanted to be there .
He doesn ’ t seem to be taking his candidacy nearly as seriously as his bandwagon supporters are taking it .
Maybe he really is just “ running ” to get his name in the arena , so he can later take credit for having @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end .
If Bloomberg truly doesn ’ t care whether he wins the nomination , it makes him far more dangerous to Trump .
We ’ ll see .

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Prisoners are being let out of their cells by an unhinged man wearing clown paint, and a flawed billionaire who lives in the shadows has decided he’s our only hope of stopping him. No, we’re not living in a Batman sequel. Donald Trump isn’t nearly as clever as the Joker, and as it turns out, Mike Bloomberg is no Bruce Wayne.
How bad was Bloomberg’s debate performance on Wednesday night? He’d have done far better if he hadn’t qualified for the debate, because then he could have just continued sitting back and using TV ads to win people over in sterile and safe fashion. Instead he had to go ruin it for himself by getting on stage and being an actual candidate, getting hit with actual questions about his record and his scandals and his failures, and suddenly Batman looked like, well, anything but a superhero.
Donald Trump couldn’t help but gloat: “Mini Mike Bloomberg’s debate performance tonight was perhaps the worst in the history of debates, and there have been some really bad ones. He was stumbling, bumbling and grossly incompetent. If this doesn’t knock him out of the race, nothing will. Not so easy to do what I did!”
That’s rich, coming from a guy who only won the Republican nomination because he was competing against people like Ben Carson, who wasn’t bright enough to go on stage when his name was called, and whatever Ted Cruz is supposed to be. Then Trump lost all three debates to Hillary, lost the election to her, and only took office through a complex combination of cheating and dumb luck that just happened to put him over the top in the weirdest way possible.
Trump shouldn’t be so quick to celebrate. Mike Bloomberg was always going to have to face the bright lights, and while no one was expecting him to wilt this badly, he was never going to be able to simply snatch the nomination from the shadows. If he wants to stay in this race he’ll have to do it like any other candidate in a crowded field: by scrapping it out, with good days and bad days alike, and the hope that there are more good days and bad days.
Mike Bloomberg’s real threat to Donald Trump continues to be this: Bloomberg clearly wants to take Trump down so badly, we’re starting to believe him when he says he’ll run massive TV ads in favor of any of these candidates if they become the Democratic nominee. If that’s the case, then it doesn’t really matter whether Bloomberg survives very long in the race or not.
Come to think of it, perhaps that’s the plan here. Mike Bloomberg clearly didn’t do much debate prep. He didn’t look like he wanted to be there. He doesn’t seem to be taking his candidacy nearly as seriously as his bandwagon supporters are taking it. Maybe he really is just “running” to get his name in the arena, so he can later take credit for having funded whoever knocks off Trump in the end. If Bloomberg truly doesn’t care whether he wins the nomination, it makes him far more dangerous to Trump. We’ll see.
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palmerreport--2020-02-20--Mike Bloomberg has a whole new problem

Mike Bloomberg has a whole new problem

Mike Bloomberg should have known he was going to asked tonight about the recent revelation that he has nondisclosure agreements in place with various women who apparently objected to his behavior .
Bloomberg ’ s response was almost shockingly tone-deaf , and Elizabeth Warren manage to back him into a corner where he was unwilling to even acknowledge how many such NDAs exist .
Because Bloomberg failed to give a response that anyone would consider adequate , the media is about to blow this up big .
We ’ ll see headlines in the next few days asking just how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and just how objectionable his behavior was .
Then , after a few days , we ’ ll probably start to see details leak out .
It ’ s possible that , as Bloomberg wants us to believe , these NDAs were a result of women filing complaints about what they considered to be minor infractions , and they simply wanted the behavior corrected , but didn ’ t want their names out in the public over it .
It ’ s also possible that these NDAs were a result of Bloomberg doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he had to pay them off , and he sought the NDAs as a way of protecting his reputation .
Some of the women involved may still not want their names out there , as is their right .
Among the women who want to come forward , Bloomberg will very likely be forced to release them from the NDAs .
This is a serious matter , and a potentially very serious scandal , considering the person involved is running for President of the United States .
The media should give this the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the real story behind Mike Bloomberg ’ s NDAs is brought to light .
But here ’ s hoping that in the process , the media finally begins giving the proper attention to Donald Trump ’ s own scandalous treatment of women , considering he is President of the United States .
It ’ s not a matter of being fair to one candidacy or the other .
It ’ s about being fair to the women involved .

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Mike Bloomberg should have known he was going to asked tonight about the recent revelation that he has nondisclosure agreements in place with various women who apparently objected to his behavior. Bloomberg’s response was almost shockingly tone-deaf, and Elizabeth Warren manage to back him into a corner where he was unwilling to even acknowledge how many such NDAs exist.
Because Bloomberg failed to give a response that anyone would consider adequate, the media is about to blow this up big. We’ll see headlines in the next few days asking just how many NDAs he has in place, and just how objectionable his behavior was. Then, after a few days, we’ll probably start to see details leak out.
It’s possible that, as Bloomberg wants us to believe, these NDAs were a result of women filing complaints about what they considered to be minor infractions, and they simply wanted the behavior corrected, but didn’t want their names out in the public over it. It’s also possible that these NDAs were a result of Bloomberg doing particularly egregious things to women, and he had to pay them off, and he sought the NDAs as a way of protecting his reputation. Some of the women involved may still not want their names out there, as is their right. Among the women who want to come forward, Bloomberg will very likely be forced to release them from the NDAs.
This is a serious matter, and a potentially very serious scandal, considering the person involved is running for President of the United States. The media should give this the attention and scrutiny it deserves, until the real story behind Mike Bloomberg’s NDAs is brought to light. But here’s hoping that in the process, the media finally begins giving the proper attention to Donald Trump’s own scandalous treatment of women, considering he is President of the United States. It’s not a matter of being fair to one candidacy or the other. It’s about being fair to the women involved.
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palmerreport--2020-02-20--Tonight’s Democratic primary debate: the biggest winners and losers

