palmerreport--2020-02-19--Julian Assange just dropped a bomb on Donald Trump’s head

Donald Trump has been playing a dangerous game by dangling pardons at his own criminal co-conspirators but never coming through for them .
Sure , Paul Manafort is still dutifully rotting away in solitary , and Roger Stone is hanging in there for now .
But when Trump started pardoning criminals yesterday and he only included people who had paid him off , while ignoring his own co-conspirators , one of them decided to strike back .
Julian Assange , who will never taste freedom at this point and has nothing to lose , is now revealing that Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keeping quiet about Russia ’ s involvement in the WikiLeaks plot to hack the DNC and swing the election in Trump ’ s favor .
We ’ re not inclined to take anything Assange says at face value , but his lawyers have provided specific details to the Daily Beast , including the fact that the pardon offered was relayed through Russia-loving former GOP Congressman Dana Rohrabacher .
So what happens now ?
By outing the fact that Donald Trump offered a pardon that never came through , Assange is giving up any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because Trump pretty much can ’ t do it now that everything is out in the open .
Perhaps Assange is looking to harm Trump ’ s 2020 prospects in the hope that he can cut a cooperating plea deal with the next administration .
Or perhaps at this point Assange – who by all accounts is a frail and withdrawn shadow of his former self – just wants revenge .
Either way , this has to be seen as bad news for Donald Trump .
There ’ s no possible way Julian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ secretly help Trump , because this wouldn ’ t be the approach he ’ d take at all .
Trump appears to have made an enemy out of Assange by offering him a pardon and then reneging on it , and now Assange is going after him .
What happens if someone like Roger Stone , who knows far more of Trump ’ s dirt , also concludes that no magic pardon is coming ?

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Donald Trump has been playing a dangerous game by dangling pardons at his own criminal co-conspirators but never coming through for them. Sure, Paul Manafort is still dutifully rotting away in solitary, and Roger Stone is hanging in there for now. But when Trump started pardoning criminals yesterday and he only included people who had paid him off, while ignoring his own co-conspirators, one of them decided to strike back.
Julian Assange, who will never taste freedom at this point and has nothing to lose, is now revealing that Donald Trump offered him a pardon in exchange for keeping quiet about Russia’s involvement in the WikiLeaks plot to hack the DNC and swing the election in Trump’s favor. We’re not inclined to take anything Assange says at face value, but his lawyers have provided specific details to the Daily Beast, including the fact that the pardon offered was relayed through Russia-loving former GOP Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. So what happens now?
By outing the fact that Donald Trump offered a pardon that never came through, Assange is giving up any hope of ever getting that pardon, because Trump pretty much can’t do it now that everything is out in the open. Perhaps Assange is looking to harm Trump’s 2020 prospects in the hope that he can cut a cooperating plea deal with the next administration. Or perhaps at this point Assange – who by all accounts is a frail and withdrawn shadow of his former self – just wants revenge.
Either way, this has to be seen as bad news for Donald Trump. There’s no possible way Julian Assange is doing this to try to secretly help Trump, because this wouldn’t be the approach he’d take at all. Trump appears to have made an enemy out of Assange by offering him a pardon and then reneging on it, and now Assange is going after him. What happens if someone like Roger Stone, who knows far more of Trump’s dirt, also concludes that no magic pardon is coming?
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--Lindsey Graham has no idea what he’s doing

Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on Fox News on Monday night , complaining , “ You ’ re not trying to uphold the rule of law .
You ’ re trying to take a good man down because you hate Trump.
” Graham was referring to Attorney General William Barr and using a tired , twisted defense .
It ’ s like saying you want the police to find the people who vandalized your home because you hate them–not because they engaged in wrongdoing .
The silver lining is that when sycophants like Graham resort to arguing “ you ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” it means they ’ re losing bigly .
Late last week , Barr claimed in an interview with ABC News that he won ’ t be bullied and that Trump ’ s tweets are making it “ impossible ” for him to do his job .
Whether or not this was an act of staged resistance , Barr ’ s comments backfired .
Exactly what job Barr is doing has come under increasing scrutiny as a groundswell of pushback against Barr ’ s mockery of justice is underway .
Former U.S. Attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the unprecedented nature of the situation in a tweet Monday night : “ This is mind-blowing .
I ’ ve never heard of anything like it .
We are in full on crisis mode.
” On Sunday , DOJ alumni published an open letter , which now bears over 2,000 signatures , calling for Barr to resign after interfering in the sentencing of Roger Stone , who was convicted in November on seven counts of witness tampering and lying to Congress .
Yesterday , the Federal Judges Association , an independent group of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis .
According to an analysis by the Washington Post of news articles since the association ’ s founding in 1982 , there has been “ nothing like a meeting to deal with the conduct of a president or attorney general.
” At Barr ’ s confirmation hearing a mere 13 months ago , he claimed , “ Nothing could be more destructive of our system of government , of the rule of law or the Department of Justice as an institution than any toleration of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law.
” He went on to say that Americans need to be sure that there are places in government “ where the rule of law , not politics , holds sway and where they will be treated fairly based solely on the facts and the evenhanded application of the law .
The Department of Justice must be that place.
” Through these words and his subsequent actions , Barr has crafted a convincing case for his immediate resignation .

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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Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on Fox News on Monday night, complaining, “You’re not trying to uphold the rule of law. You’re trying to take a good man down because you hate Trump.” Graham was referring to Attorney General William Barr and using a tired, twisted defense. It’s like saying you want the police to find the people who vandalized your home because you hate them–not because they engaged in wrongdoing. The silver lining is that when sycophants like Graham resort to arguing “you’re doing this because you hate Trump,” it means they’re losing bigly.
Late last week, Barr claimed in an interview with ABC News that he won’t be bullied and that Trump’s tweets are making it “impossible” for him to do his job. Whether or not this was an act of staged resistance, Barr’s comments backfired. Exactly what job Barr is doing has come under increasing scrutiny as a groundswell of pushback against Barr’s mockery of justice is underway. Former U.S. Attorney and DOJ official Harry Litman chillingly described the unprecedented nature of the situation in a tweet Monday night: “This is mind-blowing. I’ve never heard of anything like it. We are in full on crisis mode.”
On Sunday, DOJ alumni published an open letter, which now bears over 2,000 signatures, calling for Barr to resign after interfering in the sentencing of Roger Stone, who was convicted in November on seven counts of witness tampering and lying to Congress. Yesterday, the Federal Judges Association, an independent group of over 1,000 jurists, revealed it is calling an emergency meeting to discuss the crisis. According to an analysis by the Washington Post of news articles since the association’s founding in 1982, there has been “nothing like a meeting to deal with the conduct of a president or attorney general.”
At Barr’s confirmation hearing a mere 13 months ago, he claimed, “Nothing could be more destructive of our system of government, of the rule of law or the Department of Justice as an institution than any toleration of political interference with the enforcement of the law.” He went on to say that Americans need to be sure that there are places in government “where the rule of law, not politics, holds sway and where they will be treated fairly based solely on the facts and the evenhanded application of the law. The Department of Justice must be that place.” Through these words and his subsequent actions, Barr has crafted a convincing case for his immediate resignation.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--Bernie Sanders campaign caught spreading vicious false claims about another Democratic candidate’s h

Bernie Sanders campaign caught spreading vicious false claims about another Democratic candidate’s health

