palmerreport--2020-02-28--Never bet against Elizabeth Warren

Never bet against Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren is engaging in an energetic campaign to be the next President of the United States in January .
Warren is also currently a U.S. senator , which means she needs to stay focused on handling issues affecting Americans today .
When Warren does what she did this morning , she reminds us just how skilled she is at wearing both her hats at the same time .
Warren unveiled new legislation today that would increase funding to combat the coronavirus crisis .
Unlike Donald Trump , who seems more worried about how the crisis could affect his presidency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honestly about the risk : “ The coronavirus outbreak poses serious health , diplomatic , and economic threats to the United States , and we must be prepared to confront it head-on.
” In a press release , Warren accused Trump of proposing to decimate the Centers for Disease Control and requesting only $ 1.25 billion in emergency appropriations .
In addition , Warren exposed Trump for asking Congress to reprogram funding meant to combat Ebola , and for reportedly transferring $ 37 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Warren ’ s Prioritizing Pandemic Prevention Act actually attempts to solve two problems at once—while shrewdly pitting Trump ’ s stubborn racism against Americans ’ health .
The bill requires that all border wall funding ( including money diverted from other accounts ) be “ immediately transferred… for the express purpose of combating coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ) .
” As Warren put it plainly , “ Rather than use taxpayer dollars to pay for a monument to hate and division , my bill will help ensure that the federal government has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to this emergency.
” Next year , Warren can look forward to becoming either the 46th President of the United States or one of the most popular senators in the 117th Congress .
At the rate things are going , Trump can look forward to being surrounded by walls as he sits in prison .

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.
-----
-----
Elizabeth Warren is engaging in an energetic campaign to be the next President of the United States in January. Warren is also currently a U.S. senator, which means she needs to stay focused on handling issues affecting Americans today. When Warren does what she did this morning, she reminds us just how skilled she is at wearing both her hats at the same time.
Warren unveiled new legislation today that would increase funding to combat the coronavirus crisis. Unlike Donald Trump, who seems more worried about how the crisis could affect his presidency and his poll numbers, Warren spoke honestly about the risk: “The coronavirus outbreak poses serious health, diplomatic, and economic threats to the United States, and we must be prepared to confront it head-on.”
In a press release, Warren accused Trump of proposing to decimate the Centers for Disease Control and requesting only $1.25 billion in emergency appropriations. In addition, Warren exposed Trump for asking Congress to reprogram funding meant to combat Ebola, and for reportedly transferring $37 million from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, according to reporting from the Washington Post.
Warren’s Prioritizing Pandemic Prevention Act actually attempts to solve two problems at once—while shrewdly pitting Trump’s stubborn racism against Americans’ health. The bill requires that all border wall funding (including money diverted from other accounts) be “immediately transferred… for the express purpose of combating coronavirus disease (COVID-19).” As Warren put it plainly, “Rather than use taxpayer dollars to pay for a monument to hate and division, my bill will help ensure that the federal government has the resources it needs to adequately respond to this emergency.”
Next year, Warren can look forward to becoming either the 46th President of the United States or one of the most popular senators in the 117th Congress. At the rate things are going, Trump can look forward to being surrounded by walls as he sits in prison.
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--2020-02-28--Mike Pence just blew it royally

Mike Pence just blew it royally

Yesterday Donald Trump announced that he was putting Mike Pence of all people in charge of the U.S. response to the coronavirus .
Palmer Report pointed out that because this was a suicide mission one way or the other , it appeared Trump was looking to set up Pence as the scapegoat when it all goes wrong .
But as it turns out , Pence is wasting no time screwing things up of his own accord .
As his first major move in response to the coronavirus , Mike Pence announced today that he ’ s adding Steven Mnuchin and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to Marketwatch .
Wait , what ?
Why in the name of all that is holy would the Secretary of the Treasury and a White House economic adviser be in charge of responding to a medical emergency ?
This would be a boneheaded move even if these two guys weren ’ t idiots .
Mnuchin is best known for illegally blocking Donald Trump ’ s tax returns from being turned over to investigators .
Larry Kudlow is best known as a guy who can ’ t put a complete sentence together , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be incorrect 100 % of the time .
Kudlow also went on television a few days ago and falsely claimed that the coronavirus had been “ contained ” in the United States , on the same day the CDC was confirming the opposite .
So sure , let ’ s put this flaming clown jackle in charge of the virus response .
It ’ s not difficult to see what Mike Pence is trying to do here .
He ’ s relying on economic advisers instead of medical experts because he cares a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end up dying , and a lot more about whether the stock market will keep plunging .
And by picking two of Donald Trump ’ s most cartoonish loyalists , Pence is kissing up to Trump in the hope that Trump won ’ t scapegoat him when it all inevitably goes wrong .