Tonight ’ s Democratic 2020 primary debate saw the fewest number of candidates on stage to date – just six – yet it resulted in the biggest fireworks .
So who was on fire ?
Who got burned ?
Who was left wishing they hadn ’ t been there ?
Let ’ s take a take a look at the multiple winners and multiple losers tonight : Winner : Elizabeth Warren .
She came out swinging hard at Mike Bloomberg right from the start , and ended up largely owning him .
She defended Klobuchar at a time when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren is a routinely strong debater .
This may not have been her best debate performance to date , but it was her most important performance .
She may have just put herself back in contention .
Loser : Mike Bloomberg .
Wow did he ever come off poorly .
He gave unsatisfactory answers to questions he should have known he would get , about topics like his tax returns and his nondisclosure agreements with an unknown number of women .
He ’ s going to face some really tough media coverage this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to satisfy anyone with the answers he gave tonight .
Sideways : Bernie Sanders .
Considering he ’ s refusing to release his medical records , and his national press secretary just went on CNN and falsely claimed that Bloomberg had a heart attack , Bernie got off easy tonight .
There was a ton for the other candidates to throw at Bernie tonight , and they only used about half of it .
Bernie probably got off easy , considering how poorly Bloomberg performed .
But after tonight , how many Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other candidates like Biden and Buttigieg ?
Sideways : Pete Buttigieg .
This was a surprise .
Buttigieg just won Iowa , and nearly won New Hampshire .
He ’ s in first place in the delegate count right now .
Yet he spent much of the debate arguing with Amy Klobuchar instead of focusing on Bloomberg and Bernie .
Pete needed a strong performance tonight heading into more diverse states where his footing is less certain .
It somehow didn ’ t happen .
Sideways : Amy Klobuchar .
She largely got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but again , it was a wasted opportunity .
As usual , she had some strong moments and put in a solid performance .
But this wasn ’ t quite what she needed .
Sideways : Joe Biden .
At times it felt like Biden wasn ’ t even there , as the moderators seemed to write off his candidacy .
When Biden did get to speak , he correctly reminded everyone that he played a major role in the Obama administration accomplishments that the other candidates keep trying to take credit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden wasn ’ t there .
The best news for him is that if people bail on Bloomberg after tonight , they could revert back to Biden in sizable numbers .

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Tonight’s Democratic 2020 primary debate saw the fewest number of candidates on stage to date – just six – yet it resulted in the biggest fireworks. So who was on fire? Who got burned? Who was left wishing they hadn’t been there? Let’s take a take a look at the multiple winners and multiple losers tonight:
Winner: Elizabeth Warren. She came out swinging hard at Mike Bloomberg right from the start, and ended up largely owning him. She defended Klobuchar at a time when it was the right thing to do. Warren is a routinely strong debater. This may not have been her best debate performance to date, but it was her most important performance. She may have just put herself back in contention.
Loser: Mike Bloomberg. Wow did he ever come off poorly. He gave unsatisfactory answers to questions he should have known he would get, about topics like his tax returns and his nondisclosure agreements with an unknown number of women. He’s going to face some really tough media coverage this week as a result of his inability to satisfy anyone with the answers he gave tonight.
Sideways: Bernie Sanders. Considering he’s refusing to release his medical records, and his national press secretary just went on CNN and falsely claimed that Bloomberg had a heart attack, Bernie got off easy tonight. There was a ton for the other candidates to throw at Bernie tonight, and they only used about half of it. Bernie probably got off easy, considering how poorly Bloomberg performed. But after tonight, how many Bloomberg bandwagoners are going to revert back to other candidates like Biden and Buttigieg?
Sideways: Pete Buttigieg. This was a surprise. Buttigieg just won Iowa, and nearly won New Hampshire. He’s in first place in the delegate count right now. Yet he spent much of the debate arguing with Amy Klobuchar instead of focusing on Bloomberg and Bernie. Pete needed a strong performance tonight heading into more diverse states where his footing is less certain. It somehow didn’t happen.
Sideways: Amy Klobuchar. She largely got the best of her feuding with Buttigieg, but again, it was a wasted opportunity. As usual, she had some strong moments and put in a solid performance. But this wasn’t quite what she needed.
Sideways: Joe Biden. At times it felt like Biden wasn’t even there, as the moderators seemed to write off his candidacy. When Biden did get to speak, he correctly reminded everyone that he played a major role in the Obama administration accomplishments that the other candidates keep trying to take credit for. But it was almost like Biden wasn’t there. The best news for him is that if people bail on Bloomberg after tonight, they could revert back to Biden in sizable numbers.
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palmerreport--2020-02-20--This can’t be the answer