Bernie Sanders , who had a heart attack just three months ago , is refusing to release detailed medical records that would allow the public to know whether his health is recovering sufficiently for him to serve as president .
This alone is disturbing , as it suggests that Bernie is in even worse health than the worst that anyone would assume .
But now Bernie ’ s campaign is taking things in a shockingly awful direction .
Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray appeared on CNN this morning and told host John Berman that Mike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past ” ( watch it here ) .
This is a flat out lie .
Bloomberg has undergone a heart procedure in the past , but he ’ s certainly never had a heart attack .
After numerous reporters and pundits ( including Berman ) called her out on Twitter over this , Gray tweeted that she “ mispoke ” – and yes , she spelled it wrong – but she did not offer an apology .
Regardless of what you think about Mike Bloomberg , this isn ’ t really about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and his suitability to be the Democratic nominee .
Sanders recently had a heart attack , he ’ s trying to cover up his current health status , and his campaign is trying to distract from it by falsely claiming that his opponent had a heart attack .
This is exactly the crap that Donald Trump does , and that we all condemn Trump for .
Why would we allow anyone on the Democratic side to pul the same crap ?
Bernie Sanders is now rapidly abandoning the progressive values that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ favor of running an egotistical , lying , vicious shit show .
It ’ s painful to watch – and it ’ s got to be even more painful for those who used to truly believe in this guy .
But it ’ s time Bernie ’ s own supporters to call him to the carpet .
Bernie must immediately rid himself of all of his horrible campaign advisers , release his medical records , and make amends for his campaign ’ s behavior .
Short of that , Sanders is simply not @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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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Bernie Sanders, who had a heart attack just three months ago, is refusing to release detailed medical records that would allow the public to know whether his health is recovering sufficiently for him to serve as president. This alone is disturbing, as it suggests that Bernie is in even worse health than the worst that anyone would assume. But now Bernie’s campaign is taking things in a shockingly awful direction.
Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign national press secretary Briahna Joy Gray appeared on CNN this morning and told host John Berman that Mike Bloomberg “has suffered heart attacks in the past” (watch it here). This is a flat out lie. Bloomberg has undergone a heart procedure in the past, but he’s certainly never had a heart attack. After numerous reporters and pundits (including Berman) called her out on Twitter over this, Gray tweeted that she “mispoke” – and yes, she spelled it wrong – but she did not offer an apology.
Regardless of what you think about Mike Bloomberg, this isn’t really about him. This is about Bernie Sanders, and his suitability to be the Democratic nominee. Sanders recently had a heart attack, he’s trying to cover up his current health status, and his campaign is trying to distract from it by falsely claiming that his opponent had a heart attack. This is exactly the crap that Donald Trump does, and that we all condemn Trump for. Why would we allow anyone on the Democratic side to pul the same crap?
Bernie Sanders is now rapidly abandoning the progressive values that he originally founded his campaign on, in favor of running an egotistical, lying, vicious shit show. It’s painful to watch – and it’s got to be even more painful for those who used to truly believe in this guy. But it’s time Bernie’s own supporters to call him to the carpet. Bernie must immediately rid himself of all of his horrible campaign advisers, release his medical records, and make amends for his campaign’s behavior. Short of that, Sanders is simply not fit to be the Democratic nominee.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--The Bill Barr train wreck continues

The Bill Barr train wreck continues

The federal legal community continues to speak out about William Barr ’ s unscrupulous behavior of sticking his nose where it doesn ’ t belong in federal criminal matters .
The ink on the statement posted by the DOJ Alumni is barely dry , and now , a group of federal judges are calling an emergency meeting .
According to USA Today , the Federal Judges Association is up in arms about these latest developments .
Apparently the FJA called for the meeting immediately after “ president ” Donald Trump attacked federal prosecutors for their sentencing recommendation respecting Roger Stone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ classless nature , he also attacked Judge Amy Berman Jackson , which isn ’ t exactly a smart move to make prior to her sentencing of his pal .
Judge Cynthia Rufe said that “ there are plenty of issues that we are concerned about.
” She went on to say that the issues were so serious that they “ could not wait ” for the upcoming April conference .
Typically , anytime a judge rules against Trump or simply tries to carry out the law , Trump insists that he or she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rufe was appointed by George W. Bush .
So much for that theory .
Unlike Trump , federal judges apply the rule of law .
Just like the DOJ ( Bill Barr notwithstanding ) , these federal judges adhere to the Constitution and do what is right according to that document .
As we know , Trump decimates the Constitution at every turn .
In fact , Trump told reporters today : “ I ’ m actually , I guess , the chief law enforcement officer of the country.
” Wrong .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump makes him look like a Rhodes scholar .
Meanwhile , Trump ’ s Attorney General not only fails to correct Trump ’ s false statements , but he continues to do everything to help Trump destroy Constitutional norms .
According to HuffPost , Barr is now busying himself with “ reviewing ” the case against Michael Flynn .
Is he seriously going to review every case of every Trump crony ?
Who ’ s next , Paul Manafort ?
We all see what ’ s wrong in Barr ’ s actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ayer , a former deputy attorney general under George H.W .
Bush , penned an essay for the Atlantic : “ Bill Barr Must Resign.
” HuffPost reports that Ayer “ predicts a grim outcome for America if Barr continues to serve Trump.
” Ayer lays out a compelling case of Barr ’ s conduct and behavior that make him wholly unfit for the office of attorney general .
He refers to Barr as Trump ’ s “ personal advocate , ” which is very close to the truth .
The only thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal fixer , as that is clearly his job .
William Barr will never resign on his own .
He is as drunk on his power as Trump is on his .
In that respect , they ’ re a perfect match .
Unfortunately , that match is not good for us .
Hopefully , Barr will keep his promise to testify before the House Judiciary Committee , for fear he ’ ll be impeached if he doesn ’ t .
How this will all end is anyone ’ s guess , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out about it .
They need to keep speaking , and it might just do some good .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
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The federal legal community continues to speak out about William Barr’s unscrupulous behavior of sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong in federal criminal matters. The ink on the statement posted by the DOJ Alumni is barely dry, and now, a group of federal judges are calling an emergency meeting. According to USA Today, the Federal Judges Association is up in arms about these latest developments. Apparently the FJA called for the meeting immediately after “president” Donald Trump attacked federal prosecutors for their sentencing recommendation respecting Roger Stone. As is Trump’s inherent classless nature, he also attacked Judge Amy Berman Jackson, which isn’t exactly a smart move to make prior to her sentencing of his pal.
Judge Cynthia Rufe said that “there are plenty of issues that we are concerned about.” She went on to say that the issues were so serious that they “could not wait” for the upcoming April conference. Typically, anytime a judge rules against Trump or simply tries to carry out the law, Trump insists that he or she is an “Obama” judge. Rufe was appointed by George W. Bush. So much for that theory. Unlike Trump, federal judges apply the rule of law. Just like the DOJ (Bill Barr notwithstanding), these federal judges adhere to the Constitution and do what is right according to that document. As we know, Trump decimates the Constitution at every turn. In fact, Trump told reporters today: “I’m actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country.” Wrong. And people thought George W. Bush was dumb. Trump makes him look like a Rhodes scholar. Meanwhile, Trump’s Attorney General not only fails to correct Trump’s false statements, but he continues to do everything to help Trump destroy Constitutional norms.
According to HuffPost, Barr is now busying himself with “reviewing” the case against Michael Flynn. Is he seriously going to review every case of every Trump crony? Who’s next, Paul Manafort? We all see what’s wrong in Barr’s actions, and so do others. Donald Ayer, a former deputy attorney general under George H.W. Bush, penned an essay for the Atlantic: “Bill Barr Must Resign.” HuffPost reports that Ayer “predicts a grim outcome for America if Barr continues to serve Trump.” Ayer lays out a compelling case of Barr’s conduct and behavior that make him wholly unfit for the office of attorney general. He refers to Barr as Trump’s “personal advocate,” which is very close to the truth. The only thing closer is calling him Trump’s personal fixer, as that is clearly his job.
William Barr will never resign on his own. He is as drunk on his power as Trump is on his. In that respect, they’re a perfect match. Unfortunately, that match is not good for us. Hopefully, Barr will keep his promise to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, for fear he’ll be impeached if he doesn’t. How this will all end is anyone’s guess, but it is important that others are speaking out about it. They need to keep speaking, and it might just do some good.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-19--The real reason Bill Barr is suddenly pretending he’s going to resign

For months , Palmer Report has been pointing out that whenever a newspaper runs a story sourced to “ people familiar with Bill Barr ’ s thinking ” or some other similar verbiage , that source is always Barr himself .
It ’ s his way of trying to control the media narrative , and he ’ s been doing it for as long as he ’ s had the job .
We ’ re not the only ones who have caught onto this , of course .
On Tuesday night , ABC News reported that according to people close @ @ @ @ @ @ @ considering resigning because Donald Trump won ’ t stop meddling in his business .
Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O ’ Donnell discussed it during their 10pm handoff on MSNBC , and they were both trying to suppress laughter at how absurdly thinly disguised the sourcing was .
We all know this story came from Barr himself , because he wants the narrative out there that he ’ s considering resigning .
Spoiler alert : he ’ s not about to resign .
So what ’ s he doing ?
Barr keeps blowing it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admit he never had a case against Andrew McCabe , to failing to bully the Roger Stone judge into granting a new trial .
But Barr is still the most effective ( or least ineffective ) henchman Donald Trump has in his stable .
Trump needs Barr and he knows it .
Yet Trump is also clinically compelled by his narcissism to outdo Barr , to take credit for what Barr is doing , and so on .
This makes it harder for Barr to pull off his corrupt antics , which largely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thus not drawing much outrage .
Barr appears to believe that Trump ’ s meddling is why he keeps striking out .
So why is Bill Barr threatening to quit by leaking that he ’ s considering quitting ?
One word : leverage .
Barr believes that by threatening to simply walk away , he can snap Trump into realizing that he ’ s got to knock off the meddling tweets .
After all , if Barr quits , Trump ’ s teetering presidency probably collapses .
So Barr is using this leverage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it together .
The thing is , Donald Trump has leverage of his own over Bill Barr .
Barr has committed so many felony obstruction of justice antics while on the job , it ’ s nearly a given that the DOJ will make an example out of him as soon as it possibly can .
If Barr were to resign today , the DOJ would probably try to go after him tomorrow , and would certainly take him down if Trump loses the election .
Barr needs a pardon of his own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump knows it .
So as these two con artists play a game of chicken with each other , we ’ ll see if one or both of them loses .