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.
-----
-----
Yesterday Donald Trump announced that he was putting Mike Pence of all people in charge of the U.S. response to the coronavirus. Palmer Report pointed out that because this was a suicide mission one way or the other, it appeared Trump was looking to set up Pence as the scapegoat when it all goes wrong. But as it turns out, Pence is wasting no time screwing things up of his own accord.
As his first major move in response to the coronavirus, Mike Pence announced today that he’s adding Steven Mnuchin and Larry Kudlow to his response team, according to Marketwatch. Wait, what? Why in the name of all that is holy would the Secretary of the Treasury and a White House economic adviser be in charge of responding to a medical emergency? This would be a boneheaded move even if these two guys weren’t idiots.
Mnuchin is best known for illegally blocking Donald Trump’s tax returns from being turned over to investigators. Larry Kudlow is best known as a guy who can’t put a complete sentence together, and whose economic predictions turn out to be incorrect 100% of the time. Kudlow also went on television a few days ago and falsely claimed that the coronavirus had been “contained” in the United States, on the same day the CDC was confirming the opposite. So sure, let’s put this flaming clown jackle in charge of the virus response.
It’s not difficult to see what Mike Pence is trying to do here. He’s relying on economic advisers instead of medical experts because he cares a lot less about how many Americans might end up dying, and a lot more about whether the stock market will keep plunging. And by picking two of Donald Trump’s most cartoonish loyalists, Pence is kissing up to Trump in the hope that Trump won’t scapegoat him when it all inevitably goes wrong.
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--2020-02-28--Everything is coming up Biden

Everything is coming up Biden

Joe Biden has always been ahead in the polls in South Carolina , despite a recent media narrative that he was somehow “ in trouble ” in the state .
But thanks to Biden ’ s strong debate performance and the endorsements that have come his way this week , the media has let go of that notion , and seems to be embracing the reality that Biden has momentum heading into South Carolina .
The thing about momentum is that it tends to create even more momentum .
The media is now beginning to accurately report on the South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden having a double digit lead .
Most people are now aware that he ’ s likely to win the state .
This is coming even as Bernie Sanders keeps saying increasingly bizarre things about Fidel Castro , while attacking the Democratic Party , and still refusing to properly rein in his most out of control supporters .
It ’ s made a lot of people realize that if Sanders is the nominee , he ’ ll very likely find a way to lose to Trump .
This week has also created the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of preventing the divisive Sanders from taking the nomination , and therefore Biden is the best hope of defeating Trump .
Perceptions can change , of course .
But this week I keep seeing supporters of various other mainstream Democratic candidates ( Pete , Amy , Steyer , and even to an extent Warren ) saying that they ’ re considering voting for Joe Biden on Super Tuesday because they don ’ t want Sanders to be the nominee .
This is a big deal .
Sanders has only been getting thirty-something percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s in first place is that the other sixty-something percent of primary voters , who don ’ t want a divisive megalomaniac for a nominee , have been splitting their votes among all the other candidates .
The reality is that the majority of primary voters don ’ t want Sanders .
The only question has been how that majority was ever going to find a way to unite behind one of the actual Democrats in the race .
So it ’ s a big deal that forces are aligning behind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he does win South Carolina on Saturday , it ’ ll only serve to strengthen the perception that he ’ s the one who can defeat Sanders , and thus save us from Trump .
It ’ s always tough to predict precisely how the numbers will play out in a primary race , particularly with this many people in the field .
But Palmer Report did warn you up front that the race would likely hinge on South Carolina .
It always does .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Joe Biden has always been ahead in the polls in South Carolina, despite a recent media narrative that he was somehow “in trouble” in the state. But thanks to Biden’s strong debate performance and the endorsements that have come his way this week, the media has let go of that notion, and seems to be embracing the reality that Biden has momentum heading into South Carolina. The thing about momentum is that it tends to create even more momentum.
The media is now beginning to accurately report on the South Carolina polling averages, which show Joe Biden having a double digit lead. Most people are now aware that he’s likely to win the state. This is coming even as Bernie Sanders keeps saying increasingly bizarre things about Fidel Castro, while attacking the Democratic Party, and still refusing to properly rein in his most out of control supporters. It’s made a lot of people realize that if Sanders is the nominee, he’ll very likely find a way to lose to Trump. This week has also created the perception that Biden is the best hope of preventing the divisive Sanders from taking the nomination, and therefore Biden is the best hope of defeating Trump.
Perceptions can change, of course. But this week I keep seeing supporters of various other mainstream Democratic candidates (Pete, Amy, Steyer, and even to an extent Warren) saying that they’re considering voting for Joe Biden on Super Tuesday because they don’t want Sanders to be the nominee. This is a big deal. Sanders has only been getting thirty-something percent of the vote. The only reason he’s in first place is that the other sixty-something percent of primary voters, who don’t want a divisive megalomaniac for a nominee, have been splitting their votes among all the other candidates. The reality is that the majority of primary voters don’t want Sanders. The only question has been how that majority was ever going to find a way to unite behind one of the actual Democrats in the race.
So it’s a big deal that forces are aligning behind Joe Biden as we speak. If he does win South Carolina on Saturday, it’ll only serve to strengthen the perception that he’s the one who can defeat Sanders, and thus save us from Trump. It’s always tough to predict precisely how the numbers will play out in a primary race, particularly with this many people in the field. But Palmer Report did warn you up front that the race would likely hinge on South Carolina. It always does.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