This can’t be the answer

Thus far , tonight ’ s Democratic 2020 primary debate is contentious , spirited , and at times downright chaotic .
There ’ s a temptation to get lost in the details and the haze .
But the big picture is this : we ’ ve got four highly qualified and highly suitable candidates on stage , along with a billionaire who won ’ t release his taxes and a half dead guy who won ’ t release his medical records – and those last two guys are the ones in the lead ?
Wait a minute here .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve all pounded Donald Trump for refusing to release his tax returns and making ridiculous excuses for why he ’ s stalling .
We ’ ve rightly used it as a basis for concluding that he ’ s hiding things so ugly , they ’ re even uglier than the worst that anyone would assume .
We ’ ve also pounded Donald Trump for being in visibly poor health , even as he goes out his way to suppress his medical records , and asks us to merely take the word of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
Yet now we ’ ve got billionaire Mike Bloomberg giving ridiculous excuses for why he ’ s hiding his tax returns , and we ’ ve got recent heart attack victim Bernie Sanders giving ridiculous excuses for why he ’ s hiding his medical records .
How can the Democratic Party accept either one of these scenarios , when we ’ ve spent the past three years railing against Donald Trump for pulling the same horse crap ?
These two guys can ’ t be the answer for the Democrats .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of them would be infinitely better than Donald Trump .
But either of them would be far worse than any of the four real candidates on stage – Warren , Biden , Klobuchar , and Buttigieg – and shame on us if we don ’ t end up nominating one of the four .

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Thus far, tonight’s Democratic 2020 primary debate is contentious, spirited, and at times downright chaotic. There’s a temptation to get lost in the details and the haze. But the big picture is this: we’ve got four highly qualified and highly suitable candidates on stage, along with a billionaire who won’t release his taxes and a half dead guy who won’t release his medical records – and those last two guys are the ones in the lead? Wait a minute here. This can’t be right.
We’ve all pounded Donald Trump for refusing to release his tax returns and making ridiculous excuses for why he’s stalling. We’ve rightly used it as a basis for concluding that he’s hiding things so ugly, they’re even uglier than the worst that anyone would assume. We’ve also pounded Donald Trump for being in visibly poor health, even as he goes out his way to suppress his medical records, and asks us to merely take the word of some doctor who could be covering for him.
Yet now we’ve got billionaire Mike Bloomberg giving ridiculous excuses for why he’s hiding his tax returns, and we’ve got recent heart attack victim Bernie Sanders giving ridiculous excuses for why he’s hiding his medical records. How can the Democratic Party accept either one of these scenarios, when we’ve spent the past three years railing against Donald Trump for pulling the same horse crap?
These two guys can’t be the answer for the Democrats. They just can’t. Either one of them would be infinitely better than Donald Trump. But either of them would be far worse than any of the four real candidates on stage – Warren, Biden, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg – and shame on us if we don’t end up nominating one of the four.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Mike Bloomberg is wishing right now that he hadn’t qualified for this debate

When the news first broke that Mike Bloomberg had qualified for tonight ’ s debate by virtue of rising poll numbers , some observers complained that he ’ d merely bought his popularity with his massive TV ad budget .
But Palmer Report pointed out that Bloomberg might end up regretting having qualified , because it meant he would finally have to answer some uncomfortable questions about his candidacy and history , in front of a live national television audience .
Sure enough , this is going badly for him so far .
In fact , this is going almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t necessarily any “ good ” answer for him to give about his stop and frisk history ; all he can do is acknowledge that he got it wrong .
But was he not expecting to get questions about his failure to release his tax returns ?
His answer was so bad , it was almost Trump-like , and that doesn ’ t work on the Democratic side .
Bloomberg gave an even worse answer on his nondisclosure agreements with certain female employees .
Women voters can ( and will ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Bloomberg ’ s bizarrely tone-deaf answer will hurt him badly with them .
This is all before getting to the blow after blow that Elizabeth Warren keeps landing squarely on him .
It ’ s not clear if Mike Bloomberg is merely out of practice on the debate stage , or if he ’ s simply not accustomed to the much higher standards that Democratic candidates are held to , or if he ’ s just not good at this .
Either way , unless he turns things around in the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s going to end up with negative reaction from viewers tonight , and negative headlines in the morning .
It ’ s hard to imagine his poll numbers don ’ t drop after this – but we ’ ll see .

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When the news first broke that Mike Bloomberg had qualified for tonight’s debate by virtue of rising poll numbers, some observers complained that he’d merely bought his popularity with his massive TV ad budget. But Palmer Report pointed out that Bloomberg might end up regretting having qualified, because it meant he would finally have to answer some uncomfortable questions about his candidacy and history, in front of a live national television audience. Sure enough, this is going badly for him so far.
In fact, this is going almost startlingly badly for Mike Bloomberg. There isn’t necessarily any “good” answer for him to give about his stop and frisk history; all he can do is acknowledge that he got it wrong. But was he not expecting to get questions about his failure to release his tax returns? His answer was so bad, it was almost Trump-like, and that doesn’t work on the Democratic side.
Bloomberg gave an even worse answer on his nondisclosure agreements with certain female employees. Women voters can (and will) speak for themselves, but gut feeling says Bloomberg’s bizarrely tone-deaf answer will hurt him badly with them. This is all before getting to the blow after blow that Elizabeth Warren keeps landing squarely on him.
It’s not clear if Mike Bloomberg is merely out of practice on the debate stage, or if he’s simply not accustomed to the much higher standards that Democratic candidates are held to, or if he’s just not good at this. Either way, unless he turns things around in the second half of the debate, he’s going to end up with negative reaction from viewers tonight, and negative headlines in the morning. It’s hard to imagine his poll numbers don’t drop after this – but we’ll see.
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IMPEACH HIM AGAIN

