palmerreport--2020-02-07--Donald Trump is chasing his tail

Donald Trump is chasing his tail

Donald Trump wasn ’ t flexing any newfound muscles during the National Prayer Breakfast .
He was merely showing that @ @ @ @ @ new up his sleeve .
If he wants to spend the next nine months chasing @ @ @ @ @ Romney and Pelosi and Comey , instead of focusing on expanding his way-too-small support base @ @ @ @ @ gift to us .
All we have to do is work hard and work smart @ @ @ @ @ around , and we ’ ll defeat him in November .
I posted this premise @ @ @ @ @ out quite a number of Palmer Report readers agree : '' All we have to @ @ @ @ @ work smart while he ’ s screwing around , and we win . ''
– @ @ @ @ @ thinking of which 4 people to bring to the polls on Nov. 3rd .

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Donald Trump wasn’t flexing any newfound muscles during the National Prayer Breakfast. He was merely showing that he’s got nothing new up his sleeve. If he wants to spend the next nine months chasing his tail by ranting about Romney and Pelosi and Comey, instead of focusing on expanding his way-too-small support base, that’s a gift to us.
All we have to do is work hard and work smart while he’s screwing around, and we’ll defeat him in November. I posted this premise yesterday, and it turns out quite a number of Palmer Report readers agree:
"All we have to do is work hard and work smart while he’s screwing around, and we win." – Absolutely true. And start thinking of which 4 people to bring to the polls on Nov. 3rd. — ModerateVoters.org – Gary A. Butts, Founder (@ModerateVoters) February 6, 2020
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palmerreport--2020-02-07--Nancy Pelosi drops the hammer

Nancy Pelosi drops the hammer

I don ’ t know about you but I ’ m getting a little tired of the do-nothing Republicans .
There is no sane reason for Liddle ’ ( whatever that means ) Mitch McConnell to sit on HR3 ( the House bill to lower the cost of prescription drugs ) , particularly after Cryin ’ Donald Trump boasted during the farce known as his State of the Union Address that he would sign any such bill that crossed his desk .
The previous paragraph was brought to you by what Republicans must mean when they refer to a “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this dignified response that has been violated by Nancy Pelosi , so they claim , when she tore her copy of the SOTU in half .
Pelosi herself was asked if she thought that she stepped on her own message to her fellow House Democrats to take the high road when she tore up the speech .
“ No I did not , ” Pelosi responded , “ I tore up a manifesto of mistruths.
” What is more , she didn ’ t tear it up because Trump refused to shake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the speech , as is the time-honored tradition in this solemn occasion .
She tore it up because of “ HR3 , infrastructure and the rest , he misrepresented all of that .
[ So ] it was necessary to get the attention of the American people and say , ‘ This is not true .
This is how it affects you.
’ And I don ’ t need any lessons from anybody – especially the president of the United States – about dignity.
” And so she does not .
Long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gave Trump ’ s State of the Union good odds that it would be full of lies .
The only question was how many .
The average turned out to be one lie every two minutes , that is , about forty .
Pelosi ’ s response , to quietly tear the speech in half , was a gesture of magnificent defiance .
It was Alexander ’ s sword cutting the Gordian knot .
It was a Boston Tea Party of gestures .
It was Rosa Parks refusing to relinquish her seat at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was exactly what Donald Trump and the Republicans deserve after their long and shameful legacy of deceit and hypocrisy .
Let ’ s never forget that Donald Trump is a sexual predator , a child rapist and a child jailer , he steals money from charities devoted to helping children who are dying of cancer , he recently bullied a 17 year old girl on Twitter .
Donald Trump is human scum , and not all the ceremony , pomp or solemn occasion draped in American flags will ever change that .

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I don’t know about you but I’m getting a little tired of the do-nothing Republicans. There is no sane reason for Liddle’ (whatever that means) Mitch McConnell to sit on HR3 (the House bill to lower the cost of prescription drugs), particularly after Cryin’ Donald Trump boasted during the farce known as his State of the Union Address that he would sign any such bill that crossed his desk.
The previous paragraph was brought to you by what Republicans must mean when they refer to a “dignified response.” It is the spirit of this dignified response that has been violated by Nancy Pelosi, so they claim, when she tore her copy of the SOTU in half.
Pelosi herself was asked if she thought that she stepped on her own message to her fellow House Democrats to take the high road when she tore up the speech. “No I did not,” Pelosi responded, “I tore up a manifesto of mistruths.”
What is more, she didn’t tear it up because Trump refused to shake her hand after handing her a copy of the speech, as is the time-honored tradition in this solemn occasion. She tore it up because of “HR3, infrastructure and the rest, he misrepresented all of that. [So] it was necessary to get the attention of the American people and say, ‘This is not true. This is how it affects you.’ And I don’t need any lessons from anybody – especially the president of the United States – about dignity.”
And so she does not. Long in advance of the speech, bookies gave Trump’s State of the Union good odds that it would be full of lies. The only question was how many. The average turned out to be one lie every two minutes, that is, about forty.
Pelosi’s response, to quietly tear the speech in half, was a gesture of magnificent defiance. It was Alexander’s sword cutting the Gordian knot. It was a Boston Tea Party of gestures. It was Rosa Parks refusing to relinquish her seat at the front of the bus. And it was exactly what Donald Trump and the Republicans deserve after their long and shameful legacy of deceit and hypocrisy.
Let’s never forget that Donald Trump is a sexual predator, a child rapist and a child jailer, he steals money from charities devoted to helping children who are dying of cancer, he recently bullied a 17 year old girl on Twitter. Donald Trump is human scum, and not all the ceremony, pomp or solemn occasion draped in American flags will ever change that.
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palmerreport--2020-02-07--What’s really going on with Joe Biden

What’s really going on with Joe Biden

Most people won ’ t want to believe this – even some dejected Biden fans – but it ’ s true .
Iowa isn ’ t demographically representative .
If Joe Biden remains atop the national polling averages in the primary race , he remains the frontrunner .
If he dominates South Carolina , he ’ s probably the nominee .
Bill Clinton got just 3 % of the vote in the Iowa caucus .
Three percent !
He did fairly poorly in New Hampshire as well .
He went on to win the nomination anyway .
The media painted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In reality it was simply because Iowa doesn ’ t tell us much about how the rest of the states are going to vote .
Why is South Carolina informative ?
Black voter turnout in the state is indicative of black voter turnout on Super Tuesday , which is where the nominee is chosen .
South Carolina is also roughly indicative of eventual black voter turnout in swing states in the general election .
Pete Buttigieg massively outperformed his poll numbers in Iowa .
Will that also be the case in South Carolina @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a fluke of the wacky and semi-random nature of caucus results ?
We ’ ll see .
But Joe Biden isn ’ t actually “ in trouble ” unless he loses his lead in the national polling averages , or he does poorly in South Carolina .

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Most people won’t want to believe this – even some dejected Biden fans – but it’s true. Iowa isn’t demographically representative. If Joe Biden remains atop the national polling averages in the primary race, he remains the frontrunner. If he dominates South Carolina, he’s probably the nominee.
Bill Clinton got just 3% of the vote in the Iowa caucus. Three percent! He did fairly poorly in New Hampshire as well. He went on to win the nomination anyway. The media painted it as an improbable “comeback.” In reality it was simply because Iowa doesn’t tell us much about how the rest of the states are going to vote.
Why is South Carolina informative? Black voter turnout in the state is indicative of black voter turnout on Super Tuesday, which is where the nominee is chosen. South Carolina is also roughly indicative of eventual black voter turnout in swing states in the general election.
Pete Buttigieg massively outperformed his poll numbers in Iowa. Will that also be the case in South Carolina? Or was the Iowa thing more of a fluke of the wacky and semi-random nature of caucus results? We’ll see. But Joe Biden isn’t actually “in trouble” unless he loses his lead in the national polling averages, or he does poorly in South Carolina.
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palmerreport--2020-02-07--Donald Trump doubled down on Lou Dobbs and it immediately blew up in his face

If there ’ s one guy on television who shouldn ’ t be on television , it just might be Lou Dobbs .
He used to be on CNN , but then he kept saying racist things about immigrants , and so now he ’ s on Fox News .
Naturally , Dobbs loves Donald Trump , and Trump loves Dobbs .
It ’ s the perfect match made in hell .
For some reason , Trump has decided that Dobbs is now some kind of spokesperson for black people .
Suffice it to say that no one is particularly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rather quickly destroyed Donald Trump accordingly : Hey look at unemployment statistics since you claim how much you ’ ve done for unemployment for African Americans .
Under President Obama , the rate dropped from 16.8 % to 7.5 % ( -9.3 % ) Under Trump , 7.5 % to 5.9 % ( -1.6 % and its now increasing ) pic.twitter.com/LdH0ZiaffB As a reminder , Lou Dobbs blocked Palmer Report on Twitter a long time ago .
He never said why , but it ’ s probably not that hard to figure out @