This is bad

Over the past three years , America has been lucky , in a way .
Donald Trump ’ s ineptness and corruption have created one major crisis for us after another .
But we haven ’ t really had to face any external existential threats .
Then this week happened – and wow is this bad all around , for everyone involved .
The coronavirus isn ’ t Donald Trump ’ s fault .
But it is his fault that he corruptly gutted the Centers for Disease Control .
It is his fault that there ’ s no one in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to deal with a crisis like this .
It ’ s his fault that he ’ s using press conferences to spread misinformation about the virus .
And it ’ s his fault that he ’ s spreading deranged conspiracy theories to try to blame the origin of the virus on his political adversaries .
The stock market has been plummeting all week .
Part of the reason is that the coronavirus is already impacting world economies , which is going to end up impacting the U.S. economy soon , whether the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here or not .
Another part of it is that Wall Street investors aren ’ t stupid .
They ’ ve spent three years betting that Trump ’ s bumbling wouldn ’ t completely screw up the roaring Obama economy .
But they know that Trump is an inept deranged idiot .
They know he ’ s going to botch things if the virus does start spreading here .
And they know he ’ s going to botch the economic crisis that we ’ re suddenly in .
So the smart money is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dow Jones has lost about twelve percent of its total value this week .
If the stock market endures another two weeks like this , the Dow Jones will end up being lower than it was when President Obama took office .
Wall Street has always known that Trump isn ’ t up to the task of handing any economic difficulty .
Until now he ’ s never had to face any .
But now they ’ re giving up on him in rapid fashion .
It ’ s bad for everyone involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump .

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.
-----
-----
Over the past three years, America has been lucky, in a way. Donald Trump’s ineptness and corruption have created one major crisis for us after another. But we haven’t really had to face any external existential threats. Then this week happened – and wow is this bad all around, for everyone involved.
The coronavirus isn’t Donald Trump’s fault. But it is his fault that he corruptly gutted the Centers for Disease Control. It is his fault that there’s no one in his White House who has the competence to deal with a crisis like this. It’s his fault that he’s using press conferences to spread misinformation about the virus. And it’s his fault that he’s spreading deranged conspiracy theories to try to blame the origin of the virus on his political adversaries.
The stock market has been plummeting all week. Part of the reason is that the coronavirus is already impacting world economies, which is going to end up impacting the U.S. economy soon, whether the virus ends up being a serious medical problem here or not. Another part of it is that Wall Street investors aren’t stupid. They’ve spent three years betting that Trump’s bumbling wouldn’t completely screw up the roaring Obama economy. But they know that Trump is an inept deranged idiot. They know he’s going to botch things if the virus does start spreading here. And they know he’s going to botch the economic crisis that we’re suddenly in.
So the smart money is already running for the exits. The Dow Jones has lost about twelve percent of its total value this week. If the stock market endures another two weeks like this, the Dow Jones will end up being lower than it was when President Obama took office. Wall Street has always known that Trump isn’t up to the task of handing any economic difficulty. Until now he’s never had to face any. But now they’re giving up on him in rapid fashion. It’s bad for everyone involved – but it’s particularly bad for Trump.
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--2020-02-28--Donald Trump just got hit with even more bad news

“ Build the wall !
” may have been the mantra for Donald Trump ’ s 2016 campaign , but “ Finish the wall !
” may not work so well for his re-election .
After running out of ways to pay for his pipe dream of a border wall , the Trump administration decided to seize funds from the military that would go towards the wall – even if it meant soldiers would suffer as a result .
This week they earned a rare bipartisan rebuke from Congress against taking any more money from the national defense budget .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater restrictions on what money the Pentagon can allocate without their approval – a proposal supported by Republicans as well , like Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas .
You might say that this is almost entirely related to House Republicans worried about their own fears about re-election and you would probably be right , as we ’ ve seen a few troubled Senate Republicans talk about pushing back against Trump ’ s self-declared national emergency .
While the outright racism and xenophobia of the Trump campaign may have sailed Republicans to victory four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice but to back away from some of their more insane promises now .
While the GOP has always liked to paint itself as the party of national security and defense , the trouble is that the defense department never listed the U.S.-Mexico border as a priority in the national defense strategy , much less one that ’ s somehow more critical than dealing with Russia and China .
We can anticipate another possible feud between Trump and the defense department soon , one that couldn ’ t happen at a worse possible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real potential crisis with the coronavirus pandemic .