The next impeachment cycle is upon us .
It ’ s being reported that Trump sent former Congressman Dana Rohrabacher to Julian Assange in order to promise a pardon in exchange for Assange keeping mum about Russia ’ s hack of the DNC .
While frontal lobe dementia melts Trump ’ s brain , Nancy Pelosi has remained silent .
Trump is going to prison when this is all over .
Pelosi knows this .
Part of the blessing and the curse of longevity is you know if you wait long enough , things will change .
Pelosi may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own damage without having to swim upstream with another impeachment heading to the corrupt Senate .
Trump ’ s numbers are pretty bad , in spite of all the handwringing .
The more that comes out every day , the more damage this will do to him .
Pelosi knows this .
But if things appear so egregious – and we ’ re talking about Trump here which is a very high standard of egregiousness – Pelosi will impeach him again .
There is the problem that Trump will shake it off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing is becoming clearer .
If Rohrabacher was acting on Trump ’ s behalf for Russia , if Kevin McCarthy was right in that secretly recorded conversation with Paul Ryan about who Putin pays , we think the rest of the Senate needs to have their finances and deals put under the microscope .
It ’ s one thing to speculate about Putin ’ s deep pockets and interference .
Now it ’ s time for a true investigation of the entire Republican Party .
They are in dire need of a forensic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thorough than Pelosi .

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The next impeachment cycle is upon us. It’s being reported that Trump sent former Congressman Dana Rohrabacher to Julian Assange in order to promise a pardon in exchange for Assange keeping mum about Russia’s hack of the DNC. While frontal lobe dementia melts Trump’s brain, Nancy Pelosi has remained silent.
Trump is going to prison when this is all over. Pelosi knows this. Part of the blessing and the curse of longevity is you know if you wait long enough, things will change. Pelosi may be waiting it out, letting Trump do his own damage without having to swim upstream with another impeachment heading to the corrupt Senate. Trump’s numbers are pretty bad, in spite of all the handwringing. The more that comes out every day, the more damage this will do to him. Pelosi knows this.
But if things appear so egregious – and we’re talking about Trump here which is a very high standard of egregiousness – Pelosi will impeach him again. There is the problem that Trump will shake it off in the Senate again, but one thing is becoming clearer. If Rohrabacher was acting on Trump’s behalf for Russia, if Kevin McCarthy was right in that secretly recorded conversation with Paul Ryan about who Putin pays, we think the rest of the Senate needs to have their finances and deals put under the microscope.
It’s one thing to speculate about Putin’s deep pockets and interference. Now it’s time for a true investigation of the entire Republican Party. They are in dire need of a forensic colonoscopy and no one will be more thorough than Pelosi.
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palmerreport--2020-02-20--Donald Trump’s pardon head-fake just backfired spectacularly

For years , numerous TV pundits have been trying to convince us all that any moment now , Donald Trump is going to pardon all of his co-conspirators and then somehow use this as a springboard for magically getting reelected .
Of course these pundits have been wrong for three years running , because Trump still has yet to pardon any of his co-conspirators .
Along the way , the media has uncovered scattered evidence that Donald Trump has dangled pardons at people like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn .
But these pardons clearly never happened , and thus Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he ’ d set them free if they remained loyal to him .
Some of these folks are still naively sticking with Trump .
But it turns out Julian Assange , who was also falsely promised a pardon in return for silence , is calling Trump ’ s bluff .
Did Trump really think that after he pardoned his rich buddies yesterday , and didn ’ t pardon his own co-conspirators as promised , none of them were going to catch on ?
It ’ s not just that Trump has yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thanks to Assange opening his mouth .
It ’ s that Trump ’ s other co-conspirators are surely hearing what Assange is saying , and wondering what happened to their own promised pardons .
Trump ’ s shell games have always had a shelf life – and now that his pardon con game is coming back to bite him , he can ’ t simply declare bankruptcy on it .
If you ’ re a Palmer Report reader , you know that pardons aren ’ t magic wands , at least as they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump never has pardoned the people who have committed crimes on his behalf , because it would set off a legal battle over the scope of pardon power , and it could result in Trump getting blocked from being able to pardon himself and his kids on his way out the door .
Many of Trump ’ s co-conspirators would go to prison on state charges anyway .
The ones who don ’ t face state charges will therefore have no criminal liability , and therefore no Fifth Amendment protections , and will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at his criminal trial after he loses the election .
Pardons simply do not work the way they ’ re being described on television .