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If there’s one guy on television who shouldn’t be on television, it just might be Lou Dobbs. He used to be on CNN, but then he kept saying racist things about immigrants, and so now he’s on Fox News. Naturally, Dobbs loves Donald Trump, and Trump loves Dobbs. It’s the perfect match made in hell. For some reason, Trump has decided that Dobbs is now some kind of spokesperson for black people.
“This President has done more for African Americans in this Country than any President since Lincoln.” @LouDobbs — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 7, 2020
Suffice it to say that no one is particularly impressed with this premise. The internet rather quickly destroyed Donald Trump accordingly:
Geezus H…. You two are the LAST things who could comment on the lives of African Americans. — Cheryl 💕🐶 #RIP Murray (@cabarkk) February 7, 2020
Hey look at unemployment statistics since you claim how much you’ve done for unemployment for African Americans. Under President Obama, the rate dropped from 16.8% to 7.5% ( -9.3%) Under Trump, 7.5% to 5.9%
(-1.6% and its now increasing) pic.twitter.com/LdH0ZiaffB — Kenny Vedegas (@KVedegas) February 7, 2020
As a reminder, Lou Dobbs blocked Palmer Report on Twitter a long time ago. He never said why, but it’s probably not that hard to figure out.
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palmerreport--2020-02-07--The Iowa caucus is even more of a disaster than we thought

Bernie Sanders has announced that he ’ s won Iowa , even though – with 100 % of the precincts reporting – Pete Buttigieg is in first place .
The trouble is that , in addition to everything that specifically went wrong with this year ’ s Iowa caucus , the format itself is so Byzantine that different people can point to the same results and each make a potentially valid claim that they ’ re the real winner .
The Iowa caucus has attendees at each site initially pick a candidate , and then after the candidates who don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thrown out , the supporters of those non-viable candidates can choose to pick a different candidate .
So you have the first alignment , and the second alignment , and then a formula to calculate “ delegate equivalents ” that ’ s so complicated it ’ s only understood by eight mathematicians somewhere in an underground bunker .
The actual official winner is whoever ends up with the most delegate equivalents in the end .
But it leaves the door open for any candidate to point to the initial alignment numbers and claim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even though the second alignment acts as a form of casting a second-place vote , and that counts for something too .
The whole thing is just a mess , and it would have been a mess even if a crappy mobile app hadn ’ t malfunctioned .
The Iowa caucus is the equivalent of asking presidential candidates to run through a cornfield while blindfolded , then deciding the winner based on which candidate ’ s maze-running style is the most appealing to a relative handful of rural white people who didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The problem isn ’ t that the Iowa caucus is non-diverse , and has a bizarre format , and tells us little about who will be the nominee .
The problem is the media tries to convince us that the random results of this Iowa gymnasium food fight are important , when in reality this will all have been long forgotten after Super Tuesday .

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Bernie Sanders has announced that he’s won Iowa, even though – with 100% of the precincts reporting – Pete Buttigieg is in first place. The trouble is that, in addition to everything that specifically went wrong with this year’s Iowa caucus, the format itself is so Byzantine that different people can point to the same results and each make a potentially valid claim that they’re the real winner.
The Iowa caucus has attendees at each site initially pick a candidate, and then after the candidates who don’t reach a certain threshold are thrown out, the supporters of those non-viable candidates can choose to pick a different candidate. So you have the first alignment, and the second alignment, and then a formula to calculate “delegate equivalents” that’s so complicated it’s only understood by eight mathematicians somewhere in an underground bunker.
The actual official winner is whoever ends up with the most delegate equivalents in the end. But it leaves the door open for any candidate to point to the initial alignment numbers and claim that they’re the real results, even though the second alignment acts as a form of casting a second-place vote, and that counts for something too. The whole thing is just a mess, and it would have been a mess even if a crappy mobile app hadn’t malfunctioned.
The Iowa caucus is the equivalent of asking presidential candidates to run through a cornfield while blindfolded, then deciding the winner based on which candidate’s maze-running style is the most appealing to a relative handful of rural white people who didn’t have to work that evening. The problem isn’t that the Iowa caucus is non-diverse, and has a bizarre format, and tells us little about who will be the nominee. The problem is the media tries to convince us that the random results of this Iowa gymnasium food fight are important, when in reality this will all have been long forgotten after Super Tuesday.
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palmerreport--2020-02-09--Bernie Sanders and his attack dogs are completely out of control, and everyone knows it

If the 2020 Democratic nominee ends up just being a ziplock bag full of fire ants , I ’ ll go door to door campaigning for the fire ants .
It ’ s that important that we oust Donald Trump in November and put an end to his terrorizing crime spree .
But “ vote blue no matter who ” doesn ’ t mean that we have to pretend every current Democratic candidate is equally perfect , as we have to make a wise choice about who ’ s going to take on Trump .
Crucially , what we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of one Democratic candidate making up phony conspiracy theories about other Democratic candidates .
The incompetence of the Iowa caucus was embarrassing .
But it was even more embarrassing to see so many Bernie Sanders supporters promoting a deranged conspiracy theory about Pete Buttigieg having somehow paid off a group of people to sabotage an app so that the results would be delayed .
Anyone who believes that tinfoil hat nonsense is in need of immediate psychological attention .
Things have gotten even worse in New Hampshire .
Yesterday , Buttigieg gave a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party Dinner .
Bernie Sanders fans booed him in “ coordinated and loud ” fashion , in an attempt at preventing him from delivering his speech .
Then , Bernie fans did the same thing to Amy Klobuchar .
Every candidate has a handful of supporters who are conspiracy loons , turds , and mentally unwell people .
But within the Bernie Sanders movement , these loons are consistently speaking the most loudly on his behalf – and Bernie does nothing to stop it .
It ’ s been about twenty hours since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ speeches in New Hampshire , and Bernie has yet to disavow it .
He ’ s there in the state .
He and his campaign are well aware of what ’ s going on .
They ’ re just rolling with it .
At this point it ’ s clear that either Bernie approves of this behavior because he thinks it helps him , or that even Bernie is afraid of how deranged his own goons are .
Either way , his silence is enough to disqualify him as a candidate .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ strength to take on his own most toxic and deranged supporters , he sure as hell isn ’ t fit to be president .
I ’ m not the only one who feels that way .
When Larry David portrayed Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live last night , he made a point of calling out the “ Bernie Bros ” for their psychotic trolling – and he also called out Bernie for refusing to call off the dogs .
Some Bernie apologists have suggested that the people booing in New Hampshire right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bernie fans .
But if that were the case , why isn ’ t Bernie disavowing them ?
For that matter , why has he so very rarely disavowed this kind of behavior from his fans going back to 2015 ?
New Hampshire doesn ’ t vote until Tuesday , and the behavior of the Bernie goons in the state is likely to grow even more egregious between now and then .
We ’ ll see if Bernie finally ends up calling them out for it , or if he continues to endorse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Either way , the rest of us have a duty to call out these kinds of antics , and to call Bernie out for refusing to shut it down .
If the Bernie Bros keep getting more divisively out of control like this , and Bernie remains complicit in it , you have to figure some of Bernie ’ s reasonable supporters are going to decide they can no longer be a part of this .
What started as a progressive movement is now dissolving into an anti-Democrat freak show .

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If the 2020 Democratic nominee ends up just being a ziplock bag full of fire ants, I’ll go door to door campaigning for the fire ants. It’s that important that we oust Donald Trump in November and put an end to his terrorizing crime spree. But “vote blue no matter who” doesn’t mean that we have to pretend every current Democratic candidate is equally perfect, as we have to make a wise choice about who’s going to take on Trump.
Crucially, what we can’t have right now is supporters of one Democratic candidate making up phony conspiracy theories about other Democratic candidates. The incompetence of the Iowa caucus was embarrassing. But it was even more embarrassing to see so many Bernie Sanders supporters promoting a deranged conspiracy theory about Pete Buttigieg having somehow paid off a group of people to sabotage an app so that the results would be delayed. Anyone who believes that tinfoil hat nonsense is in need of immediate psychological attention.
Things have gotten even worse in New Hampshire. Yesterday, Buttigieg gave a speech at the New Hampshire State Democratic Party Dinner. Bernie Sanders fans booed him in “coordinated and loud” fashion, in an attempt at preventing him from delivering his speech. Then, Bernie fans did the same thing to Amy Klobuchar.
Every candidate has a handful of supporters who are conspiracy loons, turds, and mentally unwell people. But within the Bernie Sanders movement, these loons are consistently speaking the most loudly on his behalf – and Bernie does nothing to stop it. It’s been about twenty hours since Bernie’s goons began disrupting Democrats’ speeches in New Hampshire, and Bernie has yet to disavow it. He’s there in the state. He and his campaign are well aware of what’s going on. They’re just rolling with it. At this point it’s clear that either Bernie approves of this behavior because he thinks it helps him, or that even Bernie is afraid of how deranged his own goons are. Either way, his silence is enough to disqualify him as a candidate. If he doesn’t have the strength to take on his own most toxic and deranged supporters, he sure as hell isn’t fit to be president.
I’m not the only one who feels that way. When Larry David portrayed Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live last night, he made a point of calling out the “Bernie Bros” for their psychotic trolling – and he also called out Bernie for refusing to call off the dogs. Some Bernie apologists have suggested that the people booing in New Hampshire right now are merely Trump fans disguised as Bernie fans. But if that were the case, why isn’t Bernie disavowing them? For that matter, why has he so very rarely disavowed this kind of behavior from his fans going back to 2015?
New Hampshire doesn’t vote until Tuesday, and the behavior of the Bernie goons in the state is likely to grow even more egregious between now and then. We’ll see if Bernie finally ends up calling them out for it, or if he continues to endorse this divisive behavior by remaining silent about it. Either way, the rest of us have a duty to call out these kinds of antics, and to call Bernie out for refusing to shut it down. If the Bernie Bros keep getting more divisively out of control like this, and Bernie remains complicit in it, you have to figure some of Bernie’s reasonable supporters are going to decide they can no longer be a part of this. What started as a progressive movement is now dissolving into an anti-Democrat freak show.
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Chair wielding maniac