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.
-----
-----
“Build the wall!” may have been the mantra for Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, but “Finish the wall!” may not work so well for his re-election. After running out of ways to pay for his pipe dream of a border wall, the Trump administration decided to seize funds from the military that would go towards the wall – even if it meant soldiers would suffer as a result. This week they earned a rare bipartisan rebuke from Congress against taking any more money from the national defense budget.
As a result, Congress is seeking greater restrictions on what money the Pentagon can allocate without their approval – a proposal supported by Republicans as well, like Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas. You might say that this is almost entirely related to House Republicans worried about their own fears about re-election and you would probably be right, as we’ve seen a few troubled Senate Republicans talk about pushing back against Trump’s self-declared national emergency. While the outright racism and xenophobia of the Trump campaign may have sailed Republicans to victory four years ago, they may have no choice but to back away from some of their more insane promises now.
While the GOP has always liked to paint itself as the party of national security and defense, the trouble is that the defense department never listed the U.S.-Mexico border as a priority in the national defense strategy, much less one that’s somehow more critical than dealing with Russia and China. We can anticipate another possible feud between Trump and the defense department soon, one that couldn’t happen at a worse possible time, as Trump faces a very real potential crisis with the coronavirus pandemic.
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--2020-02-27--The real reason Elizabeth Warren is still refusing to go there

I love Elizabeth Warren , partly because she ’ s smarter than I am , and she knows how to get thing done .
She ’ s also frustrating to cover at times .
Because she ’ s smarter than I am , I can ’ t always quite decipher her strategy .
Sure , it was easy to predict that she would go after Mike Bloomberg in his first debate , as his attempts at buying democracy are precisely what Warren always rightly rails against .
It wasn ’ t surprising to see Warren get the best of him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ smart .
What stood out is that even though Bernie Sanders had a few scandals of his own by that time , including his refusal to release his medical records , Elizabeth Warren refused to lay a glove on him .
Okay , sure , they ’ re friends , and they share a common far-left ideology ( even though she ’ s a master at it , and he simplistically spells it out in crayon ) .
But then came the second debate , and by that time Bernie was outright playing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweets , threatening the Democratic Party .
He was doubling down on his pro-Castro nonsense .
Sanders was a guy who needed to be taken down , in the same way that Bloomberg needed to be taken down , albeit for rather different reasons .
Warren had her chance .
But apart from generically saying that she thought she ’ d make a better president than Sanders because her plans are better , she wasn ’ t willing to lay a glove on him .
She kept pummeling Bloomberg for his scandals in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to go after Sanders in the way he deserved .
It didn ’ t just stand out to me ; I saw numerous people on social media pointing out that disparity in Warren ’ s attacks .
It was just that glaring .
So what ’ s she doing ?
If Warren weren ’ t any good at this , I ’ d just presume she ’ s making a mistake .
After all , she can ’ t win unless she can truly convince Sanders ’ supporters to switch from him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then I keep reminding myself that she ’ s smarter than I am , and that she ’ s probably not just bungling this .
So how does she benefit here ?
Some have floated the theory that she ’ s trying to be Bernie ’ s running mate .
But I don ’ t buy it .
She knows how to do math better than anyone , and she can see that Sanders doesn ’ t have a clear path to the nomination .
He ’ s on track to win thirty-something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a candidate needs fifty percent to win the nomination outright .
She ’ s too smart to be putting so many of her chips down on something that ’ s unlikely to happen .
Then I saw Warren do her town hall on CNN last night .
An audience member tried to make the case that Bernie Sanders should be given the nomination if he has the largest number of delegates , even if he ’ s nowhere near having a majority .
Warren expertly explained that every candidate agreed to the rules @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t be fair for Sanders to try to belatedly force a rules change that happens to benefit him .
It ’ s clear that Warren has no intention of throwing her support behind Sanders if he finishes below 50 % .
Perhaps she ’ s realized that this is likely headed to a brokered convention , and she sees herself potentially coming out of it with the nomination .
So how does this square up with Elizabeth Warren ’ s ongoing refusal to attack Bernie Sanders on the debate stage ?
If @ @ @ @ @ @ @ convention and try to convince the delegates to realign behind her once they ’ ve been released , she ’ ll need two thing to happen .
First , it ’ ll need to become clear that there ’ s no way the majority of delegates are going to be willing to line up behind Sanders .
At the rate he ’ s trying to burn down the party , this should take care of itself .
Then once Sanders is out of the running , she ’ s the only progressive left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line up behind her .
They ’ ll be more likely to do that if she hasn ’ t alienated them by calling out Sanders for his worsening scandals on the debate stage .
There ’ s also the reality that if you look at the polling trends , nearly every supporter that Mike Bloomberg has gained has come at the expense of Joe Biden .
Each time Warren punches Bloomberg and pushes his support downward , she ’ s in effect pushing those votes from Bloomberg back to Biden .
Warren is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also a pragmatist .
She ’ d certainly rather have Biden as president than Bloomberg .
If the brokered convention doesn ’ t go Warren ’ s way , her attacks on Bloomberg are helping ensure that the brokered nomination is more likely to go to Biden than to Bloomberg .
This is all rather complex , but Elizabeth Warren is a sophisticated thinker .
When a simpleton like Sanders does something , you can presume there ’ s a simple reason for it .
When a genius like Warren does something , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decipher it .
Warren may or may not be able to nab the nomination .
But she does seem to be steering the race in her direction , in multiple key ways .
It ’ s worth watching how her strategy evolves from here , because she doesn ’ t appear to be taking a straight line to get wherever she ’ s going .