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For years, numerous TV pundits have been trying to convince us all that any moment now, Donald Trump is going to pardon all of his co-conspirators and then somehow use this as a springboard for magically getting reelected. Of course these pundits have been wrong for three years running, because Trump still has yet to pardon any of his co-conspirators.
Along the way, the media has uncovered scattered evidence that Donald Trump has dangled pardons at people like Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn. But these pardons clearly never happened, and thus Trump was merely trying to create the illusion that he’d set them free if they remained loyal to him. Some of these folks are still naively sticking with Trump. But it turns out Julian Assange, who was also falsely promised a pardon in return for silence, is calling Trump’s bluff.
Did Trump really think that after he pardoned his rich buddies yesterday, and didn’t pardon his own co-conspirators as promised, none of them were going to catch on? It’s not just that Trump has yet another scandal on his hands today, thanks to Assange opening his mouth. It’s that Trump’s other co-conspirators are surely hearing what Assange is saying, and wondering what happened to their own promised pardons. Trump’s shell games have always had a shelf life – and now that his pardon con game is coming back to bite him, he can’t simply declare bankruptcy on it.
If you’re a Palmer Report reader, you know that pardons aren’t magic wands, at least as they apply to your own co-conspirators. Donald Trump never has pardoned the people who have committed crimes on his behalf, because it would set off a legal battle over the scope of pardon power, and it could result in Trump getting blocked from being able to pardon himself and his kids on his way out the door. Many of Trump’s co-conspirators would go to prison on state charges anyway. The ones who don’t face state charges will therefore have no criminal liability, and therefore no Fifth Amendment protections, and will thus be required to testify against Trump at his criminal trial after he loses the election. Pardons simply do not work the way they’re being described on television.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Donald Trump’s GOP Senate stooge Martha McSally goes into a complete tailspin

Donald Trump entirely owes his getting off the hook to Senate Republicans who decided their own re-election was more important than the actual rule of law .
The problem for them is that he ’ ll never , ever see it that way .
While Mitch McConnell was smart enough to dangle rewards in front of vulnerable Republicans so they ’ d vote to acquit , Donald Trump doesn ’ t care so much about helping them out .
He ’ s got his own dim re-election prospects to think about first .
Obviously , Trump ’ s money pit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defense spending .
Despite McSally ’ s constant vows to protect military funding for Arizona , the Trump administration has managed to seize $ 30 million allocated for the state ’ s Fort Huachaca .
McSally promised to get the money back , yet voted three times in 2019 to let Donald Trump take it .
The funds have yet to be restored .
Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona considers saving the A-10 fighter jet to be her greatest accomplishment in Congress .
As an Air Force pilot , she once flew them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she protected their funding at a time when the Obama administration was seeking to retire the A-10 .
Now the Trump administration is planning to retire the plane yet again , in an effort to fund his racist border wall .
Desperate to sound like someone doing the right thing , McSally is vowing to fight it – even if it ’ s only quietly , through a written statement .
While she continues to rationalize her vote to acquit Trump , McSally is in a similar dilemma as other Senate Republicans : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t a complete Trump lackey and also secure funding for her state ?

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Donald Trump entirely owes his getting off the hook to Senate Republicans who decided their own re-election was more important than the actual rule of law. The problem for them is that he’ll never, ever see it that way. While Mitch McConnell was smart enough to dangle rewards in front of vulnerable Republicans so they’d vote to acquit, Donald Trump doesn’t care so much about helping them out. He’s got his own dim re-election prospects to think about first.
Obviously, Trump’s money pit of a wall is a priority over defense spending. Despite McSally’s constant vows to protect military funding for Arizona, the Trump administration has managed to seize $30 million allocated for the state’s Fort Huachaca. McSally promised to get the money back, yet voted three times in 2019 to let Donald Trump take it. The funds have yet to be restored.
Sen. Martha McSally of Arizona considers saving the A-10 fighter jet to be her greatest accomplishment in Congress. As an Air Force pilot, she once flew them and bragged during a Congressional race that she protected their funding at a time when the Obama administration was seeking to retire the A-10. Now the Trump administration is planning to retire the plane yet again, in an effort to fund his racist border wall.
Desperate to sound like someone doing the right thing, McSally is vowing to fight it – even if it’s only quietly, through a written statement. While she continues to rationalize her vote to acquit Trump, McSally is in a similar dilemma as other Senate Republicans: How does she prove she isn’t a complete Trump lackey and also secure funding for her state?
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--Can we just have a woman president already?