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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For months, Palmer Report has been pointing out that whenever a newspaper runs a story sourced to “people familiar with Bill Barr’s thinking” or some other similar verbiage, that source is always Barr himself. It’s his way of trying to control the media narrative, and he’s been doing it for as long as he’s had the job. We’re not the only ones who have caught onto this, of course.
On Tuesday night, ABC News reported that according to people close to Bill Barr, he’s considering resigning because Donald Trump won’t stop meddling in his business. Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell discussed it during their 10pm handoff on MSNBC, and they were both trying to suppress laughter at how absurdly thinly disguised the sourcing was. We all know this story came from Barr himself, because he wants the narrative out there that he’s considering resigning. Spoiler alert: he’s not about to resign. So what’s he doing?
Barr keeps blowing it in various ways, from having to admit he never had a case against Andrew McCabe, to failing to bully the Roger Stone judge into granting a new trial. But Barr is still the most effective (or least ineffective) henchman Donald Trump has in his stable. Trump needs Barr and he knows it. Yet Trump is also clinically compelled by his narcissism to outdo Barr, to take credit for what Barr is doing, and so on. This makes it harder for Barr to pull off his corrupt antics, which largely rely on not making much noise and thus not drawing much outrage. Barr appears to believe that Trump’s meddling is why he keeps striking out.
So why is Bill Barr threatening to quit by leaking that he’s considering quitting? One word: leverage. Barr believes that by threatening to simply walk away, he can snap Trump into realizing that he’s got to knock off the meddling tweets. After all, if Barr quits, Trump’s teetering presidency probably collapses. So Barr is using this leverage to try to force Trump to pull it together.
The thing is, Donald Trump has leverage of his own over Bill Barr. Barr has committed so many felony obstruction of justice antics while on the job, it’s nearly a given that the DOJ will make an example out of him as soon as it possibly can. If Barr were to resign today, the DOJ would probably try to go after him tomorrow, and would certainly take him down if Trump loses the election. Barr needs a pardon of his own before he can walk away, and Trump knows it. So as these two con artists play a game of chicken with each other, we’ll see if one or both of them loses.
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--2020-02-21--Bernie Sanders just took an ugly blow

Bernie Sanders just took an ugly blow

Last night Elizabeth Warren used the debate stage to take a blowtorch to Mike Bloomberg .
She went hard after him right out of the gate , exposing his flaws and scandals and red flags one after another , and just wouldn ’ t let up .
In the process she likely halted Bloomberg ’ s recent momentum in the polls , and she firmly put herself back in the game .
Interestingly , Warren didn ’ t go after Bernie Sanders last night , even though he ’ s had quite a scandalous week – but that just changed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ punching holes in Mike Bloomberg ’ s flawed candidacy last night to get around to poking holes in Bernie Sanders ’ increasingly toxic candidacy .
Or maybe she just wanted to sleep on it and make sure she was doing the right thing before calling out Bernie .
But sure enough , when Warren was asked today about Bernie ’ s ongoing refusal to release detailed medical records , she went right at him for it .
Politico ’ s Alex Thompson documented the exchange .
Warren said that Bernie “ made a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and I thought that was what he was going to do.
” When the reporter asked about the letters that Bernie has released from his doctor , she made clear that “ Those aren ’ t medical records.
” Ever since Donald Trump ’ s mysterious hospital visit late last year , we ’ ve all been holding his feet to the fire over his refusal to explain what happened .
In fact , we ’ ve all spent years slamming Trump for merely releasing a letter from his doctor and trying to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ history .
Now Bernie Sanders is pulling the same crap about his recent heart attack .
Elizabeth Warren is absolutely right to call him out over it .

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 Elizabeth Warren used the debate stage to take a blowtorch to Mike Bloomberg. She went hard after him right out of the gate, exposing his flaws and scandals and red flags one after another, and just wouldn’t let up. In the process she likely halted Bloomberg’s recent momentum in the polls, and she firmly put herself back in the game. Interestingly, Warren didn’t go after Bernie Sanders last night, even though he’s had quite a scandalous week – but that just changed.
Maybe Warren was just too busy punching holes in Mike Bloomberg’s flawed candidacy last night to get around to poking holes in Bernie Sanders’ increasingly toxic candidacy. Or maybe she just wanted to sleep on it and make sure she was doing the right thing before calling out Bernie. But sure enough, when Warren was asked today about Bernie’s ongoing refusal to release detailed medical records, she went right at him for it.
Politico’s Alex Thompson documented the exchange. Warren said that Bernie “made a promise to release all his medical records and I thought that was what he was going to do.” When the reporter asked about the letters that Bernie has released from his doctor, she made clear that “Those aren’t medical records.”
Ever since Donald Trump’s mysterious hospital visit late last year, we’ve all been holding his feet to the fire over his refusal to explain what happened. In fact, we’ve all spent years slamming Trump for merely releasing a letter from his doctor and trying to pass it off as a legitimate medical history. Now Bernie Sanders is pulling the same crap about his recent heart attack. Elizabeth Warren is absolutely right to call him out over it.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Stephen Miller takes it on the chin

Stephen Miller takes it on the chin

In August 2018 , retired neuroscientist David Glosser wrote an alarming article for Politico entitled , “ Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite .
I Know Because I ’ m His Uncle.
” Glosser expressed his “ dismay and increasing horror ” watching his nephew “ become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family ’ s life in this country.
” Glosser explained how if Miller ’ s ideas had been the law a century ago , “ our family would have been wiped out.
” A year and a half later , Miller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ good graces , advising him on growing their anti-immigrant agenda through cruel family separation , racist travel bans , and more .
Despite all the hate , Miller appears to have fallen in love .
On Sunday , Miller married Katie Waldman , who is currently Mike Pence ’ s press secretary and also serves Trump as a special assistant .
The wedding took place at a super-secretive reception at Trump International Hotel in Washington DC with both Trump and Pence in attendance .
Miller seems to have found his soulmate in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 , as Homeland Security Deputy Press Secretary under Kirstjen Nielsen , Waldman insisted to ABC News that the Trump administration “ never had a blanket policy of separating families in custody.
” Around the same time , she also told CNN that border agents needed to use tear gas and pepper spray against a “ violent mob of migrants ” from Mexico .
Not surprisingly , Glosser was not invited to his nephew ’ s wedding .
He nevertheless came up with the perfect wedding gift .
On Monday , Glosser announced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contribution to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society ( HIAS ) , a worldwide organization that has assisted refugees since its founding in 1881 .
Glosser wrote that HIAS “ helped to rescue my family from Czarist oppression in the Russian Empire in 1906 ” and would have otherwise “ been murdered by the racial madness of Nazism.
” He also cited 74 relatives who “ were shut out of America by the race/religion based immigration exclusion act of 1925 enacted by the ‘ America First ’ populists of the day.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has already raised nearly $ 4,000 for HIAS , following his own donation .
After the newlyweds are finished opening their cards , they should take a moment to read at least the last sentence of their uncle ’ s post : “ Protect the refugee and welcome the stranger…they built America.
” These brave , hardworking , and hopeful people did build America , but in a dark twist of fate , they also enabled Miller to be where he is today .

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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In August 2018, retired neuroscientist David Glosser wrote an alarming article for Politico entitled, “Stephen Miller Is an Immigration Hypocrite. I Know Because I’m His Uncle.” Glosser expressed his “dismay and increasing horror” watching his nephew “become the architect of immigration policies that repudiate the very foundation of our family’s life in this country.” Glosser explained how if Miller’s ideas had been the law a century ago, “our family would have been wiped out.”
A year and a half later, Miller is still in Donald Trump’s good graces, advising him on growing their anti-immigrant agenda through cruel family separation, racist travel bans, and more. Despite all the hate, Miller appears to have fallen in love. On Sunday, Miller married Katie Waldman, who is currently Mike Pence’s press secretary and also serves Trump as a special assistant. The wedding took place at a super-secretive reception at Trump International Hotel in Washington DC with both Trump and Pence in attendance.
Miller seems to have found his soulmate in a match made in hell. In January 2019, as Homeland Security Deputy Press Secretary under Kirstjen Nielsen, Waldman insisted to ABC News that the Trump administration “never had a blanket policy of separating families in custody.” Around the same time, she also told CNN that border agents needed to use tear gas and pepper spray against a “violent mob of migrants” from Mexico.
Not surprisingly, Glosser was not invited to his nephew’s wedding. He nevertheless came up with the perfect wedding gift. On Monday, Glosser announced on Facebook that he will be making a contribution to the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), a worldwide organization that has assisted refugees since its founding in 1881. Glosser wrote that HIAS “helped to rescue my family from Czarist oppression in the Russian Empire in 1906” and would have otherwise “been murdered by the racial madness of Nazism.” He also cited 74 relatives who “were shut out of America by the race/religion based immigration exclusion act of 1925 enacted by the ‘America First’ populists of the day.”
In just a couple of days, Glosser has already raised nearly $4,000 for HIAS, following his own donation. After the newlyweds are finished opening their cards, they should take a moment to read at least the last sentence of their uncle’s post: “Protect the refugee and welcome the stranger…they built America.” These brave, hardworking, and hopeful people did build America, but in a dark twist of fate, they also enabled Miller to be where he is today.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Donald Trump goes berserk and attacks Fox News as everything falls apart for him today