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.
-----
-----
I love Elizabeth Warren, partly because she’s smarter than I am, and she knows how to get thing done. She’s also frustrating to cover at times. Because she’s smarter than I am, I can’t always quite decipher her strategy. Sure, it was easy to predict that she would go after Mike Bloomberg in his first debate, as his attempts at buying democracy are precisely what Warren always rightly rails against. It wasn’t surprising to see Warren get the best of him, because again, she’s smart.
What stood out is that even though Bernie Sanders had a few scandals of his own by that time, including his refusal to release his medical records, Elizabeth Warren refused to lay a glove on him. Okay, sure, they’re friends, and they share a common far-left ideology (even though she’s a master at it, and he simplistically spells it out in crayon). But then came the second debate, and by that time Bernie was outright playing the villain. He was posting Trump-like tweets, threatening the Democratic Party. He was doubling down on his pro-Castro nonsense. Sanders was a guy who needed to be taken down, in the same way that Bloomberg needed to be taken down, albeit for rather different reasons.
Warren had her chance. But apart from generically saying that she thought she’d make a better president than Sanders because her plans are better, she wasn’t willing to lay a glove on him. She kept pummeling Bloomberg for his scandals in the way he deserved, but she refused to go after Sanders in the way he deserved. It didn’t just stand out to me; I saw numerous people on social media pointing out that disparity in Warren’s attacks. It was just that glaring. So what’s she doing?
If Warren weren’t any good at this, I’d just presume she’s making a mistake. After all, she can’t win unless she can truly convince Sanders’ supporters to switch from him to her, can she? But then I keep reminding myself that she’s smarter than I am, and that she’s probably not just bungling this. So how does she benefit here? Some have floated the theory that she’s trying to be Bernie’s running mate. But I don’t buy it. She knows how to do math better than anyone, and she can see that Sanders doesn’t have a clear path to the nomination. He’s on track to win thirty-something percent of the delegate vote, when a candidate needs fifty percent to win the nomination outright. She’s too smart to be putting so many of her chips down on something that’s unlikely to happen.
Then I saw Warren do her town hall on CNN last night. An audience member tried to make the case that Bernie Sanders should be given the nomination if he has the largest number of delegates, even if he’s nowhere near having a majority. Warren expertly explained that every candidate agreed to the rules ahead of time, and it wouldn’t be fair for Sanders to try to belatedly force a rules change that happens to benefit him. It’s clear that Warren has no intention of throwing her support behind Sanders if he finishes below 50%. Perhaps she’s realized that this is likely headed to a brokered convention, and she sees herself potentially coming out of it with the nomination.
So how does this square up with Elizabeth Warren’s ongoing refusal to attack Bernie Sanders on the debate stage? If she is going to go into the convention and try to convince the delegates to realign behind her once they’ve been released, she’ll need two thing to happen. First, it’ll need to become clear that there’s no way the majority of delegates are going to be willing to line up behind Sanders. At the rate he’s trying to burn down the party, this should take care of itself. Then once Sanders is out of the running, she’s the only progressive left, and she urges his delegates to line up behind her. They’ll be more likely to do that if she hasn’t alienated them by calling out Sanders for his worsening scandals on the debate stage.
There’s also the reality that if you look at the polling trends, nearly every supporter that Mike Bloomberg has gained has come at the expense of Joe Biden. Each time Warren punches Bloomberg and pushes his support downward, she’s in effect pushing those votes from Bloomberg back to Biden. Warren is a progressive, but she’s also a pragmatist. She’d certainly rather have Biden as president than Bloomberg. If the brokered convention doesn’t go Warren’s way, her attacks on Bloomberg are helping ensure that the brokered nomination is more likely to go to Biden than to Bloomberg.
This is all rather complex, but Elizabeth Warren is a sophisticated thinker. When a simpleton like Sanders does something, you can presume there’s a simple reason for it. When a genius like Warren does something, you need some calculus to try to decipher it. Warren may or may not be able to nab the nomination. But she does seem to be steering the race in her direction, in multiple key ways. It’s worth watching how her strategy evolves from here, because she doesn’t appear to be taking a straight line to get wherever she’s going.
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--2020-02-27--What Donald Trump doesn’t get