So !
How about those three old white guys pushing 80 , huh ?
We have two models 1942 and one model 1941 !
Say what you will about it , at least they keep most ( but not all ) of the “ she ’ s too old ” comments away from Elizabeth Warren , age 70 .
Yes , we ’ d be hearing that and almost nothing but that about Ms. Warren were it not for the late septuagenarian set of Biden , Bloomberg and Sanders , despite the fact that women have a funny habit of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quite a few years .
Don ’ t believe me ?
Just ask John McCain ’ s mother , Roberta Wright McCain .
That ’ s right , she ’ s still alive .
She just turned 108 on February 7th .
She was born two months before the Titanic sank , before anyone had ever heard of World War II , let alone World War I .
Think of that !
But let ’ s be honest .
We ’ re just not as progressive as we think we are .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ we already tried a woman and it didn ’ t work , ” as if “ trying a woman ” represented some brag-worthy act of rare courage .
Never mind that , apart from Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton won more popular votes than any human in presidential candidacy history .
Never mind that Clinton outpolled Donald Trump by nearly three million votes .
Never mind that Republicans had to fight the filthiest , cheatingest , lyingest campaign of all time to beat her .
We tried it , it didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to the middle-1970s-Charles-Palantine-whitebread-male-standard look-alikes .
Only older this time .
I hate to sound like a traitor to my kind ( in Harrington-speak that ’ s irony for , “ no I don ’ t ” ) but I am heartily fed to the teeth with old white guys .
I ’ m positively sick to death of seeing them on TV dominating everything , mansplaining everything , desperately waiting for the woman in the room to shut up so they can “ set the record straight.
” I ’ m tired @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m going to say a naughty word so parents , ask your children to leave the room ) fuck everything up .
I ’ ve really had it with the old , angry white guys .
I really have .
I ’ ve had it with their shameful history of misogyny too .
Biden ’ s grabby hands and despicable mistreatment of Anita Hill , Bloomberg ’ s years of profane , sexist comments , Bernie ’ s promotion of the rape-fantasy myth .
And while I know that of the three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the offenders , I blame him doubly anyway because without him we ’ d be talking about our Madame President , and not the ( parents , out with the kids again ) misbegotten asshole we wound up with .
So here comes the disclaimer : I would crawl over broken glass to vote for any one of them if any one of them becomes the Democratic candidate .
That doesn ’ t necessarily mean I like them or endorse them .
That means that anyone , including a ham and cheese sandwich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But , as some people keep so patronizingly pointing out to me , this is the primary season and not the election , so this is when we endorse .
And I endorse Elizabeth Warren first and Amy Klobuchar second .
Why ?
Because they ’ re tough , brilliant winners , that ’ s why .
Because neither have ever lost an election .
Because they can think on their feet .
( Warren ’ s “ I already have a dog ” retort to the man who asked her who her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the classic comebacks of all time . )
Because they will survive two terms with their faculties intact .
Because they will lead America in new ways and steer her out of this sink of corruption she has sunk into .
Because they are , both of them , presidential , and we need that just now to reclaim the global reputation that has been so thoroughly squandered by Donald Trump .
And because they ’ re women , and as women they will mobilize that 51 % majority of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and they will defeat Donald Trump .
As a people we demonstrated in 2008 that we are smart enough to see past the irrelevance of skin pigmentation .
Are we smart enough to understand that two X chromosomes are every bit as capable as one X and one Y ?
I think so .
I hope so .
In case you ’ re wondering where I get all this optimism about the power of women from , let me bring a couple of facts of recent history to your attention .
Remember the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restored the House of Representatives to the people ?
Where would that have wound up without women ?
Nowhere , that ’ s where .
Remember AOC , and how everyone was saying that she couldn ’ t win ?
She did .
Recall when not so long ago many of you , who are now singing the eternal praises of Nancy Pelosi , were condemning her for not immediately impeaching Donald Trump ?
Do you at last understand how , every step of the way , she ’ s managed to outsmart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she snatched the focus of the State of the Union address away from Donald Trump ?
That ’ s why .
Because there is no inherent weakness in women .
The incidental biological fact of their possession of slightly inferior upper body strength may have had evolutionary relevance when Neanderthals were competing with Homo sapiens for species dominance , but it is completely irrelevant today .
The best of what we have to offer right now in order to defeat Donald Trump are Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar .
But whoever we ultimately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We must .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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So! How about those three old white guys pushing 80, huh? We have two models 1942 and one model 1941! Say what you will about it, at least they keep most (but not all) of the “she’s too old” comments away from Elizabeth Warren, age 70. Yes, we’d be hearing that and almost nothing but that about Ms. Warren were it not for the late septuagenarian set of Biden, Bloomberg and Sanders, despite the fact that women have a funny habit of outliving men both mentally and physically by quite a few years. Don’t believe me? Just ask John McCain’s mother, Roberta Wright McCain. That’s right, she’s still alive. She just turned 108 on February 7th. She was born two months before the Titanic sank, before anyone had ever heard of World War II, let alone World War I. Think of that!
But let’s be honest. We’re just not as progressive as we think we are. The attitude of many of us is, “we already tried a woman and it didn’t work,” as if “trying a woman” represented some brag-worthy act of rare courage. Never mind that, apart from Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton won more popular votes than any human in presidential candidacy history. Never mind that Clinton outpolled Donald Trump by nearly three million votes. Never mind that Republicans had to fight the filthiest, cheatingest, lyingest campaign of all time to beat her. We tried it, it didn’t work, so it’s back to the middle-1970s-Charles-Palantine-whitebread-male-standard look-alikes. Only older this time.
I hate to sound like a traitor to my kind (in Harrington-speak that’s irony for, “no I don’t”) but I am heartily fed to the teeth with old white guys. I’m positively sick to death of seeing them on TV dominating everything, mansplaining everything, desperately waiting for the woman in the room to shut up so they can “set the record straight.” I’m tired of watching them (and here I’m going to say a naughty word so parents, ask your children to leave the room) fuck everything up. I’ve really had it with the old, angry white guys. I really have.
I’ve had it with their shameful history of misogyny too. Biden’s grabby hands and despicable mistreatment of Anita Hill, Bloomberg’s years of profane, sexist comments, Bernie’s promotion of the rape-fantasy myth. And while I know that of the three of them Bernie is the least of the offenders, I blame him doubly anyway because without him we’d be talking about our Madame President, and not the (parents, out with the kids again) misbegotten asshole we wound up with.
So here comes the disclaimer: I would crawl over broken glass to vote for any one of them if any one of them becomes the Democratic candidate. That doesn’t necessarily mean I like them or endorse them. That means that anyone, including a ham and cheese sandwich, is better than Donald Trump.
But, as some people keep so patronizingly pointing out to me, this is the primary season and not the election, so this is when we endorse. And I endorse Elizabeth Warren first and Amy Klobuchar second.
Why? Because they’re tough, brilliant winners, that’s why. Because neither have ever lost an election. Because they can think on their feet. (Warren’s “I already have a dog” retort to the man who asked her who her “Mike Pence” will be was one of the classic comebacks of all time.) Because they will survive two terms with their faculties intact. Because they will lead America in new ways and steer her out of this sink of corruption she has sunk into. Because they are, both of them, presidential, and we need that just now to reclaim the global reputation that has been so thoroughly squandered by Donald Trump. And because they’re women, and as women they will mobilize that 51% majority of the population like no one else can, and they will defeat Donald Trump.
As a people we demonstrated in 2008 that we are smart enough to see past the irrelevance of skin pigmentation. Are we smart enough to understand that two X chromosomes are every bit as capable as one X and one Y? I think so. I hope so.
In case you’re wondering where I get all this optimism about the power of women from, let me bring a couple of facts of recent history to your attention. Remember the “Blue Wave” of 2018 that restored the House of Representatives to the people? Where would that have wound up without women? Nowhere, that’s where. Remember AOC, and how everyone was saying that she couldn’t win? She did. Recall when not so long ago many of you, who are now singing the eternal praises of Nancy Pelosi, were condemning her for not immediately impeaching Donald Trump? Do you at last understand how, every step of the way, she’s managed to outsmart everyone, as easily and skillfully as she snatched the focus of the State of the Union address away from Donald Trump? That’s why.
Because there is no inherent weakness in women. The incidental biological fact of their possession of slightly inferior upper body strength may have had evolutionary relevance when Neanderthals were competing with Homo sapiens for species dominance, but it is completely irrelevant today. The best of what we have to offer right now in order to defeat Donald Trump are Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. But whoever we ultimately choose, we simply must defeat Trump. We must.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--What the heck is going on with Donald Trump’s Twitter account?