Attorney General Bill Barr failed to get Roger Stone a new trial today , as the judge in the case went ahead and sentenced Stone to prison instead .
The forty month sentence was right in line with the middle-of-the-road sentences that this judge always hands out , meaning Barr ’ s antics didn ’ t even get Stone ’ s sentence reduced .
Trump then announced that he ’ s not going to pardon Roger Stone at this time , and he instead urged Stone to push forward with the appeals process .
Translation : he ’ s going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until after the election , because pardons of co-conspirators are a big risk .
Of course Trump has to blame someone for the bad day he ’ s having , so he ’ s blaming… Fox News ?
Yep : Wait a minute here .
Donald Trump isn ’ t even focused on his Barr/Stone debacle .
Instead he ’ s upset that after he taunted Mike Bloomberg for having a weak debate performance last night , some pundits on Fox News pointed out that Trump did rather poorly in his own 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nonsense , instead of trying to find a way to overcome his weak poll numbers and climb into 2020 contention .

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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Attorney General Bill Barr failed to get Roger Stone a new trial today, as the judge in the case went ahead and sentenced Stone to prison instead. The forty month sentence was right in line with the middle-of-the-road sentences that this judge always hands out, meaning Barr’s antics didn’t even get Stone’s sentence reduced.
Trump then announced that he’s not going to pardon Roger Stone at this time, and he instead urged Stone to push forward with the appeals process. Translation: he’s going to let Stone rot, at least until after the election, because pardons of co-conspirators are a big risk. Of course Trump has to blame someone for the bad day he’s having, so he’s blaming… Fox News? Yep:
Could somebody at @foxnews please explain to Trump hater A.B. Stoddard (zero talent!) and @TeamCavuto, that I won every one of my debates, from beginning to end. Check the polls taken immediately after the debates. The debates got me elected. Must be Fox Board Member Paul Ryan! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 20, 2020
Wait a minute here. Donald Trump isn’t even focused on his Barr/Stone debacle. Instead he’s upset that after he taunted Mike Bloomberg for having a weak debate performance last night, some pundits on Fox News pointed out that Trump did rather poorly in his own 2016 debates. Trump is focused on this nonsense, instead of trying to find a way to overcome his weak poll numbers and climb into 2020 contention.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Elizabeth Warren just nailed it again

Elizabeth Warren just nailed it again

Elizabeth Warren has routinely made clear that she thinks Super PACs should be outlawed .
She also decided today that she ’ s not going to disavow the new Super PAC that ’ s begun running ads in support of her 2020 campaign .
Good for her .
Not only is she doing the smart thing , she ’ s doing the morally correct thing .
I hate Super PACs as much as she does , but allow me to explain .
Right now the overwhelming moral imperative is to defeat Donald Trump in November .
The future of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ depend on it .
Therefore , Democratic candidates have a moral responsibility to use all of the tools available to them – even tools that shouldn ’ t exist – so long as they use those tools in an ethical way .
Yes , it ’ s a potentially slippery slope .
But does anyone really think that Liz Warren of all people is suddenly going to become corrupt , simply because some outside group ran some TV ads on her behalf ?
I ’ ve got news for you : the Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to accept Mike Bloomberg ’ s advertising money , because again , this is about defeating Trump .
If Warren does become president , she will then have a moral imperative to make every effort possible to abolish Super PACs across the board , as she ’ s promised .
But right now the moral imperative is to win .
Bernie Sanders surrogates like Susan Sarandon are already attacking Elizabeth Warren for this , and insisting it ’ s proof that Bernie is the only “ pure ” candidate .
Come to think @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that candidates shouldn ’ t resort to .
For instance , Bernie shouldn ’ t be sending his national press secretary on TV to spread false claims about Bloomberg having a heart attack – but that happened this week .
Warren isn ’ t doing anything unethical like that .
She ’ s merely using the tools that are legally available to all candidates , so she can make sure Trump gets run out of town .

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Elizabeth Warren has routinely made clear that she thinks Super PACs should be outlawed. She also decided today that she’s not going to disavow the new Super PAC that’s begun running ads in support of her 2020 campaign. Good for her. Not only is she doing the smart thing, she’s doing the morally correct thing. I hate Super PACs as much as she does, but allow me to explain.
Right now the overwhelming moral imperative is to defeat Donald Trump in November. The future of the country depends on it. Lives literally depend on it. Therefore, Democratic candidates have a moral responsibility to use all of the tools available to them – even tools that shouldn’t exist – so long as they use those tools in an ethical way.
Yes, it’s a potentially slippery slope. But does anyone really think that Liz Warren of all people is suddenly going to become corrupt, simply because some outside group ran some TV ads on her behalf? I’ve got news for you: the Democratic nominee will also have a moral imperative to accept Mike Bloomberg’s advertising money, because again, this is about defeating Trump. If Warren does become president, she will then have a moral imperative to make every effort possible to abolish Super PACs across the board, as she’s promised. But right now the moral imperative is to win.
Bernie Sanders surrogates like Susan Sarandon are already attacking Elizabeth Warren for this, and insisting it’s proof that Bernie is the only “pure” candidate. Come to think of it, there are some tactics that candidates shouldn’t resort to. For instance, Bernie shouldn’t be sending his national press secretary on TV to spread false claims about Bloomberg having a heart attack – but that happened this week. Warren isn’t doing anything unethical like that. She’s merely using the tools that are legally available to all candidates, so she can make sure Trump gets run out of town.
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palmerreport--2020-02-20--The real reason Donald Trump just announced he’s NOT pardoning Roger Stone

There were widespread predictions that after Roger Stone was sentenced today , Donald Trump would immediately and triumphantly announce via Twitter that he ’ s pardoning Stone on all charges .
Of course these predictions were based on the premise that pardons are magic wands , when in reality Trump would be unleashing a tidal wave of political and legal trouble upon himself if he were to pardon a co-conspirator .
If you ’ re a Palmer Report reader , you ’ re probably not surprised that Trump just announced he ’ s not pardoning Stone .
Reporter Zeke Miller @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which confirms that Trump isn ’ t going to pardon Stone at this time .
It also gives away a lot about what ’ s really going on here : As Palmer Report has explained , if Trump were to pardon Stone now , he ’ d be setting off a legal battle that could end up severely limiting his pardon powers going forward – which would be problematic when it comes time for Trump to try to pardon himself and his family on his way out the door .
If Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he ’ s almost certainly going to try to wait until after November .
If Trump loses the election , he can simply pardon people like Stone while he ’ s attempting to pardon himself .
And if Trump wins the election , all bets are off anyway .
Donald Trump ’ s statement today is pretty clearly aimed at trying to convince Roger Stone to push ahead with the appeals process for now , and to wait for his pardon until after November .
The only reason for Trump to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now would be if he ’ s afraid that Stone is about to go public with the dirt from their forty years of shared history .
So what about all those pardons yesterday ?
That was Donald Trump ’ s way of trying to signal to Roger Stone that he ’ s willing to throw pardons around left and right , and that Stone will indeed get his pardon in November .
But Trump isn ’ t to be trusted , and Stone knows Trump better than anyone .
Is Stone willing to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 , or will he try to force Trump ’ s hand ?
In any case , Trump appears to still grasp that pardons aren ’ t magic wands when it comes to his own co-conspirators .