What Donald Trump doesn’t get

Drug addict child-rapist and confessed sexual predator Donald Trump never gets tired of expressing his contempt for the health , safety and security of the average American .
In his press conference about the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus he reminded us once again of the length , depth and breadth of that contempt .
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel , special advisor to the director general of the World Health Organization , characterized the press conference this way : “ I found most of what he said a little incoherent.
” “ A little incoherent ” is Donald Trump on a good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he ’ s being extemporaneous .
When he ’ s reading a statement or from notes Trump is capable of being as coherent as anyone — provided that he doesn ’ t stray too far from the written material .
But what sets this press conference apart is that even the written material was incoherent .
It was as if Trump put a low priority on what was needed to be said because it was a topic that just didn ’ t interest him .
Maybe he didn ’ t want his staff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Of course , Trump as usual made most of it all about him and how great he is , about how he closed borders when “ a lot of people were saying ” that he shouldn ’ t , and wow , did he ever show them .
When he did mention actual sick Americans he said , “ we have a total of 15.
” If by that he means there are 15 American cases of COVID-19 coronavirus , Trump is wrong , there are currently 60 .
Fifteen are currently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abroad , but that distinction is irrelevant .
There are sixty and their location is of no relevance .
According to Trump it appears that the “ infection ” has gotten “ smaller , quite a bit smaller , in the last few days.
” Trump then went on a brief and baffling solo cadenza about money , about how they ( the White House ? )
are requesting two and a half billion dollars to fight coronavirus , while “ some Republicans want us to have 4 , and some democrats want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amount they settle on , it ’ s “ a lot.
” Or at least it seems like a lot ever since Trump and his cronies gave a $ 1.5 trillion tax cut to the rich .
“ I want you to understand something that shocked me , ” Trump said , “ the flu kills from 25,000 to 69,000 people a year .
That was shocking to me.
” Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel explains it this way , “ He ’ s a guy who just admitted that he ’ s surprised that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the flu .
That just tells you how little he knows about public health … because every doctor knows that and lots of health policy experts know that and he told you , he just revealed how ignorant he is about the situation.
” “ We are rapidly developing a vaccine , ” Trump said .
No we ’ re not .
“ We ’ re very , very ready for this , ” Trump said .
No we ’ re not .
Trump ’ s overall message , if it could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an overall message , was that everything is going to be okay because he and his team are on the job .
But there is no way for anyone to say how this COVID-19 strain of coronavirus will pan out , and experts at the Centers for Disease Control warn that it could infect between 40 and 70 percent of Americans this year .
Recently a woman in Singapore was apparently reinfected , which is worrying .
If true , this virus is no honey bee , it ’ s a wasp .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ just as long as everyone knows everything is great and he ’ s the reason .
It ’ s Soviet-era logic used to deadly effect at Chernobyl , where political expediency outweighs dangers to public health .
The American people have the right to know what ’ s going on , and they have the right to have a president who is both informed and cares .
Trump is a liar who is neither .

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.
-----
-----
Drug addict child-rapist and confessed sexual predator Donald Trump never gets tired of expressing his contempt for the health, safety and security of the average American. In his press conference about the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus he reminded us once again of the length, depth and breadth of that contempt. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, special advisor to the director general of the World Health Organization, characterized the press conference this way: “I found most of what he said a little incoherent.”
“A little incoherent” is Donald Trump on a good day. But that’s when he’s being extemporaneous. When he’s reading a statement or from notes Trump is capable of being as coherent as anyone — provided that he doesn’t stray too far from the written material. But what sets this press conference apart is that even the written material was incoherent. It was as if Trump put a low priority on what was needed to be said because it was a topic that just didn’t interest him. Maybe he didn’t want his staff to spend too much time on it.
Of course, Trump as usual made most of it all about him and how great he is, about how he closed borders when “a lot of people were saying” that he shouldn’t, and wow, did he ever show them. When he did mention actual sick Americans he said, “we have a total of 15.” If by that he means there are 15 American cases of COVID-19 coronavirus, Trump is wrong, there are currently 60. Fifteen are currently in the United States and forty-five are abroad, but that distinction is irrelevant. There are sixty and their location is of no relevance.
According to Trump it appears that the “infection” has gotten “smaller, quite a bit smaller, in the last few days.” Trump then went on a brief and baffling solo cadenza about money, about how they (the White House?) are requesting two and a half billion dollars to fight coronavirus, while “some Republicans want us to have 4, and some democrats want us to have 81/2.” But whatever amount they settle on, it’s “a lot.” Or at least it seems like a lot ever since Trump and his cronies gave a $1.5 trillion tax cut to the rich.
“I want you to understand something that shocked me,” Trump said, “the flu kills from 25,000 to 69,000 people a year. That was shocking to me.” Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel explains it this way, “He’s a guy who just admitted that he’s surprised that 25,000 to 69,000 people a year die of the flu. That just tells you how little he knows about public health … because every doctor knows that and lots of health policy experts know that and he told you, he just revealed how ignorant he is about the situation.”
“We are rapidly developing a vaccine,” Trump said. No we’re not. “We’re very, very ready for this,” Trump said. No we’re not. Trump’s overall message, if it could be said that his semi-coherent ramblings had an overall message, was that everything is going to be okay because he and his team are on the job. But there is no way for anyone to say how this COVID-19 strain of coronavirus will pan out, and experts at the Centers for Disease Control warn that it could infect between 40 and 70 percent of Americans this year. Recently a woman in Singapore was apparently reinfected, which is worrying. If true, this virus is no honey bee, it’s a wasp.
But Trump doesn’t care, just as long as everyone knows everything is great and he’s the reason. It’s Soviet-era logic used to deadly effect at Chernobyl, where political expediency outweighs dangers to public health. The American people have the right to know what’s going on, and they have the right to have a president who is both informed and cares. Trump is a liar who is neither.
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--2020-02-27--Republicans caught trying to cheat in South Carolina Democratic primary