Considering all the corrupt , illegal , anti-American , and in many cases simply incoherent things that Donald Trump is doing right now , his tweets should perhaps be the last of our worries .
But yesterday something took place on his Twitter account which points to the possibility of even more chaos going on behind the scenes in Team Trump .
Yesterday at 1:31pm eastern time , Donald Trump tweeted a phony poll claiming his approval rating is at 50 % .
Then he added : “ …And this despite Fake Witch Hunts , the Mueller Scam , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Jobs , Military , Vets , 2A & more , I would be at 70 % .
Oh well , what can you do ?
” Then he deleted it .
Then at 4:08pm , he tweeted the exact same thing .
There were no typos or changes ; he just deleted it and tweeted it again .
Then he deleted that tweet , and at 5:37pm he tweeted the exact same thing a third time .
Somewhere in there he also tweeted an offensive doctored video of Mike Bloomberg , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again .
For all of Donald Trump ’ s Twitter failings , this is a whole new trend for him .
What ’ s remarkable is that in order to delete a lengthy tweet and replace it with the exact same thing , you can ’ t do it from memory ; you need to be copy-pasting the text from somewhere .
Does anyone believe that Trump knows how to copy-paste text on his phone ?
This suggests that Trump isn ’ t the one posting and deleting these duplicate tweets .
Instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ghost tweeting for him .
More specifically , it points to more than one of his handlers being involved , and getting confused about who ’ s supposed to post which pre-written tweet when , and then perhaps even deleting each other ’ s duplicate tweets out of spite or something .
How many people are running Trump ’ s Twitter account , and why are they not on the same page ?
This points to some real chaos in what ’ s left of Trump ’ s inner circle , at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of control when it comes to the more meaningful stuff as well .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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Considering all the corrupt, illegal, anti-American, and in many cases simply incoherent things that Donald Trump is doing right now, his tweets should perhaps be the last of our worries. But yesterday something took place on his Twitter account which points to the possibility of even more chaos going on behind the scenes in Team Trump.
Yesterday at 1:31pm eastern time, Donald Trump tweeted a phony poll claiming his approval rating is at 50%. Then he added: “…And this despite Fake Witch Hunts, the Mueller Scam, the Impeachment Hoax etc. With our Economy, Jobs, Military, Vets, 2A & more, I would be at 70%. Oh well, what can you do?”
Then he deleted it. Then at 4:08pm, he tweeted the exact same thing. There were no typos or changes; he just deleted it and tweeted it again. Then he deleted that tweet, and at 5:37pm he tweeted the exact same thing a third time. Somewhere in there he also tweeted an offensive doctored video of Mike Bloomberg, then deleted it, and then tweeted it again.
For all of Donald Trump’s Twitter failings, this is a whole new trend for him. What’s remarkable is that in order to delete a lengthy tweet and replace it with the exact same thing, you can’t do it from memory; you need to be copy-pasting the text from somewhere. Does anyone believe that Trump knows how to copy-paste text on his phone?
This suggests that Trump isn’t the one posting and deleting these duplicate tweets. Instead it points to one of his handlers ghost tweeting for him. More specifically, it points to more than one of his handlers being involved, and getting confused about who’s supposed to post which pre-written tweet when, and then perhaps even deleting each other’s duplicate tweets out of spite or something. How many people are running Trump’s Twitter account, and why are they not on the same page? This points to some real chaos in what’s left of Trump’s inner circle, at a time when he’s spiraling out of control when it comes to the more meaningful stuff as well.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--Bernie Sanders and his campaign pull ridiculous “birtherism” stunt – and it blows up in their face