Donald Trump has been acquitted by the Senate .
But the polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans think the Senate trial should have had witnesses , and half or more of Americans think he ’ s guilty .
This leaves Trump in the tricky position of having to find a way to prove to Americans that his impeachers were wrong when they accused him of being a cheater and an abusive maniac .
Unfortunately for Donald Trump , he doesn ’ t appear to have any idea how to play the part .
If he ’ s supposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guy right now , or even a strong guy , or a winner , he ’ s doing it wrong .
In substantive terms , he ’ s making revenge-fueled moves like ousting Colonel Vindman and Ambassador Sondland .
In an infinitely less meaningful but perhaps higher profile development , Trump has decided to align himself with some real losers .
Trump wants us to believe he wasn ’ t trying to cheat in the 2020 election when he tried to conspire with Ukraine .
Yet this weekend he tweeted strong support for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ baseball for life because he was cheating by betting on games he was participating in .
Trump also wants us to believe he ’ s a reasonable guy .
Yet he just tweeted support for Bob Knight , a guy who eventually lost his baseball coaching job due to endless scandals , including instances of maniacally throwing folding chairs onto the court .
Does Donald Trump think these are the good guys ?
In his mind , sure .
Rose and Knight are amoral people who did awful things and were eventually brought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s mind , that makes them the victims .
After all , he ’ s a guy who has spent his entire life doing awful things and trying desperately to avoid being taken down for it .
Even when Trump is supposed to be playing the part of a reasonable guy who was unfairly victimized by impeachment , he ’ s instead aligning himself with a pariah and a chair wielding maniac .
It couldn ’ t be more fitting .

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Donald Trump has been acquitted by the Senate. But the polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans think the Senate trial should have had witnesses, and half or more of Americans think he’s guilty. This leaves Trump in the tricky position of having to find a way to prove to Americans that his impeachers were wrong when they accused him of being a cheater and an abusive maniac.
Unfortunately for Donald Trump, he doesn’t appear to have any idea how to play the part. If he’s supposed to be coming across as a good guy right now, or even a strong guy, or a winner, he’s doing it wrong. In substantive terms, he’s making revenge-fueled moves like ousting Colonel Vindman and Ambassador Sondland. In an infinitely less meaningful but perhaps higher profile development, Trump has decided to align himself with some real losers.
Trump wants us to believe he wasn’t trying to cheat in the 2020 election when he tried to conspire with Ukraine. Yet this weekend he tweeted strong support for Pete Rose, who was banned from baseball for life because he was cheating by betting on games he was participating in. Trump also wants us to believe he’s a reasonable guy. Yet he just tweeted support for Bob Knight, a guy who eventually lost his basketball coaching job due to endless scandals, including instances of maniacally throwing folding chairs onto the court.
Does Donald Trump think these are the good guys? In his mind, sure. Rose and Knight are amoral people who did awful things and were eventually brought down for it, and in Trump’s mind, that makes them the victims. After all, he’s a guy who has spent his entire life doing awful things and trying desperately to avoid being taken down for it. Even when Trump is supposed to be playing the part of a reasonable guy who was unfairly victimized by impeachment, he’s instead aligning himself with a pariah and a chair wielding maniac. It couldn’t be more fitting.
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--2020-02-09--Donald Trump has decided to prop up yet another scumbag

Hypocrisy is the eternal fixture of the conservative , it would seem .
We get our quotidian dose of hypocrisy in the head-slapping headlines .
Sometime in the next thirty days or so we will read of a “ pro-life ” Congressman discretely paying for his girlfriend ’ s abortion , or an anti-same-sex marriage state assemblyman caught in a hotel room with an underage boy .
Meanwhile the president of the United States is shocked , shocked !
, that the son of a former Vice President got a good job based on his father ’ s name .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to it .
We ourselves are no longer shocked , of course .
When it was learned in 2003 , for instance , that conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh , the man who once opined that all drug abusers should be hanged from the nearest convenient lamppost , was himself a drug abuser , we weren ’ t shocked then either .
Not particularly .
It ’ s an old story , one that happens over and over to the extent that no one seems to notice any longer .
Leaving the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entering the world of irony , we now learn that Limbaugh , one of the last of the advocates for big tobacco and the negation of the notion that nicotine is addictive , is dying of lung cancer .
I get no pleasure from saying this and I can not find it in myself to feel anything but sorrow .
Considering the harm Limbaugh has done I ’ m not altogether sure that ’ s not more a fault than a virtue .
But I have to admit it : I feel sorry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merit the Medal of Freedom .
Not the same medal awarded to Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. No .
that is out of the question , and it is another obscenity of conservatism .
We should not stand by and allow a racist who fomented racial division and racial hatred to receive the Medal of Freedom .
As soon as a new president is installed in the White House , one of his or her very first duties must be to rescind it and restore the dignity of that sacred @ @ @ @ @ @ @ whether Limbaugh is still alive by then or not .
And I hope Rush Limbaugh does live another year or so at least .
I don ’ t want him to die before he ’ s seen his life ’ s work destroyed .
I don ’ t want him to die before he sees sanity restored to America , hatred and division defeated , the racist agenda of the conservative class rebuked and the rule of law once again respected .
I want him to live to see the day when Congress @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a rubber stamp to a personality cult , but as a check of , and a balance against , tyranny .
America is a liberal nation .
The majority of Americans are pro-choice .
The majority of Americans are in favor of some form of universal health care .
The overwhelming majority of Americans are anti-gun , pro-same-sex marriage , pro-LGBTQ rights and in favor of the separation of church and state .
Conservatism is dying just as surely as Rush Limbaugh , and the judgment of history will not be kind @ @ @

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Hypocrisy is the eternal fixture of the conservative, it would seem. We get our quotidian dose of hypocrisy in the head-slapping headlines. Sometime in the next thirty days or so we will read of a “pro-life” Congressman discretely paying for his girlfriend’s abortion, or an anti-same-sex marriage state assemblyman caught in a hotel room with an underage boy. Meanwhile the president of the United States is shocked, shocked!, that the son of a former Vice President got a good job based on his father’s name. It has a kind of wearying inevitability to it. We ourselves are no longer shocked, of course.
When it was learned in 2003, for instance, that conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, the man who once opined that all drug abusers should be hanged from the nearest convenient lamppost, was himself a drug abuser, we weren’t shocked then either. Not particularly. It’s an old story, one that happens over and over to the extent that no one seems to notice any longer.
Leaving the world of hypocrisy for a moment and entering the world of irony, we now learn that Limbaugh, one of the last of the advocates for big tobacco and the negation of the notion that nicotine is addictive, is dying of lung cancer. I get no pleasure from saying this and I cannot find it in myself to feel anything but sorrow. Considering the harm Limbaugh has done I’m not altogether sure that’s not more a fault than a virtue. But I have to admit it: I feel sorry for him.
But he does not merit the Medal of Freedom. Not the same medal awarded to Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. No. that is out of the question, and it is another obscenity of conservatism. We should not stand by and allow a racist who fomented racial division and racial hatred to receive the Medal of Freedom. As soon as a new president is installed in the White House, one of his or her very first duties must be to rescind it and restore the dignity of that sacred civilian honor. It must be rescinded whether Limbaugh is still alive by then or not.
And I hope Rush Limbaugh does live another year or so at least. I don’t want him to die before he’s seen his life’s work destroyed. I don’t want him to die before he sees sanity restored to America, hatred and division defeated, the racist agenda of the conservative class rebuked and the rule of law once again respected. I want him to live to see the day when Congress is healthy again and functioning, not as a rubber stamp to a personality cult, but as a check of, and a balance against, tyranny.
America is a liberal nation. The majority of Americans are pro-choice. The majority of Americans are in favor of some form of universal health care. The overwhelming majority of Americans are anti-gun, pro-same-sex marriage, pro-LGBTQ rights and in favor of the separation of church and state. Conservatism is dying just as surely as Rush Limbaugh, and the judgment of history will not be kind to either.
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--2020-02-09--Donald Trump has berserk meltdown about “Joe Munchkin”

Joe Manchin might be a red state Democrat who likes to vote with the Republicans when it ’ s not going to affect the outcome , but Manchin did his patriotic duty by voting to convict and remove Donald Trump when it counted .
Now Trump has decided that Manchin is his enemy , and he wants revenge .
The thing is , Manchin isn ’ t hesitating to fire back – and it ’ s prompted Trump to go completely off the deep end .
It all started Trump unleashed on Joe Manchin on Saturday : “ Can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the great people of West Virginia are furious at their puppet Democrat Senator , Joe Manchin .
They will never forget his phony vote on the Impeachment Hoax .
All he had to do is read the Transcripts , sadly , which he wouldn ’ t understand anyway .
But , just like the people of West Virginia will no longer look at weak & pathetic Joe Manchin the same ( I got the Pension Bill approved , Manchin couldn ’ t do it ) , the wonderful people of Utah will never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with anything but contempt & disgust !
” To be clear , there ’ s no evidence that any of this is actually happening , outside of Trump ’ s imagination .
But Manchin isn ’ t taking it lying down .
He fired back at Trump : “ Pres .
Trump – no Democrat has worked harder in a bipartisan way in the hopes that you would succeed .
The people of WV know exactly who has worked day & night for the last 5 years to secure their healthcare & pensions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I ’ ve read the transcripts thoroughly & listened to the witnesses under oath .
Where I come from a person accused defends themselves with witnesses and evidence.
” Today , Trump fired by referring to Joe Manchin as “ Joe Munchkin.
” It couldn ’ t be much more obvious that Donald Trump is focused on petty revenge , rather than trying to win in 2020 .
The Resistance simply needs to work hard and work smart in order to beat him .