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There were widespread predictions that after Roger Stone was sentenced today, Donald Trump would immediately and triumphantly announce via Twitter that he’s pardoning Stone on all charges. Of course these predictions were based on the premise that pardons are magic wands, when in reality Trump would be unleashing a tidal wave of political and legal trouble upon himself if he were to pardon a co-conspirator. If you’re a Palmer Report reader, you’re probably not surprised that Trump just announced he’s not pardoning Stone.
Reporter Zeke Miller from the AP has posted this tweet, which confirms that Trump isn’t going to pardon Stone at this time. It also gives away a lot about what’s really going on here:
Trump on Roger Stone: "I’m not going to do anything in terms of the great powers bestowed upon a president of the United States. I want the process to play out. I think that’s the best thing to do because I would love to see Roger exonerated." — Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) February 20, 2020
As Palmer Report has explained, if Trump were to pardon Stone now, he’d be setting off a legal battle that could end up severely limiting his pardon powers going forward – which would be problematic when it comes time for Trump to try to pardon himself and his family on his way out the door. If Trump is going to pardon someone like Stone, he’s almost certainly going to try to wait until after November. If Trump loses the election, he can simply pardon people like Stone while he’s attempting to pardon himself. And if Trump wins the election, all bets are off anyway.
Donald Trump’s statement today is pretty clearly aimed at trying to convince Roger Stone to push ahead with the appeals process for now, and to wait for his pardon until after November. The only reason for Trump to take the enormous risk of pardoning Stone right now would be if he’s afraid that Stone is about to go public with the dirt from their forty years of shared history.
So what about all those pardons yesterday? That was Donald Trump’s way of trying to signal to Roger Stone that he’s willing to throw pardons around left and right, and that Stone will indeed get his pardon in November. But Trump isn’t to be trusted, and Stone knows Trump better than anyone. Is Stone willing to rot in solitary confinement for most of 2020, or will he try to force Trump’s hand? In any case, Trump appears to still grasp that pardons aren’t magic wands when it comes to his own co-conspirators.
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palmerreport--2020-02-20--Bill Barr just blew it spectacularly

Bill Barr just blew it spectacularly

Roger Stone has been given a sentence of forty months in prison , which is right in the middle of the sentencing guidelines , which is what Judge Amy Berman Jackson always does with her sentencing , so it ’ s the same sentence she was always going to give him .
Based on the reactions today , some folks within the Resistance appear to be hugely confused about all of this .
First they thought that Roger Stone was somehow actually going to get seven to nine years in prison , simply because the initial DOJ sentencing recommendation called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was going to get a super light sentence , simply because Bill Barr forcibly lowered the recommendation .
Nothing works that way , of course .
Prosecutors nearly always ask for a harsh sentence .
Defense attorneys always ask for a lenient sentence .
The two sides are essentially bargaining with each other by starting at extremes .
Except it doesn ’ t really matter , because the judge then does whatever the judge was already planning to do .
Bill Barr is on his second stint running the DOJ .
He knows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explanation for his meddling was that he was counting on Trump not knowing any of this , and mistakenly believing that Barr actually somehow got Stone a shorter sentence .
The trouble is , because Bill Barr created such a major scandal while changing the sentencing recommendation , he ’ s put a spotlight on how this process actually works .
There ’ s a good chance that even the oblivious , sheltered Donald Trump will end up hearing the truth , which is that Barr didn ’ t actually accomplish anything , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not clear if there would have been a smart way for Barr to interfere in the Stone case , but he ended up choosing a particularly dumb way , and he blew it .
Now we wait to see if Trump ends up focusing his rage at Barr over the debacle .

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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Roger Stone has been given a sentence of forty months in prison, which is right in the middle of the sentencing guidelines, which is what Judge Amy Berman Jackson always does with her sentencing, so it’s the same sentence she was always going to give him.
Based on the reactions today, some folks within the Resistance appear to be hugely confused about all of this. First they thought that Roger Stone was somehow actually going to get seven to nine years in prison, simply because the initial DOJ sentencing recommendation called for it. Then they thought Stone was going to get a super light sentence, simply because Bill Barr forcibly lowered the recommendation. Nothing works that way, of course.
Prosecutors nearly always ask for a harsh sentence. Defense attorneys always ask for a lenient sentence. The two sides are essentially bargaining with each other by starting at extremes. Except it doesn’t really matter, because the judge then does whatever the judge was already planning to do. Bill Barr is on his second stint running the DOJ. He knows all of this. The only possible explanation for his meddling was that he was counting on Trump not knowing any of this, and mistakenly believing that Barr actually somehow got Stone a shorter sentence.
The trouble is, because Bill Barr created such a major scandal while changing the sentencing recommendation, he’s put a spotlight on how this process actually works. There’s a good chance that even the oblivious, sheltered Donald Trump will end up hearing the truth, which is that Barr didn’t actually accomplish anything, beyond making a mess. It’s not clear if there would have been a smart way for Barr to interfere in the Stone case, but he ended up choosing a particularly dumb way, and he blew it. Now we wait to see if Trump ends up focusing his rage at Barr over the debacle.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Donald Trump has a 2020 republican primary problem after all

While Donald Trump is busy ridiculing the remaining contenders for the Democratic nomination for president , one of his Republican rivals got a preliminary boost before the Super Tuesday contests .
Bill Weld , the former governor of Massachusetts and the only remaining competition Trump has left vying for the Republican presidential nomination was recently endorsed for president by Phil Scott , the governor of Vermont .
It ’ s the first endorsement Weld ’ s campaign received from a sitting Republican governor .
This should come as no surprise to anyone who ’ s familiar with Scott .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ removal and has spoken out against the administration ’ s more draconian policies in the past .
It also won ’ t give him much better odds of winning the nomination over Donald Trump , since winning the primary over an incumbent president would be difficult to do even without the state Republican organizations changing their rules in Trump ’ s favor , guaranteeing him an easy path to the nomination without a whole lot of infighting .
What this endorsement will probably do is give Trump something else to complain about .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter and praised him in return .
Being the narcissist he is , Trump can ’ t help himself and we ’ ll likely see him going after Weld in the not too distant future , particularly if Weld does manage to snag a few delegates for himself following Super Tuesday .
He ’ s almost certainly been counseled by his advisors to not go after fellow Republicans , even the ones living in states that his administration ’ s policies have been hostile towards , but being the narcissist Trump is , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already made publicly , the attacks are bound to come .
Expect things to get worse if other prominent blue state Republicans continue to back Weld ’ s candidacy .

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 Donald Trump is busy ridiculing the remaining contenders for the Democratic nomination for president, one of his Republican rivals got a preliminary boost before the Super Tuesday contests. Bill Weld, the former governor of Massachusetts and the only remaining competition Trump has left vying for the Republican presidential nomination was recently endorsed for president by Phil Scott, the governor of Vermont. It’s the first endorsement Weld’s campaign received from a sitting Republican governor.
This should come as no surprise to anyone who’s familiar with Scott. He called for Trump’s impeachment and removal and has spoken out against the administration’s more draconian policies in the past. It also won’t give him much better odds of winning the nomination over Donald Trump, since winning the primary over an incumbent president would be difficult to do even without the state Republican organizations changing their rules in Trump’s favor, guaranteeing him an easy path to the nomination without a whole lot of infighting.
What this endorsement will probably do is give Trump something else to complain about. Weld thanked Scott for the endorsement on Twitter and praised him in return. Being the narcissist he is, Trump can’t help himself and we’ll likely see him going after Weld in the not too distant future, particularly if Weld does manage to snag a few delegates for himself following Super Tuesday.
He’s almost certainly been counseled by his advisors to not go after fellow Republicans, even the ones living in states that his administration’s policies have been hostile towards, but being the narcissist Trump is, and the nature of statements Weld has already made publicly, the attacks are bound to come. Expect things to get worse if other prominent blue state Republicans continue to back Weld’s candidacy.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Joe Biden just got some really good news

Elizabeth Warren won Wednesday night ’ s debate , in the sense that she struck a proverbial dagger into Mike Bloomberg and revitalized her own campaign in the process .
If Warren hadn ’ t been there , we ’ d probably have been calling Joe Biden the slight winner , thanks to his sturdy and invigorated performance once the moderators remembered he was on stage .
Here ’ s the thing , though : in terms of who benefits most from this debate , Biden may have actually been the winner .
Hear me out .
Last night Palmer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s debate meltdown : “ if people bail on Bloomberg after tonight , they could revert back to Biden in sizable numbers.
” Then late last night , Michelle Ye Hee Lee from the Washington Post tweeted this : Several donors and fundraisers who were on the Biden/Bloomberg fence are texting me about their disappointment with Bloomberg tonight .
One said when asked about Bloomberg : “ An unmitigated disaster .
… Bloomberg isn ’ t the answer , that ’ s for sure.
” So it appears our hunch has turned out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the scenes who were betting on Biden , and then got enamored with Bloomberg , are now over it .
At this point it ’ s too late for them to go find some other candidate to enter the race .
Their most logical next move is to shift their support back to Biden .
Keep in mind that if black voters turn out for Biden as expected in South Carolina in nine days , we ’ ll be seeing “ Biden miracle comeback ” headlines in short order .