The Bernie Sanders movement is supposed to be about progressive ideals .
So why did Bernie hire a bunch of liars and trolls as senior advisers to his 2020 campaign ?
He doesn ’ t appear to believe he can win the nomination unless he fights as dirty as possible .
This all came to a head today when Bernie ’ s 2020 National Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray appeared on CNN and made a number of false and absurd claims that were almost Trump-ian in nature .
To be as clear as possible , Gray isn ’ t just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she works for him .
She ’ s one of the highest ranking employees in the Bernie 2020 campaign .
In fact , in her role as Press Secretary , she officially speaks for Bernie .
This morning she tried to distract from Bernie ’ s recent heart attack , and his refusal to release detailed medical records , by falsely claiming on CNN today that Mike Bloomberg had a heart attack .
Then things got even uglier .
Bloomberg has had a heart operation in the past , but certainly no heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter that she misspoke .
The trouble is that it wasn ’ t even the most asinine thing she said during her interview .
Gray claimed on air that Bernie is the victim of “ birtherism ” because people are demanding to see his medical records .
If you ’ ve forgotten , birtherism refers to demands to see Barack Obama ’ s birth certificate .
Not surprisingly , this remark didn ’ t go over particularly well : Bernie ’ s campaign needs to learn the difference between asking for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who had a heart attack a few weeks ago… …and the racist birtherism campaign championed by white supremacists like Trump to delegitimize the presidency of a Black man .
Wayment , did ol ’ girl just try to equate asking for the release of the medical records of a candidate who just had a heart attack with the racial smear of # BIRTHERISM ?
👀 Is Bernie Sanders going to fire these embarrassing campaign advisers and try to steer his campaign back toward progressive ideals ?
Or has Bernie permanently chosen his own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his supporters ?

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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The Bernie Sanders movement is supposed to be about progressive ideals. So why did Bernie hire a bunch of liars and trolls as senior advisers to his 2020 campaign? He doesn’t appear to believe he can win the nomination unless he fights as dirty as possible. This all came to a head today when Bernie’s 2020 National Press Secretary Briahna Joy Gray appeared on CNN and made a number of false and absurd claims that were almost Trump-ian in nature.
To be as clear as possible, Gray isn’t just some Bernie Sanders surrogate or supporter – she works for him. She’s one of the highest ranking employees in the Bernie 2020 campaign. In fact, in her role as Press Secretary, she officially speaks for Bernie. This morning she tried to distract from Bernie’s recent heart attack, and his refusal to release detailed medical records, by falsely claiming on CNN today that Mike Bloomberg had a heart attack. Then things got even uglier.
Bloomberg has had a heart operation in the past, but certainly no heart attack. After pushback, Gray claimed on Twitter that she misspoke. The trouble is that it wasn’t even the most asinine thing she said during her interview. Gray claimed on air that Bernie is the victim of “birtherism” because people are demanding to see his medical records. If you’ve forgotten, birtherism refers to demands to see Barack Obama’s birth certificate. Not surprisingly, this remark didn’t go over particularly well:
Senator Sanders not releasing his health records as promised is problematic. But the campaign's national press secretary alleging another candidate also had a heart attack and saying reasonable questions given his age & ACTUAL heart attack ="birtherism" is just way off the rails. https://t.co/0bpI8SJUg8 — Mkay (@JoyAnnReid) February 19, 2020
Birtherism was a racist attack on America's first black President. It was launched to undermine his ability to govern because he was black. Seeking medical records is for all of us to decide whether Sanders is physically fit to be President. You ought to be ashamed of yourself https://t.co/AiENq0UKV3 — Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) February 19, 2020
Bernie’s campaign needs to learn the difference between asking for the medical records of a dude nearly 80 who had a heart attack a few weeks ago… …and the racist birtherism campaign championed by white supremacists like Trump to delegitimize the presidency of a Black man. — Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) February 19, 2020
Even if I could get past lying about Bloomberg’s health, I honestly cannot believe that @briebriejoy just compared birtherism to questions about a man’s health who had a heart attack within the last five months. https://t.co/QeBEWBieAW — Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) February 19, 2020
Wayment, did ol’ girl just try to equate asking for the release of the medical records of a candidate who just had a heart attack with the racial smear of #BIRTHERISM? 👀 We doing that now? Woo, child…#ThisAintIt I PROMISE, this ain’t it. https://t.co/QdW7shZOSn — yvette nicole brown (@YNB) February 19, 2020
Is Bernie Sanders going to fire these embarrassing campaign advisers and try to steer his campaign back toward progressive ideals? Or has Bernie permanently chosen his own ego and ambition over the ideals of his supporters?
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.