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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Joe Manchin might be a red state Democrat who likes to vote with the Republicans when it’s not going to affect the outcome, but Manchin did his patriotic duty by voting to convict and remove Donald Trump when it counted. Now Trump has decided that Manchin is his enemy, and he wants revenge. The thing is, Manchin isn’t hesitating to fire back – and it’s prompted Trump to go completely off the deep end.
It all started Trump unleashed on Joe Manchin on Saturday: “Can’t say I mind the fact that the great people of West Virginia are furious at their puppet Democrat Senator, Joe Manchin. They will never forget his phony vote on the Impeachment Hoax. All he had to do is read the Transcripts, sadly, which he wouldn’t understand anyway. But, just like the people of West Virginia will no longer look at weak & pathetic Joe Manchin the same (I got the Pension Bill approved, Manchin couldn’t do it), the wonderful people of Utah will never look at “grandstander” Mitt Romney with anything but contempt & disgust!”
To be clear, there’s no evidence that any of this is actually happening, outside of Trump’s imagination. But Manchin isn’t taking it lying down. He fired back at Trump: “Pres. Trump – no Democrat has worked harder in a bipartisan way in the hopes that you would succeed. The people of WV know exactly who has worked day & night for the last 5 years to secure their healthcare & pensions & it wasn’t you. I’ve read the transcripts thoroughly & listened to the witnesses under oath. Where I come from a person accused defends themselves with witnesses and evidence.”
Today, Trump fired by referring to Joe Manchin as “Joe Munchkin.” It couldn’t be much more obvious that Donald Trump is focused on petty revenge, rather than trying to win in 2020. The Resistance simply needs to work hard and work smart in order to beat him.
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--2020-02-09--Oh, NOW they want to stop Donald Trump?

Oh, NOW they want to stop Donald Trump?

When Republican Senators ( minus Mitt Romney ) decided to acquit an obviously guilty Donald Trump , some of them publicly pushed the narrative that he ’ s learned his lesson from the Ukraine scandal and he won ’ t dare do anything else corrupt .
They didn ’ t believe this , of course .
It was simply their attempt at explaining away their corrupt acquittal vote .
Trump then immediately decided to prove what a corrupt prick he can be , by ousting Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and U.S .
Ambassador Gordon Sondland – two witnesses from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Republican Senator Susan Collins said she was concerned and disappointed , two words she keeps misusing so badly , someone should buy her a dictionary .
It turns out some other GOP Senators went to greater lengths .
A handful of unnamed Republican Senators privately urged Donald Trump not to fire Gordon Sondland , according to a new report from the New York Times .
There are several suspicious things here .
Why did they wait until after Trump fired Sondland to leak this to the media ?
And why are they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sondland , and not a patriot like Vindman ?
We can intuitively answer some of this .
Gordon Sondland has been a major political donor , and Republican Senators probably leaked this in the hope of trying to remain on his good side .
Colonel Vindman is merely a decorated military officer and a patriot , and not a wealthy donor , so the Republicans aren ’ t sticking up for him .
The Republicans don ’ t want to stop Donald Trump , so much as they want to stop Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @

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When Republican Senators (minus Mitt Romney) decided to acquit an obviously guilty Donald Trump, some of them publicly pushed the narrative that he’s learned his lesson from the Ukraine scandal and he won’t dare do anything else corrupt. They didn’t believe this, of course. It was simply their attempt at explaining away their corrupt acquittal vote.
Trump then immediately decided to prove what a corrupt prick he can be, by ousting Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and U.S. Ambassador Gordon Sondland – two witnesses from the House impeachment hearings – from his administration. Republican Senator Susan Collins said she was concerned and disappointed, two words she keeps misusing so badly, someone should buy her a dictionary. It turns out some other GOP Senators went to greater lengths.
A handful of unnamed Republican Senators privately urged Donald Trump not to fire Gordon Sondland, according to a new report from the New York Times. There are several suspicious things here. Why did they wait until after Trump fired Sondland to leak this to the media? And why are they only standing up for a henchman like Sondland, and not a patriot like Vindman?
We can intuitively answer some of this. Gordon Sondland has been a major political donor, and Republican Senators probably leaked this in the hope of trying to remain on his good side. Colonel Vindman is merely a decorated military officer and a patriot, and not a wealthy donor, so the Republicans aren’t sticking up for him. The Republicans don’t want to stop Donald Trump, so much as they want to stop Donald Trump from harming their money.
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--2020-02-09--Donald Trump’s own aides privately admit they agree with me

This past week we ’ ve seen a huge number of pundits take the position that because Donald Trump has been acquitted by the Senate , he ’ s now on a path which will lead to victory in 2020 .
None of these pundits seems to be able to spell out how Trump is supposedly going to get from Point A to Point B , or what he ’ s going to do to make it happen .
As best any of them can explain it , Trump is going to win via magic wand .
Palmer Report keeps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ works this way .
We have a long time until election day , and lots of things can happen between now and then .
But the reality is that Trump ’ s current underwater approval rating means that if the election were held today , he ’ d get blown out .
This isn ’ t even up for dispute .
No amount of voter suppression , Russian hacking , or Electoral College hijinks can move the needle enough to overcome the big margin that Trump would lose by right now .
Unfortunately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ today .
But if Trump wants to have any chance in 2020 , he has to find a way to expand his current base .
It turns out that ’ s not just my view .
Trump ’ s own aides agree with me .
Donald Trump ’ s aides are privately admitting to the New York Times that he just doesn ’ t have the votes right now : “ Most of the president ’ s aides concede that his base of supporters is not enough to re-elect him , and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ repelled by his behavior and voted against Republicans in the 2018 midterms.
” Again , nine months is a long time , and Donald Trump will try various antics between now and election day aimed at turning things around .
But the reality is that right now Trump isn ’ t just losing , he ’ s not even in contention for 2020 .
The ratings-hungry media loves trying to bait the Resistance into staying glued to the television all day by insisting that Trump is magically winning .
But back in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an ugly path to losing .
The Resistance has no reason whatsoever to be pessimistic about 2020 .
Instead , the Resistance simply has to put in the election work in order to help make sure that Trump ’ s upcoming antics don ’ t move the needle for him , and Trump will in fact lose .

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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This past week we’ve seen a huge number of pundits take the position that because Donald Trump has been acquitted by the Senate, he’s now on a path which will lead to victory in 2020. None of these pundits seems to be able to spell out how Trump is supposedly going to get from Point A to Point B, or what he’s going to do to make it happen. As best any of them can explain it, Trump is going to win via magic wand.
Palmer Report keeps pointing out that nothing in politics ever works this way. We have a long time until election day, and lots of things can happen between now and then. But the reality is that Trump’s current underwater approval rating means that if the election were held today, he’d get blown out. This isn’t even up for dispute. No amount of voter suppression, Russian hacking, or Electoral College hijinks can move the needle enough to overcome the big margin that Trump would lose by right now. Unfortunately, the election is not being held today. But if Trump wants to have any chance in 2020, he has to find a way to expand his current base. It turns out that’s not just my view. Trump’s own aides agree with me.
Donald Trump’s aides are privately admitting to the New York Times that he just doesn’t have the votes right now: “Most of the president’s aides concede that his base of supporters is not enough to re-elect him, and that he must attract the voters who were repelled by his behavior and voted against Republicans in the 2018 midterms.”
Again, nine months is a long time, and Donald Trump will try various antics between now and election day aimed at turning things around. But the reality is that right now Trump isn’t just losing, he’s not even in contention for 2020. The ratings-hungry media loves trying to bait the Resistance into staying glued to the television all day by insisting that Trump is magically winning. But back in the real world, Trump is currently on an ugly path to losing. The Resistance has no reason whatsoever to be pessimistic about 2020. Instead, the Resistance simply has to put in the election work in order to help make sure that Trump’s upcoming antics don’t move the needle for him, and Trump will in fact lose.
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--2020-02-09--Amy Klobuchar just got some really good news

Last night Palmer Report pointed out that Amy Klobuchar is emerging as a potential dark horse candidate in the Democratic 2020 primary race .
Based on the responses , it appears some readers may not know what the term “ dark horse ” really means .
It means someone who isn ’ t expected to win , but could pull it off if the top contenders end up canceling each other out .
In any case , Klobuchar just got some really good news today , suggesting that we weren ’ t the only ones who thought she had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that in the less than twenty-four hour period since last night ’ s debate , she ’ s raised two million dollars .
That ’ s a lot of money for a candidate who , based on national polling , isn ’ t currently in contention in the Democratic primary race .
This windfall points to the possibility of what every candidate who ’ s way behind in the polls is hoping might be true : either the poll numbers are wrong , or the poll numbers are about to shift .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to be able to use this influx of money to substantially increase her advertising spending .
The two questions will be where she decides to use it , and whether it ’ ll win her new voters .
She ’ s currently twenty points behind in the New Hampshire polls , with just a few days until the state votes .
Will she try to make a major last minute push there , or will she invest in Super Tuesday states instead ?