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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Elizabeth Warren won Wednesday night’s debate, in the sense that she struck a proverbial dagger into Mike Bloomberg and revitalized her own campaign in the process. If Warren hadn’t been there, we’d probably have been calling Joe Biden the slight winner, thanks to his sturdy and invigorated performance once the moderators remembered he was on stage. Here’s the thing, though: in terms of who benefits most from this debate, Biden may have actually been the winner. Hear me out.
Last night Palmer Report wrote this about Mike Bloomberg’s debate meltdown: “if people bail on Bloomberg after tonight, they could revert back to Biden in sizable numbers.” Then late last night, Michelle Ye Hee Lee from the Washington Post tweeted this:
Several donors and fundraisers who were on the Biden/Bloomberg fence are texting me about their disappointment with Bloomberg tonight. One said when asked about Bloomberg: “An unmitigated disaster. … Bloomberg isn’t the answer, that’s for sure.”
So it appears our hunch has turned out to be correct. The folks behind the scenes who were betting on Biden, and then got enamored with Bloomberg, are now over it. At this point it’s too late for them to go find some other candidate to enter the race. Their most logical next move is to shift their support back to Biden. Keep in mind that if black voters turn out for Biden as expected in South Carolina in nine days, we’ll be seeing “Biden miracle comeback” headlines in short order.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--Roger Stone has been sentenced to prison, Bill Barr’s stunt failed, and now Donald Trump has a no-wi

Roger Stone has been sentenced to prison, Bill Barr’s stunt failed, and now Donald Trump has a no-win decision to make

Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Roger Stone to forty months in prison today , which is right around the three-to-four year range that Palmer Report and other observers were expecting , based on Jackson ’ s track record of middle of the road sentences .
She was never going to give him the seven-to-nine years that prosecutors originally recommended .
Nor was she going to pay any heed to Bill Barr ’ s changes to the recommendations .
But now what ?
For starters , Bill Barr has failed Donald Trump yet again .
The question is whether Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Is Trump naive enough to believe that the judge only gave Stone forty months because Barr recurved the recommendation ?
We ’ ll see how that plays out .
In the meantime , Trump has a no-win decision to make .
Would Donald Trump rather live with the major political and legal fallout from pardoning Roger Stone , or would he rather do nothing and run the risk that Stone starts retaliating by blabbing about the dirt from their forty years of shared personal history ?
Trump has been behaving so incoherently lately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what he ’ ll do .
It ’ s worth stressing that while Trump has spent the past three years pardoning a slew of rich and powerful criminals he owed favors to , he ’ s never pardoned any of his own co-conspirators .
If Donald Trump pardons Roger Stone , he risks triggering a legal battle over the scope of pardon power , which would result in Trump getting blocked from being able to try to pardon himself and his kids on his way out the door .
Stone could also get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and end up in prison anyway , due to his status as a part time resident in the state .
And if Stone does end up fully in the clear , he ’ ll have no Fifth Amendment protections to hide behind .
So if Trump loses the election and ends up on criminal trial , Stone would be required to testify against Trump , as a direct result of Trump having pardoned 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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Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Roger Stone to forty months in prison today, which is right around the three-to-four year range that Palmer Report and other observers were expecting, based on Jackson’s track record of middle of the road sentences. She was never going to give him the seven-to-nine years that prosecutors originally recommended. Nor was she going to pay any heed to Bill Barr’s changes to the recommendations. But now what?
For starters, Bill Barr has failed Donald Trump yet again. The question is whether Trump will be able to see it. Is Trump naive enough to believe that the judge only gave Stone forty months because Barr recurved the recommendation? We’ll see how that plays out. In the meantime, Trump has a no-win decision to make.
Would Donald Trump rather live with the major political and legal fallout from pardoning Roger Stone, or would he rather do nothing and run the risk that Stone starts retaliating by blabbing about the dirt from their forty years of shared personal history? Trump has been behaving so incoherently lately, it’s tough to predict what he’ll do. It’s worth stressing that while Trump has spent the past three years pardoning a slew of rich and powerful criminals he owed favors to, he’s never pardoned any of his own co-conspirators.
If Donald Trump pardons Roger Stone, he risks triggering a legal battle over the scope of pardon power, which would result in Trump getting blocked from being able to try to pardon himself and his kids on his way out the door. Stone could also get hit with state charges in New York and end up in prison anyway, due to his status as a part time resident in the state. And if Stone does end up fully in the clear, he’ll have no Fifth Amendment protections to hide behind. So if Trump loses the election and ends up on criminal trial, Stone would be required to testify against Trump, as a direct result of Trump having pardoned 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--2020-02-20--Elizabeth Warren just scored a major celebrity endorsement in the wake of her strong debate performa

Elizabeth Warren just scored a major celebrity endorsement in the wake of her strong debate performance

Last night Palmer Report rated Elizabeth Warren the “ winner ” of the latest 2020 Democratic primary debate , thanks to her commanding overall performance and her takedown of trendy candidate Mike Bloomberg .
It turns out we weren ’ t the only ones who saw it that way .
Immediately after the debate concluded , Warren picked up a major celebrity endorsement as a result of her performance .
In the internet era , we suspect that a celebrity endorsement can carry more weight than a newspaper endorsement .
Further , Saturday Night Live viewers are well aware that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years in the thick of politics , as a cast member and a sketch writer .
So it ’ s potentially a big deal that she tweeted this after the debate : I think I ’ m gon na go with @ SenWarren even though I think those misogynistic bastards will try to stick it to her .
I think she is very smart and has the passion we need as president and she is looking toward the future for our environment !
Trump will play dirty.She can take him There are two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the possibility that Leslie Jones ’ endorsement could specifically sway voters toward Elizabeth Warren .
The other possibility is that Jones ’ take on the debate is simply an example of the impact that Warren ’ s performance had on voters .
Either way , we ’ re expecting Warren ’ s poll numbers to climb as this week goes on .

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 rated Elizabeth Warren the “winner” of the latest 2020 Democratic primary debate, thanks to her commanding overall performance and her takedown of trendy candidate Mike Bloomberg. It turns out we weren’t the only ones who saw it that way. Immediately after the debate concluded, Warren picked up a major celebrity endorsement as a result of her performance.
In the internet era, we suspect that a celebrity endorsement can carry more weight than a newspaper endorsement. Further, Saturday Night Live viewers are well aware that Leslie Jones has spent the past several years in the thick of politics, as a cast member and a sketch writer. So it’s potentially a big deal that she tweeted this after the debate:
I think I’m gonna go with @SenWarren even though I think those misogynistic bastards will try to stick it to her. I think she is very smart and has the passion we need as president and she is looking toward the future for our environment!Trump will play dirty.She can take him — Leslie Jones 🦋 (@Lesdoggg) February 20, 2020
There are two ways to look at this. One is the possibility that Leslie Jones’ endorsement could specifically sway voters toward Elizabeth Warren. The other possibility is that Jones’ take on the debate is simply an example of the impact that Warren’s performance had on voters. Either way, we’re expecting Warren’s poll numbers to climb as this week goes on.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-20--The real reason behind Donald Trump’s sudden parade of pardons (it’s not what you think)

There ’ s a pattern here that everyone seems to be missing .
Donald Trump has been binge-pardoning white collar criminals , I get that .
White collar crime is close to Donald Trump ’ s heart because it ’ s what he himself does every day .
But it ’ s not even so much that .
It ’ s the empathy he expresses for those criminals , or what passes for empathy anyway .
You see , Trump can imagine himself spending eight years in prison for his crimes and concluding , from his narcissistic point of view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too much .
He therefore realizes , with a distant sort of understanding that vaguely resembles empathy , that folks like corrupt former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and junk bond king Michael Milken have suffered too much because their crimes are a lot like Trump ’ s crimes .
Pay careful attention here because you won ’ t see it very often .
Trump is capable of empathy of that kind only .
When you examine it to any depth it ’ s really ultimately all about him anyway , of course , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There are ( generally ) three criteria for a Trump pardon ( or , in the case of Blagojevich , commutation ) .
Those being pardoned must be famous , white and guilty of a crime similar to the kind that Trump routinely commits .
The voiceless , the wrongfully convicted , the downtrodden , the man or woman who becomes a victim of the system for the crime of poverty , the powerless person of color — they don ’ t interest Trump in the least .
Trump pardons famous white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extent of Donald Trump ’ s “ empathy , ” because each of them in their own way remind Trump of himself .
Thankfully , the Constitutionally-provisioned power of presidential pardon excludes the president from pardoning any crimes but federal crimes .
Whether or not a president can pardon himself or persons convicted of crimes in which the president is implicated as an unindicted co-conspirator , the Constitution does not say .
I think it doesn ’ t say it for the same reason that it doesn ’ t say that the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the moon : because it doesn ’ t have to .
But in the big-endian versus little-endian mind of the Lilliputians of the Republican Party , the question of whether or not a president can pardon himself will probably be “ yes , ” until the day the question applies to a Democrat .
I expect Trump is going to give it a try , pardoning himself , if he should lose the election .
I expect he ’ s going to try a lot of horrible things in the 78 days @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as president of the United States .
The question of whether or not he can pardon himself will probably eventually be tried before the Supreme Court , and because the Supreme Court is packed with a majority of morons there is a very good chance they will agree .
In the meantime , Trump will persist in the delusion that he is the “ chief law enforcement officer in the US , ” as he recently claimed in a sort of anemic imitation of Louis IV ’ s declaration of l ’ etat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to which Republicans in Congress , in the Supreme Court and in the coterie of greasy sycophants surrounding him agree with that as well is the chief worry we face until we are finally rid of that repellent , child-raping bastard once and for all .