Some states have “ open ” primaries , where all registered voters can participate in either party ’ s primary contest , regardless of their party affiliation .
It sounds fair in theory ; perhaps a registered Republican has decided to back a Democratic candidate for legitimate reasons .
But this open system leaves the door wide open for people to , well , cheat .
Why would it be cheating to vote for a primary candidate in the other party ?
It ’ s not , if you ’ re voting for that candidate for good reason .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican primary contest , we ’ ve been hearing scattered buzz that some registered Republicans in the state might vote for the Democratic candidate they think is the weakest , in the hope of causing problems for the Democratic candidates who can actually beat Trump .
We didn ’ t know if this was real or rumor , until conservative anti-Trump pundit Bill Kristol posted this alarming video : To be clear , there is no evidence whatsoever that Sanders himself is a part of this plot .
Rather , it appears the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to try to hand Sanders a victory in South Carolina , because it ’ s what Donald Trump wants .
He keeps posting thinly disguised tweets which give away that he ’ s hoping Sanders is the nominee , and now his supporters are pulling this crap .
It doesn ’ t appear to technically be against the rules , but it ’ s still cheating .
So what can be done about this ?
If you don ’ t think Bernie Sanders should be Democratic nominee , or if you think Sanders @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general election , then the answer is to work that much harder to make sure that someone else wins the South Carolina Democratic primary .
Joe Biden is ahead in every poll conducted in South Carolina , and – in this particular state at least – he ’ s the one you ’ d want to try to put over the top .

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.
-----
-----
Some states have “open” primaries, where all registered voters can participate in either party’s primary contest, regardless of their party affiliation. It sounds fair in theory; perhaps a registered Republican has decided to back a Democratic candidate for legitimate reasons. But this open system leaves the door wide open for people to, well, cheat.
Why would it be cheating to vote for a primary candidate in the other party? It’s not, if you’re voting for that candidate for good reason. But because there is no South Carolina 2020 Republican primary contest, we’ve been hearing scattered buzz that some registered Republicans in the state might vote for the Democratic candidate they think is the weakest, in the hope of causing problems for the Democratic candidates who can actually beat Trump. We didn’t know if this was real or rumor, until conservative anti-Trump pundit Bill Kristol posted this alarming video:
.
A Trump-Sanders smoking gun.
South Carolina Trump activists in a much-promoted Facebook video: "We're asking South Carolina Republicans to show their support for President Trump by crossing over and voting in the Democratic primary for Senator Bernie Sanders." pic.twitter.com/FNqEUNXDWq — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) February 26, 2020
To be clear, there is no evidence whatsoever that Sanders himself is a part of this plot. Rather, it appears the Republicans are simply running their own scheme to try to hand Sanders a victory in South Carolina, because it’s what Donald Trump wants. He keeps posting thinly disguised tweets which give away that he’s hoping Sanders is the nominee, and now his supporters are pulling this crap. It doesn’t appear to technically be against the rules, but it’s still cheating.
So what can be done about this? If you don’t think Bernie Sanders should be Democratic nominee, or if you think Sanders would likely lose to Trump in the general election, then the answer is to work that much harder to make sure that someone else wins the South Carolina Democratic primary. Joe Biden is ahead in every poll conducted in South Carolina, and – in this particular state at least – he’s the one you’d want to try to put over the top.
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--2020-02-27--I’m getting really tired of this false narrative about Joe Biden