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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Last night Palmer Report pointed out that Amy Klobuchar is emerging as a potential dark horse candidate in the Democratic 2020 primary race. Based on the responses, it appears some readers may not know what the term “dark horse” really means. It means someone who isn’t expected to win, but could pull it off if the top contenders end up canceling each other out. In any case, Klobuchar just got some really good news today, suggesting that we weren’t the only ones who thought she had a strong debate.
Amy Klobuchar just announced that in the less than twenty-four hour period since last night’s debate, she’s raised two million dollars. That’s a lot of money for a candidate who, based on national polling, isn’t currently in contention in the Democratic primary race. This windfall points to the possibility of what every candidate who’s way behind in the polls is hoping might be true: either the poll numbers are wrong, or the poll numbers are about to shift.
So now we wait. Klobuchar is obviously going to be able to use this influx of money to substantially increase her advertising spending. The two questions will be where she decides to use it, and whether it’ll win her new voters. She’s currently twenty points behind in the New Hampshire polls, with just a few days until the state votes. Will she try to make a major last minute push there, or will she invest in Super Tuesday states instead?
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--2020-02-09--What the heck is going on in the New Hampshire primary?

We just came off a nightmare of an Iowa caucus .
We still don ’ t have an official winner .
The final results are going to be so close , and so scrutinized , there will likely never be full agreement on who won .
Yet even as we try to move forward from that mess , we ’ re seeing conflicting headlines about what ’ s really going on in next week ’ s New Hampshire primary .
The controversy in New Hampshire today centers around who ’ s actually ahead in the polls .
As generally tends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aren ’ t the problem here ; the problem is the people reporting on the polls .
Of the five new major New Hampshire polls released over the past few days ( source ) , four of them show that Bernie Sanders is still in the lead .
One of them , the Boston Globe poll , shows Pete Buttigieg having climbed into the lead .
The thing is , it ’ s an outlier poll .
What is an outlier poll ?
When you have five polls and four of them say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but one of them says that Pete is in the lead , that fifth poll is an outlier .
Either it ’ s wrong and all the other polls are correct ( which is usually the case ) , or it ’ s correct and all the other polls are wrong ( which happens on occasion ) .
Because the Boston Globe poll shows a surprising result and a potential change in the lead , it ’ s getting most of the headlines today .
The trouble is that much of this reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the other recent New Hampshire polls say the opposite .
So what ’ s really going on here ?
Only two takeaways matter from these poll numbers .
The first is that while only one of these new polls shows Pete in the lead , four of them show Pete gaining ground over the past week or two ( the fifth poll , from Monmouth , is conducted far too rarely to track any movement ) .
The second takeaway is that , despite Pete ’ s climb , the average of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead by 4.2 points .
The final polling averages usually prove correct – at least within the stated margin of error , which is usually around three points .
So no one should be shocked if Bernie Sanders wins New Hampshire , by one to seven points .
That said , Pete Buttigieg ’ s poll numbers in Iowa turned out to be way off , and he significantly outperformed them , suggesting that pollsters have been mistakenly under-sampling his support base in the results .
So no one should be shocked either @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Hampshire and wins the state .
The only shocker would be if either of them wins by a double digit margin , or if some other candidate wins the state .
At least New Hampshire should deliver an undisputed result .
Either way we ’ re likely to come out of New Hampshire with Pete and Bernie each able to claim that they finished first or a close second in both states .
But then things get far trickier for them both .
Very little polling has been done in Nevada , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it into any context .
Then comes South Carolina , where the latest polling averages say that Bernie is fourteen points behind Joe Biden , and Pete is twenty-five points behind Biden ( source ) .
If Bernie or Pete wants to be the nominee , they ’ ll have to do far better with black voters than these South Carolina numbers suggest , because no Democrat survives Super Tuesday without significant support from black voters .

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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We just came off a nightmare of an Iowa caucus. We still don’t have an official winner. The final results are going to be so close, and so scrutinized, there will likely never be full agreement on who won. Yet even as we try to move forward from that mess, we’re seeing conflicting headlines about what’s really going on in next week’s New Hampshire primary.
The controversy in New Hampshire today centers around who’s actually ahead in the polls. As generally tends to be the case, the polls aren’t the problem here; the problem is the people reporting on the polls. Of the five new major New Hampshire polls released over the past few days (source), four of them show that Bernie Sanders is still in the lead. One of them, the Boston Globe poll, shows Pete Buttigieg having climbed into the lead. The thing is, it’s an outlier poll.
What is an outlier poll? When you have five polls and four of them say that Bernie is in the lead, but one of them says that Pete is in the lead, that fifth poll is an outlier. Either it’s wrong and all the other polls are correct (which is usually the case), or it’s correct and all the other polls are wrong (which happens on occasion). Because the Boston Globe poll shows a surprising result and a potential change in the lead, it’s getting most of the headlines today. The trouble is that much of this reporting is failing to include the fact that all the other recent New Hampshire polls say the opposite.
So what’s really going on here? Only two takeaways matter from these poll numbers. The first is that while only one of these new polls shows Pete in the lead, four of them show Pete gaining ground over the past week or two (the fifth poll, from Monmouth, is conducted far too rarely to track any movement). The second takeaway is that, despite Pete’s climb, the average of these polls still has Bernie in the lead by 4.2 points.
The final polling averages usually prove correct – at least within the stated margin of error, which is usually around three points. So no one should be shocked if Bernie Sanders wins New Hampshire, by one to seven points. That said, Pete Buttigieg’s poll numbers in Iowa turned out to be way off, and he significantly outperformed them, suggesting that pollsters have been mistakenly under-sampling his support base in the results. So no one should be shocked either if Pete outperforms his polls again in New Hampshire and wins the state. The only shocker would be if either of them wins by a double digit margin, or if some other candidate wins the state.
At least New Hampshire should deliver an undisputed result. Either way we’re likely to come out of New Hampshire with Pete and Bernie each able to claim that they finished first or a close second in both states. But then things get far trickier for them both. Very little polling has been done in Nevada, so it’s difficult to put it into any context. Then comes South Carolina, where the latest polling averages say that Bernie is fourteen points behind Joe Biden, and Pete is twenty-five points behind Biden (source). If Bernie or Pete wants to be the nominee, they’ll have to do far better with black voters than these South Carolina numbers suggest, because no Democrat survives Super Tuesday without significant support from black voters.
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--2020-02-09--Conservative pundit Bill Kristol slam dunks Donald Trump

Yesterday , Donald Trump ousted Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman from the White House National Security Council , and had him escorted from the White House .
This was a clear cut ( and illegal ) instance of retaliating against Vindman for having been an impeachment witness .
After Trump was widely portrayed as being petty and small for the move , instead of being big and bad like he was hoping , he went berserk about it today .
Trump tweeted this crap : Fake News @ CNN & MSDNC keep talking about “ Lt .
Col. ” Vindman as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was .
Actually , I don ’ t know him , never spoke to him , or met him ( I don ’ t believe ! )
but , he was very insubordinate , reported contents of my “ perfect ” calls incorrectly , & … This led Palmer Report to point out that Donald Trump probably wasn ’ t helping himself by putting Vindman ’ s military rank in seemingly demeaning quotation marks .
Sure enough , it turns out we weren ’ t the only ones who saw it that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promptly took a blowtorch to Trump accordingly : He ’ s not “ Lt .
Col. ” Vindman .
He ’ s Lt. Col. Vindman .
It ’ s his real rank in a real military , in which he earlier saw combat and was wounded .
It ’ s hard for you to grasp , @ realDonaldTrump , but he ’ s not some guy dressed up as a soldier for reality TV or as entertainment at Mar-a-Lago .
https : //t.co/Qh4Esfjp0u