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There’s a pattern here that everyone seems to be missing. Donald Trump has been binge-pardoning white collar criminals, I get that. White collar crime is close to Donald Trump’s heart because it’s what he himself does every day. But it’s not even so much that. It’s the empathy he expresses for those criminals, or what passes for empathy anyway.
You see, Trump can imagine himself spending eight years in prison for his crimes and concluding, from his narcissistic point of view, that it’s just simply too much. He therefore realizes, with a distant sort of understanding that vaguely resembles empathy, that folks like corrupt former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and junk bond king Michael Milken have suffered too much because their crimes are a lot like Trump’s crimes. Pay careful attention here because you won’t see it very often. Trump is capable of empathy of that kind only. When you examine it to any depth it’s really ultimately all about him anyway, of course, because everything ultimately is all about him.
There are (generally) three criteria for a Trump pardon (or, in the case of Blagojevich, commutation). Those being pardoned must be famous, white and guilty of a crime similar to the kind that Trump routinely commits. The voiceless, the wrongfully convicted, the downtrodden, the man or woman who becomes a victim of the system for the crime of poverty, the powerless person of color — they don’t interest Trump in the least. Trump pardons famous white collar white guys. That is the extent of Donald Trump’s “empathy,” because each of them in their own way remind Trump of himself.
Thankfully, the Constitutionally-provisioned power of presidential pardon excludes the president from pardoning any crimes but federal crimes. Whether or not a president can pardon himself or persons convicted of crimes in which the president is implicated as an unindicted co-conspirator, the Constitution does not say. I think it doesn’t say it for the same reason that it doesn’t say that the president cannot flap his arms and fly to the moon: because it doesn’t have to. But in the big-endian versus little-endian mind of the Lilliputians of the Republican Party, the question of whether or not a president can pardon himself will probably be “yes,” until the day the question applies to a Democrat.
I expect Trump is going to give it a try, pardoning himself, if he should lose the election. I expect he’s going to try a lot of horrible things in the 78 days between the election and his final day as president of the United States. The question of whether or not he can pardon himself will probably eventually be tried before the Supreme Court, and because the Supreme Court is packed with a majority of morons there is a very good chance they will agree.
In the meantime, Trump will persist in the delusion that he is the “chief law enforcement officer in the US,” as he recently claimed in a sort of anemic imitation of Louis IV’s declaration of l’etat c’est moi. The extent to which Republicans in Congress, in the Supreme Court and in the coterie of greasy sycophants surrounding him agree with that as well is the chief worry we face until we are finally rid of that repellent, child-raping bastard once and for all.
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PATHETIC

It must be miserable to hate someone so much that he or she consumes much of the room in your head , from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep at night .
When you don ’ t have much room in that head because of the lunacy and bullshit that already occupies it , this is likely even more striking .
Such is the inside of the otherwise empty head of “ president ” Donald Trump , who can not focus on much outside of trying to discredit and dismantle the work of President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do well , as it has for the past decade .
Trump , however , is constantly looking for ways to downplay President Obama ’ s impact on our economy .
For example , the Hill reported that the White House recently released a report claiming credit for the “ continued strength of the economy.
” In fact , Trump and his economists seem obsessed with quashing claims that Trump has done nothing to improve an already growing economy .
We don ’ t necessarily need the Hill to tell us the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time attacking people and holding hate rallies and parties at our expense .
Heaven forbid he do the job he stole .
Besides , any normal person would be happy that the economy is doing well , regardless of who should take credit for it .
But we ’ re dealing with Donald Trump , who is anything but normal .
Because Trump and his team know they can ’ t take credit for the economy , they are instead claiming credit for it not crashing—yet .
No , that honor belongs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unnecessarily lowering the interest rate , but at some point , that too will end and will carry some of the blame for the inevitable crash .
While the Congressional Budget Office was off on its predictions regarding GDP and unemployment , Trump still isn ’ t setting the world on fire as he would have everyone believe .
Instead of digging in and working to ensure that growth continues , Trump prefers to spend his time on Twitter trying to put President Obama down .
Trump tweeted : “ He had the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite Zero Fed Rate & MASSIVE quantitative easing .
NOW , best jobs numbers…ever.
” Trump clearly doesn ’ t understand how any of this works .
For example , during President Obama ’ s final three years , an average of 224,000 jobs were added to the economy .
Conversely , Trump ’ s first three years generated 182,000 .
Even an idiot can do the math .
Maybe not , since Trump apparently doesn ’ t get it .
Further , economists also believe that we have yet to experience the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cuts for the rich and corporate welfare .
Indeed , had Amazon , for example , paid the taxes due on its billions in profits , the deficit would have received the benefit .
Instead , it continues to grow .
No matter how much Trump and his team claim that their work has propelled the economy forward , experts show that it remains on the same path as it was already headed .
Trump is merely doing what he does best : Exaggerating or outright lying to make himself look good .

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It must be miserable to hate someone so much that he or she consumes much of the room in your head, from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep at night. When you don’t have much room in that head because of the lunacy and bullshit that already occupies it, this is likely even more striking. Such is the inside of the otherwise empty head of “president” Donald Trump, who cannot focus on much outside of trying to discredit and dismantle the work of President Barack Obama.
The U.S. economy continues to do well, as it has for the past decade. Trump, however, is constantly looking for ways to downplay President Obama’s impact on our economy. For example, the Hill reported that the White House recently released a report claiming credit for the “continued strength of the economy.” In fact, Trump and his economists seem obsessed with quashing claims that Trump has done nothing to improve an already growing economy. We don’t necessarily need the Hill to tell us the obvious. Trump spends most of his time attacking people and holding hate rallies and parties at our expense. Heaven forbid he do the job he stole. Besides, any normal person would be happy that the economy is doing well, regardless of who should take credit for it. But we’re dealing with Donald Trump, who is anything but normal.
Because Trump and his team know they can’t take credit for the economy, they are instead claiming credit for it not crashing—yet. No, that honor belongs to the Federal Reserve Board, which keeps unnecessarily lowering the interest rate, but at some point, that too will end and will carry some of the blame for the inevitable crash. While the Congressional Budget Office was off on its predictions regarding GDP and unemployment, Trump still isn’t setting the world on fire as he would have everyone believe. Instead of digging in and working to ensure that growth continues, Trump prefers to spend his time on Twitter trying to put President Obama down.
Trump tweeted: “He had the WEAKEST recovery since the Great Depression, despite Zero Fed Rate & MASSIVE quantitative easing. NOW, best jobs numbers…ever.” Trump clearly doesn’t understand how any of this works. For example, during President Obama’s final three years, an average of 224,000 jobs were added to the economy. Conversely, Trump’s first three years generated 182,000. Even an idiot can do the math. Maybe not, since Trump apparently doesn’t get it. Further, economists also believe that we have yet to experience the negative impact of Trump’s tax cuts for the rich and corporate welfare. Indeed, had Amazon, for example, paid the taxes due on its billions in profits, the deficit would have received the benefit. Instead, it continues to grow.
No matter how much Trump and his team claim that their work has propelled the economy forward, experts show that it remains on the same path as it was already headed. Trump is merely doing what he does best: Exaggerating or outright lying to make himself look good.
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palmerreport--2020-02-21--Donald Trump just betrayed another one of his most loyal allies

When Roger Stone was sentenced to prison today and Donald Trump predictably didn ’ t pardon him , I was wondering how all the “ pardon hysteria ” pundits would try to walk it back .
After all , they said it was a foregone conclusion that Trump would tweet out a pardon as soon as Stone ’ s sentencing hearing was over .
Some of those pundits have settled on the narrative that because Stone ’ s prison sentence didn ’ t actually start today , Trump won ’ t magically pardon him until the day before the sentence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s worsening erraticism makes just about any random or impulsive move possible .
But really , it ’ s not difficult to see what Trump is trying to do here .
Trump knows that pardons aren ’ t magic wands , and that pardoning a co-conspirator like Roger Stone could cause serious political and legal blowback for him .
It ’ s why he never pardoned Paul Manafort or any of his other henchmen .
It ’ s one thing for Trump to pardon some rich guy he owes a fair @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story if Trump pardoning someone for a crime that he himself had a hand in committing .
So Trump would really rather wait to pardon Stone until after the November election .
It ’ s why Trump is urging Stone to push for a new trial .
Even though that has zero chance of being granted , the motions alone will delay the start of Stone ’ s sentence for a few months .
Donald Trump is trying to string Roger Stone along .
Trump figures that by the time Stone has exhausted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply convince him to go ahead and report to prison until after election day .
Will there be a point where Stone signals that he ’ s willing to leak Trump ’ s worst dirt in order to force an immediate pardon ?
We ’ ll see .
But if Trump were loyal to Stone – in whatever perverse way criminal thugs are loyal to each other – he ’ d have pardoned Stone today .
Instead , Trump is predictably betraying yet another one of his most loyal allies , and hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catch on .

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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When Roger Stone was sentenced to prison today and Donald Trump predictably didn’t pardon him, I was wondering how all the “pardon hysteria” pundits would try to walk it back. After all, they said it was a foregone conclusion that Trump would tweet out a pardon as soon as Stone’s sentencing hearing was over.
Some of those pundits have settled on the narrative that because Stone’s prison sentence didn’t actually start today, Trump won’t magically pardon him until the day before the sentence begins. This is possible, as Trump’s worsening erraticism makes just about any random or impulsive move possible. But really, it’s not difficult to see what Trump is trying to do here.
Trump knows that pardons aren’t magic wands, and that pardoning a co-conspirator like Roger Stone could cause serious political and legal blowback for him. It’s why he never pardoned Paul Manafort or any of his other henchmen. It’s one thing for Trump to pardon some rich guy he owes a fair ot. It’s a different story if Trump pardoning someone for a crime that he himself had a hand in committing. So Trump would really rather wait to pardon Stone until after the November election. It’s why Trump is urging Stone to push for a new trial. Even though that has zero chance of being granted, the motions alone will delay the start of Stone’s sentence for a few months.
Donald Trump is trying to string Roger Stone along. Trump figures that by the time Stone has exhausted his appeals this summer, Trump can simply convince him to go ahead and report to prison until after election day. Will there be a point where Stone signals that he’s willing to leak Trump’s worst dirt in order to force an immediate pardon? We’ll see. But if Trump were loyal to Stone – in whatever perverse way criminal thugs are loyal to each other – he’d have pardoned Stone today. Instead, Trump is predictably betraying yet another one of his most loyal allies, and hoping Stone is too naive or desperate to catch on.
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--2020-02-21--What is Mike Bloomberg even doing?

What is Mike Bloomberg even doing?

It ’ s not difficult to figure out why Mike Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders dislike each other so much .
Bloomberg claims to be a Democrat , but much of his record suggests otherwise .
Sanders claims to be a socialist and a saint , but he ’ s a millionaire who leads an army of online trolls he won ’ t admit exist .
They also each see each other as the biggest roadblock to their path to the nomination .
Whether that ’ s true or not , they ’ re now turning it into a self fulfilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Warren has seized the momentum and Joe Biden is suddenly back in the game , Bloomberg and Sanders are still focusing on each other instead .
Bernie is busy tweeting stuff like this : “ Michael Bloomberg has no problem spending $ 7 MILLION a day so he can buy the presidency.
” It ’ s a fair accusation , but it ’ s not helping Bernie any to focus on this .
Bloomberg is going after Bernie ’ s record on guns , posting this thread about Bernie and the NRA : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ valid points they want about each other ’ s unsuitability , but all they ’ re doing is clearing a path for the surging candidates to take the lead .
In that sense , more power to them .
These two guys deserve each other .
Either of them would be far , far better than Donald Trump .
But neither of them should be the nominee if we can help it .

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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It’s not difficult to figure out why Mike Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders dislike each other so much. Bloomberg claims to be a Democrat, but much of his record suggests otherwise. Sanders claims to be a socialist and a saint, but he’s a millionaire who leads an army of online trolls he won’t admit exist. They also each see each other as the biggest roadblock to their path to the nomination. Whether that’s true or not, they’re now turning it into a self fulfilling prophecy.
At a time when Elizabeth Warren has seized the momentum and Joe Biden is suddenly back in the game, Bloomberg and Sanders are still focusing on each other instead. Bernie is busy tweeting stuff like this: “Michael Bloomberg has no problem spending $7 MILLION a day so he can buy the presidency.” It’s a fair accusation, but it’s not helping Bernie any to focus on this. Bloomberg is going after Bernie’s record on guns, posting this thread about Bernie and the NRA:
The NRA put Bernie Sanders in Congress, And Other Inconvenient Facts. A thread: — Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 20, 2020
Bernie and Bloomberg can make all the valid points they want about each other’s unsuitability, but all they’re doing is clearing a path for the surging candidates to take the lead. In that sense, more power to them. These two guys deserve each other. Either of them would be far, far better than Donald Trump. But neither of them should be the nominee if we can help it.
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--2020-02-21--Panicked hysteria all around

Panicked hysteria all around

I ’ d been wondering why so many people on social media were so panicked today about the prospect of Wisconsin in the 2020 election .
Then I caught a moment of MSNBC and realized why : they ’ ve spent the day overhyping a single new poll out of Wisconsin , which has Donald Trump winning the state over any Democratic candidate , by almost laughably huge margins .
This poll is obviously , and almost painfully , an outlier .
All you have to do is look at other polling out of the same state to see this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show that Donald Trump is behind in the key swing states with a chance of winning them but not a good one – are rarely ever mentioned by the media .
They ’ re too boring , too expected .
If the media wants people to remain tuned in while it ’ s reporting on something as nerdy as the polls , it has to find a way to get shock value out of it .
So it takes this laugh-out-loud Wisconsin poll and presents it as if it were not only a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on .
Just how absurd is this on the media ’ s part ?
Imagine you ’ re a scientist .
You conduct an experiment in which you flip a coin ten times .
It comes up heads seven of those times .
You ’ re going to interpret that as a mere anomaly , to be ignored unless it ’ s repeatable .
You then flip that same coin a hundred more times , and it starts to even out between heads and tails .
Then you know that your coin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coin .
Now imagine the media sees the entirety of your results , and decides to only report on those first ten coin flips .
Then imagine the media takes it further by insisting that your data means that coins have fundamentally changed , and they now come up heads 70 % of the time .
Most viewers take this nonsense at face value , because it ’ s coming from their favorite TV channel .
Then eventually they figure out that coins are still indeed coming up heads 50 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coin-flipping scientists are full of crap .
This is precisely how the media ( intentionally ) misreports polling data in order to create the most shocking scenario possible .
And when the public eventually sees election results that are way out of whack with how the polls were reported on TV , they don ’ t blame their TV .
Instead they decide the polls aren ’ t reliable – without even knowing that the polling averages usually end up being proven accurate .
How can this be corrected ?
In some sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media outlets are multimillion dollar for-profit corporations that exist to generate ratings and page views , and that only happens when they push narratives that capture people ’ s attention .
Polling averages , which don ’ t usually change much , don ’ t drive ratings .
The media will keep using outlier polls to cheat its way to ratings , as long as you keep staying tuned in .
The only real way to push back against this is to turn it off whenever segments about poll numbers are on , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you must watch , just keep in mind that these segments exist for no other reason than to scare you into believing that if you switch the channel , Trump will magically have become emperor by the time you switch back .

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I’d been wondering why so many people on social media were so panicked today about the prospect of Wisconsin in the 2020 election. Then I caught a moment of MSNBC and realized why: they’ve spent the day overhyping a single new poll out of Wisconsin, which has Donald Trump winning the state over any Democratic candidate, by almost laughably huge margins.
This poll is obviously, and almost painfully, an outlier. All you have to do is look at other polling out of the same state to see this. But the polling averages – which show that Donald Trump is behind in the key swing states with a chance of winning them but not a good one – are rarely ever mentioned by the media. They’re too boring, too expected. If the media wants people to remain tuned in while it’s reporting on something as nerdy as the polls, it has to find a way to get shock value out of it. So it takes this laugh-out-loud Wisconsin poll and presents it as if it were not only a legitimate poll, but the only poll going on. Just how absurd is this on the media’s part?
Imagine you’re a scientist. You conduct an experiment in which you flip a coin ten times. It comes up heads seven of those times. You’re going to interpret that as a mere anomaly, to be ignored unless it’s repeatable. You then flip that same coin a hundred more times, and it starts to even out between heads and tails. Then you know that your coin is indeed just like any other normal coin.
Now imagine the media sees the entirety of your results, and decides to only report on those first ten coin flips. Then imagine the media takes it further by insisting that your data means that coins have fundamentally changed, and they now come up heads 70% of the time. Most viewers take this nonsense at face value, because it’s coming from their favorite TV channel. Then eventually they figure out that coins are still indeed coming up heads 50% of the time. So they conclude that the coin-flipping scientists are full of crap.
This is precisely how the media (intentionally) misreports polling data in order to create the most shocking scenario possible. And when the public eventually sees election results that are way out of whack with how the polls were reported on TV, they don’t blame their TV. Instead they decide the polls aren’t reliable – without even knowing that the polling averages usually end up being proven accurate.
How can this be corrected? In some sense, it can’t. Major media outlets are multimillion dollar for-profit corporations that exist to generate ratings and page views, and that only happens when they push narratives that capture people’s attention. Polling averages, which don’t usually change much, don’t drive ratings. The media will keep using outlier polls to cheat its way to ratings, as long as you keep staying tuned in. The only real way to push back against this is to turn it off whenever segments about poll numbers are on, because those are usually fiction. If you must watch, just keep in mind that these segments exist for no other reason than to scare you into believing that if you switch the channel, Trump will magically have become emperor by the time you switch back.
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.