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Yesterday, Donald Trump ousted Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman from the White House National Security Council, and had him escorted from the White House. This was a clear cut (and illegal) instance of retaliating against Vindman for having been an impeachment witness. After Trump was widely portrayed as being petty and small for the move, instead of being big and bad like he was hoping, he went berserk about it today. Trump tweeted this crap:
Fake News @CNN & MSDNC keep talking about “Lt. Col.” Vindman as though I should think only how wonderful he was. Actually, I don’t know him, never spoke to him, or met him (I don’t believe!) but, he was very insubordinate, reported contents of my “perfect” calls incorrectly, &… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020
This led Palmer Report to point out that Donald Trump probably wasn’t helping himself by putting Vindman’s military rank in seemingly demeaning quotation marks. Sure enough, it turns out we weren’t the only ones who saw it that way. Noted conservative pundit Bill Kristol promptly took a blowtorch to Trump accordingly:
He’s not “Lt. Col.” Vindman. He’s Lt. Col. Vindman. It’s his real rank in a real military, in which he earlier saw combat and was wounded. It’s hard for you to grasp, @realDonaldTrump, but he’s not some guy dressed up as a soldier for reality TV or as entertainment at Mar-a-Lago. https://t.co/Qh4Esfjp0u — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) February 8, 2020
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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--2020-02-09--Mitch McConnell hits the panic button

Mitch McConnell hits the panic button

So Donald Trump ’ s “ best week of his presidency ” has happened .
It wasn ’ t really a great week to brag about , and it would ’ ve been the last of his presidency , had the Senate Republicans actually stood up for American principles and decided to convict him for his blatant betrayal of the United States .
If you ’ re feeling uneasy about the week ’ s events and how they will bode for the rest of us in the next few months , you ’ re definitely not alone .
In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While he may be publicly reveling in the news of Trump ’ s acquittal – one that he helped to bring about – McConnell is already going into damage control to prepare for the worst .
The Washington Post reports that he ’ s planning a weekend-long retreat for Republican senators and big donors , and it couldn ’ t come too soon .
According to Cook Political Report , he ’ s slipped from being a likely favorite for re-election in Kentucky .
Democrat Amy McGrath has erased much of his advantage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead is within the margin of error .
While McConnell doesn ’ t speak much about being so close to losing his own seat in a notably red state , he boasted in a press conference following Trump ’ s acquittal : “ Every one of our people in tough races – every one of them – is in better shape today when the impeachment trial started.
” He then went on to talk about how the Democrats ought to prepare for a colossal political mistake .
A few hours later that day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitting : “ In the end , it ’ s not likely to have much of an impact on any of the races.
” If you ’ re like most people , you ’ re probably wondering which time he told the truth .
You ’ re probably also wondering what impact this re-election retreat will have if any .
With Bolton ’ s testimony leaking in one way or the other , things are not likely to get better for Republicans – particularly McConnell ’ s colleagues in swing states like Maine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by their opponents .
This is likely the point where Mitch is only interested in saving himself .

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So Donald Trump’s “best week of his presidency” has happened. It wasn’t really a great week to brag about, and it would’ve been the last of his presidency, had the Senate Republicans actually stood up for American principles and decided to convict him for his blatant betrayal of the United States. If you’re feeling uneasy about the week’s events and how they will bode for the rest of us in the next few months, you’re definitely not alone. In fact, Mitch McConnell is worried too.
While he may be publicly reveling in the news of Trump’s acquittal – one that he helped to bring about – McConnell is already going into damage control to prepare for the worst. The Washington Post reports that he’s planning a weekend-long retreat for Republican senators and big donors, and it couldn’t come too soon. According to Cook Political Report, he’s slipped from being a likely favorite for re-election in Kentucky. Democrat Amy McGrath has erased much of his advantage so far, and McConnell’s lead is within the margin of error.
While McConnell doesn’t speak much about being so close to losing his own seat in a notably red state, he boasted in a press conference following Trump’s acquittal: “Every one of our people in tough races – every one of them – is in better shape today when the impeachment trial started.” He then went on to talk about how the Democrats ought to prepare for a colossal political mistake. A few hours later that day, McConnell had a different tune, admitting: “In the end, it’s not likely to have much of an impact on any of the races.”
If you’re like most people, you’re probably wondering which time he told the truth. You’re probably also wondering what impact this re-election retreat will have if any. With Bolton’s testimony leaking in one way or the other, things are not likely to get better for Republicans – particularly McConnell’s colleagues in swing states like Maine and Arizona who are already being out-raised by their opponents. This is likely the point where Mitch is only interested in saving himself.
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--2020-02-09--Is Joe Biden really in trouble?

Is Joe Biden really in trouble?

The Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary have enough problems in their own right .
The screwy format in Iowa means the results are always a mess ( more so this year than usual ) .
And the mostly white , largely non-urban makeup of the two states means that the results tell us little about who ’ s going to be the nominee anyway .
But the real problem is that the media spends February steadfastly pretending that these two states mean everything , because it ’ s an easy way to drum up ratings .
This leads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually the frontrunner , who ’ s in trouble , and who has momentum .
The only thing you ever need to look at in February is whether the national polling averages are shifting , but of course the media never covers that – and even if they do , they usually just put one wacky outlier poll on the screen that fits their premise that whoever didn ’ t win Iowa and New Hampshire is in “ trouble.
” This also forces the media to go even further down the rabbit hole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For instance , Donald Trump got impeached for trying to promote a phony scandal about Joe Biden .
This has led to the question of whether Trump ’ s scheme got him anywhere , in terms of damaging Biden .
Because Biden finished poorly in the Iowa caucus , numerous pundits are now insisting that Trump has succeeded in taking out the guy who had been the frontrunner .
But this easily disproven fiction .
Back when Trump first started promoting the phony Biden scandal , Joe Biden was polling in the high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As of today , he ’ s still polling in the high twenties ( source : RealClearPolitics ) .
He hasn ’ t moved at all .
Biden has lost zero votes as a result of the phony scandal .
It ’ s just that he ’ s the kind of candidate who doesn ’ t resonate in Iowa and New Hampshire but resonates strongly in the more diverse South Carolina and Super Tuesday contests , so of course he did poorly in Iowa .
I could have told you a year ago @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Iowa .
He won ’ t come within ten points in New Hampshire next week either .
But Biden is ahead in the South Carolina polling averages by double digits .
If that proves accurate , three weeks from now the media will be talking about Biden ’ s “ miracle ” comeback .
Whether he ’ s your candidate or not , Biden is still the frontrunner .
It ’ ll remain that way for as long as Biden remains atop the national polling averages .
That doesn ’ t stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heads on TV have found a convenient narrative to keep people tuned in .

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The Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary have enough problems in their own right. The screwy format in Iowa means the results are always a mess (more so this year than usual). And the mostly white, largely non-urban makeup of the two states means that the results tell us little about who’s going to be the nominee anyway. But the real problem is that the media spends February steadfastly pretending that these two states mean everything, because it’s an easy way to drum up ratings.
This leads to massive confusion about who’s actually the frontrunner, who’s in trouble, and who has momentum. The only thing you ever need to look at in February is whether the national polling averages are shifting, but of course the media never covers that – and even if they do, they usually just put one wacky outlier poll on the screen that fits their premise that whoever didn’t win Iowa and New Hampshire is in “trouble.”
This also forces the media to go even further down the rabbit hole when other storylines come into play. For instance, Donald Trump got impeached for trying to promote a phony scandal about Joe Biden. This has led to the question of whether Trump’s scheme got him anywhere, in terms of damaging Biden. Because Biden finished poorly in the Iowa caucus, numerous pundits are now insisting that Trump has succeeded in taking out the guy who had been the frontrunner. But this easily disproven fiction.
Back when Trump first started promoting the phony Biden scandal, Joe Biden was polling in the high twenties in the national polling averages. As of today, he’s still polling in the high twenties (source: RealClearPolitics). He hasn’t moved at all. Biden has lost zero votes as a result of the phony scandal. It’s just that he’s the kind of candidate who doesn’t resonate in Iowa and New Hampshire but resonates strongly in the more diverse South Carolina and Super Tuesday contests, so of course he did poorly in Iowa.
I could have told you a year ago that Biden wouldn’t do well in Iowa. He won’t come within ten points in New Hampshire next week either. But Biden is ahead in the South Carolina polling averages by double digits. If that proves accurate, three weeks from now the media will be talking about Biden’s “miracle” comeback. Whether he’s your candidate or not, Biden is still the frontrunner. It’ll remain that way for as long as Biden remains atop the national polling averages. That doesn’t stop being true, just because the talking heads on TV have found a convenient narrative to keep people tuned in.
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palmerreport--2020-02-09--Donald Trump has a whole new Lev Parnas problem

Palmer Report predicted last month that Lev Parnas wasn ’ t done with Rudy Giuliani and “ president ” Donald Trump .
Sure enough , CNN has released a story containing additional information about the relationship between Giuliani and Parnas , and by association , Trump .
Parnas ’ lawyer , Joseph Bondy , recently released a video from a 2018 fundraiser at Trump International Hotel wherein Trump discussed firing ( or “ taking out ” ) Marie Yovanovitch with Parnas and Igor Fruman .
A few days after the release , CNN reported that Parnas and Bondy traveled to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cameras following their every move .
According to CNN , this was merely a “ stunt ” because they knew Parnas couldn ’ t get inside because of his ankle bracelet , but the effect hasn ’ t been lost .
Parnas and Bondy appear to be on a mission to reveal as much as they can about Giuliani , who has already said he was working on behalf of his client , “ president ” Donald Trump .
Materials from Parnas were seized after his arrest .
CNN obtained a 34-second cell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Spain , including posing with two matadors and a flamenco dancer .
Giuliani was apparently in Spain “ balling and shot calling.
” Parnas allegedly has a veritable treasure trove of photographs and records , as well as notes and text messages , all of which have been handed over to Congress .
Bondy told CNN that Parnas “ is a prolific collector of photos and videos.
” That might be the understatement of the century .
Bondy further alleges that Parnas ’ materials are “ of interest in matters well beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Parnas claims that everything he saved shows “ ties that Giuliani had with business and political interests in Venezuela.
” Giulani counters that the matters are of “ national security , ” but the question that begs to be answered is : What in the world does or could Giuliani have to do with “ matters of national security ?
” He ’ s not a member of the CIA , DOJ , or any other federal agency with direct concern over national security , nor is he a member of Congress , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter .
Only a numbskull like Trump would engage the services of a bigger numbskull like Giuliani to do his dirty work for him .
According to Parnas , Giuliani was lobbying the DOJ to treat wealthy businessman Alejandro Beancourt Lopez “ leniently ” because of his “ ties to an opposition figure of great importance to U.S. foreign policy.
” Giuliani wouldn ’ t know “ foreign policy ” if it bit him in the ass .
And who died and left him in charge anyway ?
He ’ s just a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosecutor who is sticking his nose into matters where it clearly doesn ’ t belong .
Giuliani consistently volunteered William Barr to hear people ’ s cases that Barr likely knew nothing about .
While Giuliani certainly behaved as if he had a few screws loose , someone gave him his marching orders , and it is unlikely that William Barr is that person .
This leaves us with one choice : “ president ” Donald Trump , who also appears to volunteer Barr for these unorthodox activities .
Trump may have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he remains impeached .
He continues to behave as a half-cocked mob boss , and eventually , that is going to catch up to him .
Parnas is certainly doing his part to make sure that it does .

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Palmer Report predicted last month that Lev Parnas wasn’t done with Rudy Giuliani and “president” Donald Trump. Sure enough, CNN has released a story containing additional information about the relationship between Giuliani and Parnas, and by association, Trump. Parnas’ lawyer, Joseph Bondy, recently released a video from a 2018 fundraiser at Trump International Hotel wherein Trump discussed firing (or “taking out”) Marie Yovanovitch with Parnas and Igor Fruman.
A few days after the release, CNN reported that Parnas and Bondy traveled to Washington to attend impeachment hearings, with cameras following their every move. According to CNN, this was merely a “stunt” because they knew Parnas couldn’t get inside because of his ankle bracelet, but the effect hasn’t been lost. Parnas and Bondy appear to be on a mission to reveal as much as they can about Giuliani, who has already said he was working on behalf of his client, “president” Donald Trump.
Materials from Parnas were seized after his arrest. CNN obtained a 34-second cell phone video of Giuliani enjoying a bullfight in Spain, including posing with two matadors and a flamenco dancer. Giuliani was apparently in Spain “balling and shot calling.” Parnas allegedly has a veritable treasure trove of photographs and records, as well as notes and text messages, all of which have been handed over to Congress. Bondy told CNN that Parnas “is a prolific collector of photos and videos.” That might be the understatement of the century. Bondy further alleges that Parnas’ materials are “of interest in matters well beyond the impeachment inquiry.” Oh boy.
Parnas claims that everything he saved shows “ties that Giuliani had with business and political interests in Venezuela.” Giulani counters that the matters are of “national security,” but the question that begs to be answered is: What in the world does or could Giuliani have to do with “matters of national security?” He’s not a member of the CIA, DOJ, or any other federal agency with direct concern over national security, nor is he a member of Congress, the Senate or the administration for that matter. Only a numbskull like Trump would engage the services of a bigger numbskull like Giuliani to do his dirty work for him.
According to Parnas, Giuliani was lobbying the DOJ to treat wealthy businessman Alejandro Beancourt Lopez “leniently” because of his “ties to an opposition figure of great importance to U.S. foreign policy.” Giuliani wouldn’t know “foreign policy” if it bit him in the ass. And who died and left him in charge anyway? He’s just a washed-up embarrassment of a former mayor and prosecutor who is sticking his nose into matters where it clearly doesn’t belong. Giuliani consistently volunteered William Barr to hear people’s cases that Barr likely knew nothing about. While Giuliani certainly behaved as if he had a few screws loose, someone gave him his marching orders, and it is unlikely that William Barr is that person. This leaves us with one choice: “president” Donald Trump, who also appears to volunteer Barr for these unorthodox activities.
Trump may have been “acquitted” by the senate, but he remains impeached. He continues to behave as a half-cocked mob boss, and eventually, that is going to catch up to him. Parnas is certainly doing his part to make sure that it does.
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--2020-02-08--Donald Trump’s “orange face” photo debacle just got even uglier for him

Last night a photographer named William Moon tweeted a photograph of Donald Trump that was , shall we say , less than flattering .
The image showed that Trump ’ s hair had been blown straight back by the wind , revealing the contrast between Trump ’ s spray tan-like orange facepaint and the pale skin that had been hiding beneath his goofy hairdo .
The photo went viral .
Today , Trump made the whole thing worse .
If there ’ s one way to make sure that everyone sees a terrible photograph of you , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough , Donald Trump tweeted the “ orange face ” photo – though in black and white – which made it look even worse : To be clear , there is no evidence that the photograph was “ photoshopped.
” It ’ s also unclear why Trump thinks his hair looks “ good ” in this photo .
In any case , if Trump thinks the photo of him is falsified , why did he just tweet it ?
Sure , maybe he ’ s trying to change the subject away from last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Ambassador Sondland .
But if he ’ s already trying to distract us , then that ’ s just a sign that his revenge plot against them is backfiring on him .

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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Last night a photographer named William Moon tweeted a photograph of Donald Trump that was, shall we say, less than flattering. The image showed that Trump’s hair had been blown straight back by the wind, revealing the contrast between Trump’s spray tan-like orange facepaint and the pale skin that had been hiding beneath his goofy hairdo. The photo went viral. Today, Trump made the whole thing worse.
If there’s one way to make sure that everyone sees a terrible photograph of you, it’s to tweet the photo yourself. Sure enough, Donald Trump tweeted the “orange face” photo – though in black and white – which made it look even worse:
More Fake News. This was photoshopped, obviously, but the wind was strong and the hair looks good? Anything to demean! https://t.co/t8ptYMCYHf — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2020
To be clear, there is no evidence that the photograph was “photoshopped.” It’s also unclear why Trump thinks his hair looks “good” in this photo. In any case, if Trump thinks the photo of him is falsified, why did he just tweet it? Sure, maybe he’s trying to change the subject away from last night’s ouster of Colonel Vindman and Ambassador Sondland. But if he’s already trying to distract us, then that’s just a sign that his revenge plot against them is backfiring on him.
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--2020-02-08--Donald Trump’s complicit stooge Marco Rubio goes completely off the deep end

Marco Rubio was one of fifty-two Republican Senators who looked at all the proof of Donald Trump ’ s guilt @ @ @ @ @ and decided to acquit him anyway , without even calling a single witness to publicly @ @ @ @ @ Trump is carrying out a petty revenge tour by ousting people like Colonel Vindman and @ @ @ @ @ to the House , Rubio is going off the deep end trying to align himself @ @ @ @ @ ’ s villainy .
Rubio tried spinning up a narrative about how Vindman wasn ’ @ @ @ @ @ instead merely transferred , and how Trump has the right to fire Sondland at his @ @ @ @ @ true in a vacuum .
But in reality , Trump did this specifically to retaliate @ @ @ @ @ him , which is a felony .
It ’ s yet another criminal charge that @ @ @ @ @ trial for once he ’ s out of office .
In the meantime , every @ @ @ @ @ know what a scumbag and blithering idiot he is :

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Marco Rubio was one of fifty-two Republican Senators who looked at all the proof of Donald Trump’s guilt in his Ukraine extortion scandal and decided to acquit him anyway, without even calling a single witness to publicly testify first. Now that Trump is carrying out a petty revenge tour by ousting people like Colonel Vindman and Ambassador Sondland, who testified to the House, Rubio is going off the deep end trying to align himself even more closely with Trump’s villainy.
Rubio tried spinning up a narrative about how Vindman wasn’t actually fired and was instead merely transferred, and how Trump has the right to fire Sondland at his pleasure. This would be true in a vacuum. But in reality, Trump did this specifically to retaliate against them for testifying against him, which is a felony. It’s yet another criminal charge that Trump will be put on trial for once he’s out of office. In the meantime, every piled on and let Rubio know what a scumbag and blithering idiot he is:
Shame on you defending this behavior. Security escorting Vindman out? Really? https://t.co/k43xgeF1L3 — Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) February 8, 2020
But @marcorubio , must a wounded warrior, a public servant who has served his country for 2 decades, be escorted out of the a White House, like some criminal? That is wrong. https://t.co/ehxz7QLDEo — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) February 8, 2020
As if acquitting Trump weren't disgrace enough, now he's rushing to make excuses for him. Is there an award for kissing up to Trump the most? https://t.co/PvPUjIfyFR — Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) February 8, 2020
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palmerreport--2020-02-08--Donald Trump goes completely unhinged meltdown after this Colonel Vindman stunt backfires on him

Donald Trump seemed to think that if he started ousting people from his administration who dared to testify in the House impeachment hearings , it would make him look big and powerful and unstoppable .
Instead , Trump ’ s decision to oust Colonel Vindman from the White House National Security Council ( and have him escorted from the building ) has left him looking small , petty , and unfocused .
Naturally , Trump isn ’ t happy about this – so he ’ s imploding about it : Fake News @ CNN & MSDNC keep talking about “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I should think only how wonderful he was .
Actually , I don ’ t know him , never spoke to him , or met him ( I don ’ t believe ! )
but , he was very insubordinate , reported contents of my “ perfect ” calls incorrectly , & was given a horrendous report by his superior , the man he reported to , who publicly stated that Vindman had problems with judgement , adhering to the chain of command and leaking information .
In other words , “ OUT @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong here , we ’ re not even sure where to start .
It ’ s anyone ’ s guess as to whether Trump was trying to make a Democratic National Committee joke about MSNBC , or if he honestly just can ’ t spell it .
It ’ s also unclear why Trump put Vindman ’ s military rank in quotation marks ; we ’ ll just chalk that up to Trump being a draft dodger .
His claims about Vindman are all false .
And of course Trump is ignoring the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retaliating against a witness .
Of course the upshot here is that Donald Trump ’ s focus couldn ’ t be any more removed from the 2020 election right now .
Ousting Colonel Vindman and firing U.S .
Ambassador Gordon Sondland doesn ’ t somehow magically solidify his power or gain him votes .
Nor will it scare others from coming forward ; if anything it ’ ll probably motivate others to speak up .
Trump is just looking for petty revenge , and that ’ s generally what you do when you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If the Resistance stays focused and puts in the work , Trump will lose in November .

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 seemed to think that if he started ousting people from his administration who dared to testify in the House impeachment hearings, it would make him look big and powerful and unstoppable. Instead, Trump’s decision to oust Colonel Vindman from the White House National Security Council (and have him escorted from the building) has left him looking small, petty, and unfocused. Naturally, Trump isn’t happy about this – so he’s imploding about it:
Fake News @CNN & MSDNC keep talking about “Lt. Col.” Vindman as though I should think only how wonderful he was. Actually, I don’t know him, never spoke to him, or met him (I don’t believe!) but, he was very insubordinate, reported contents of my “perfect” calls incorrectly, & was given a horrendous report by his superior, the man he reported to, who publicly stated that Vindman had problems with judgement, adhering to the chain of command and leaking information. In other words, “OUT”.
There’s so much wrong here, we’re not even sure where to start. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether Trump was trying to make a Democratic National Committee joke about MSNBC, or if he honestly just can’t spell it. It’s also unclear why Trump put Vindman’s military rank in quotation marks; we’ll just chalk that up to Trump being a draft dodger. His claims about Vindman are all false. And of course Trump is ignoring the part where he committed a felony by retaliating against a witness.
Of course the upshot here is that Donald Trump’s focus couldn’t be any more removed from the 2020 election right now. Ousting Colonel Vindman and firing U.S. Ambassador Gordon Sondland doesn’t somehow magically solidify his power or gain him votes. Nor will it scare others from coming forward; if anything it’ll probably motivate others to speak up. Trump is just looking for petty revenge, and that’s generally what you do when you think you’re going to lose. If the Resistance stays focused and puts in the work, Trump will lose in November.
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--2020-02-08--Donald Trump has a whole new Fox News problem

While we like to think of Fox as just one big echo chamber for Donald Trump and his draconian ideas to spread and further intoxicate his base , this isn ’ t exactly true .
Sometimes it ’ s the other way around – that what Trump thinks is real is actually just some overblown feature story that he saw on Fox and the producers are well aware that he ’ s listening and they ’ ll push it in hopes that he goes their way on national policy .
When the Ukraine scandal was still developing , Fox pundits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an effort to muddy the water around impeachment .
That they did this isn ’ t so surprising .
As the news broke , they were regularly in touch with John Solomon , an op-ed writer for The Hill who used his position to come up with stories about crimes Joe Biden supposedly committed .
Sean Hannity regularly regurgitated his lies and hailed him as a brave investigative reporter .
What ’ s surprising is that Fox News knew that Solomon was a liar who failed to disclose that he was working @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that he was in fact a crucial part of the campaign , and an internal report called them out , according to new reporting by the Daily Beast .
They not only knew Solomon and Giuliani were liars , the company was warned against having them on the network due to the nature of their involvement in the Ukraine scandal .
They created a list of liars with Giuliani at the top , underlining that he was doing pretty much what we knew he was doing all along .
Also on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who are both hired as legal experts by the network and on the payroll of an exiled Ukrainian oligarch , Dmytro Firtash .
Of course , the network did nothing to keep them off the air .
Trump may be having his victory lap , but it was a pyrrhic victory for Fox who helped him along the way and they may be looking at problems of their own .

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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While we like to think of Fox as just one big echo chamber for Donald Trump and his draconian ideas to spread and further intoxicate his base, this isn’t exactly true. Sometimes it’s the other way around – that what Trump thinks is real is actually just some overblown feature story that he saw on Fox and the producers are well aware that he’s listening and they’ll push it in hopes that he goes their way on national policy. When the Ukraine scandal was still developing, Fox pundits worked to promote a number of conspiracies in an effort to muddy the water around impeachment. That they did this isn’t so surprising.
As the news broke, they were regularly in touch with John Solomon, an op-ed writer for The Hill who used his position to come up with stories about crimes Joe Biden supposedly committed. Sean Hannity regularly regurgitated his lies and hailed him as a brave investigative reporter. What’s surprising is that Fox News knew that Solomon was a liar who failed to disclose that he was working on a disinformation campaign alongside Rudy Giuliani, that he was in fact a crucial part of the campaign, and an internal report called them out, according to new reporting by the Daily Beast. They not only knew Solomon and Giuliani were liars, the company was warned against having them on the network due to the nature of their involvement in the Ukraine scandal.
They created a list of liars with Giuliani at the top, underlining that he was doing pretty much what we knew he was doing all along. Also on the list were Victoria Toensing and Joe DiGenova, who are both hired as legal experts by the network and on the payroll of an exiled Ukrainian oligarch, Dmytro Firtash. Of course, the network did nothing to keep them off the air. Trump may be having his victory lap, but it was a pyrrhic victory for Fox who helped him along the way and they may be looking at problems of their own.
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--2020-02-08--Former Tea Party leader vows to support any Democratic Party nominee over Donald Trump

This week , former Congressman Joe Walsh ended his 2020 Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump .
This came after Trump made a significant effort to cancel Republican primary contests in some states .
Walsh isn ’ t done , though , because he just announced that he ’ ll throw his support behind any 2020 Democratic nominee over Trump .
This is crucial because Joe Walsh isn ’ t some moderate .
He ’ s a former Tea Party leader with a number of far-right views .
But he ’ s putting country over party and ideology , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dictator.
” You can watch part of Walsh ’ s explanation below : JUST NOW : `` I would rather have a socialist in the White House than a dictator . ''
As he drops out of GOP primary Former Tea Party Republican @ WalshFreedom says he will back any Democrat .
@ NewDaypic.twitter.com/sEd1Oc4nez This kind of thing is crucial .
Even if someone like Joe Walsh can ’ t reach Donald Trump ’ s base , his voice does carry weight among conservative voters who neither love nor hate Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fraction of them to join him in voting for the Democratic nominee in 2020 , Walsh can help make a meaningful difference if the race ends up being close .
You can follow Joe Walsh ’ s Twitter account here .

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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This week, former Congressman Joe Walsh ended his 2020 Republican primary challenge against Donald Trump. This came after Trump made a significant effort to cancel Republican primary contests in some states. Walsh isn’t done, though, because he just announced that he’ll throw his support behind any 2020 Democratic nominee over Trump.
This is crucial because Joe Walsh isn’t some moderate. He’s a former Tea Party leader with a number of far-right views. But he’s putting country over party and ideology, because in his words, Trump is “a dictator.” You can watch part of Walsh’s explanation below:
JUST NOW: " I would rather have a socialist in the White House than a dictator." As he drops out of GOP primary Former Tea Party Republican @WalshFreedom says he will back any Democrat. @NewDaypic.twitter.com/sEd1Oc4nez — John Berman (@JohnBerman) February 7, 2020
This kind of thing is crucial. Even if someone like Joe Walsh can’t reach Donald Trump’s base, his voice does carry weight among conservative voters who neither love nor hate Trump. If he can convince even a small fraction of them to join him in voting for the Democratic nominee in 2020, Walsh can help make a meaningful difference if the race ends up being close. You can follow Joe Walsh’s Twitter account here.
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.