Joe Biden once famously tagged Rudy Giuliani for his political rhetoric which consisted of little more than “ a noun and a verb and 9/11.
” This was fair criticism , because Rudy only ever wanted to talk about that one specific moment in his career , and he had nothing else to offer about why his political career should advance .
Now we ’ re hearing some folks accusing Biden of relying on little more than “ a noun and a verb and Obama.
” This is unfair and it should stop .
We all know that one guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ famous friend , and always ends up overstating the nature of that friendship .
But when Joe Biden talks about the accomplishments of the Obama administration , it isn ’ t just because he and President Obama are buddies .
It ’ s because Biden spent eight years serving as the influential Vice President in the Obama administration .
The Obama era was also the Biden era .
When Biden talks about it , he ’ s simply talking about his own record .
If Biden were trying to paint himself as the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it would be an entirely different story .
But I ’ ve never once heard Biden try to do this .
Instead he points to specific Obama administration matters in which he played a meaningful role .
These candidates are all applying to run the Executive Branch , and Biden is the one who has direct experience in running it .
Is he supposed to not talk about it ?
Vice Presidents rarely end up getting elected President .
You have to wonder if it ’ s partly because they have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out the role they played in the administration , and not being seen as trying to grab too much credit for it .
In that regard , Joe Biden is doing fine .
We all miss the Obama administration .
Biden was a key part of it , and he has as much of a right to talk about his own resume as anyone else does .

Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support Palmer Report's 2024 efforts by donating now.
-----
-----
Joe Biden once famously tagged Rudy Giuliani for his political rhetoric which consisted of little more than “a noun and a verb and 9/11.” This was fair criticism, because Rudy only ever wanted to talk about that one specific moment in his career, and he had nothing else to offer about why his political career should advance. Now we’re hearing some folks accusing Biden of relying on little more than “a noun and a verb and Obama.” This is unfair and it should stop.
We all know that one guy who talks way too much about his famous friend, and always ends up overstating the nature of that friendship. But when Joe Biden talks about the accomplishments of the Obama administration, it isn’t just because he and President Obama are buddies. It’s because Biden spent eight years serving as the influential Vice President in the Obama administration. The Obama era was also the Biden era. When Biden talks about it, he’s simply talking about his own record.
If Biden were trying to paint himself as the real mastermind behind Obama’s successes, it would be an entirely different story. But I’ve never once heard Biden try to do this. Instead he points to specific Obama administration matters in which he played a meaningful role. These candidates are all applying to run the Executive Branch, and Biden is the one who has direct experience in running it. Is he supposed to not talk about it?
Vice Presidents rarely end up getting elected President. You have to wonder if it’s partly because they have to walk such a difficult tightrope between spelling out the role they played in the administration, and not being seen as trying to grab too much credit for it. In that regard, Joe Biden is doing fine. We all miss the Obama administration. Biden was a key part of it, and he has as much of a right to talk about his own resume as anyone else does.
Important note: Palmer Report has led the way in political analysis. Now we're gearing up to cover the 2024 election, up and down the ballot. Help support our 2024 efforts by donating now or sign up for our free mailing list.


palmerreport--2020-02-27--Why Donald Trump is going so hard after one Roger Stone juror in particular

What is wrong with “ president ” Donald Trump ?
Yes , it ’ s a rhetorical question , but the man is clearly out of control .
He has been openly and viciously attacking the woman who served as foreperson on Roger Stone ’ s trial , calling her “ biased ” and “ unfit ” to sit on the jury .
His third-person tweets show just how unhinged this man is : “ She was an activist against Trump .
She said bad things about Trump and bad things about Stone .
She somehow weaseled her way onto @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a tainted jury then there is no such thing as a tainted jury.
” As usual , Trump shows how little he knows about anything .
The seating of a jury in any trial , civil or criminal , is preceded by something called voir dire .
This process allows both the judge and counsel to question a potential juror to determine bias and other issues that might make him or her unfit to sit on a jury .
Some of those questions might include whether the potential juror has heard about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knows the defendant or witnesses ; whether he , she , or family members have been subject to criminal prosecution ; and so forth ( source : azd.uscourts.gov ) .
Even if the answers to any of those questions are “ yes , ” the judge will ask the potential juror whether he or she can sit without bias .
If they again answer yes , they might well be seated on the jury .
Both prosecution and defense have preemptory strikes , and if one of them doesn ’ t like that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can strike them without cause .
They can also strike “ for cause ” if a compelling reason exists that might prevent a potential juror from fairly listening to the evidence .
All of this is to further outline that , once again , Trump has no clue about the very things he rails against .
Obviously , Trump has no rational idea just how many people in this country despise him , and that has nothing whatsoever to do with a person ’ s ability to sit on a jury .
Unlike @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even in our disgust .
Likely , Trump ’ s real problem with the jury foreperson , who is Tomeka Hart , is her color .
On top of that , Ms. Hart works for Bill and Melinda Gates ’ Foundation , is a former educator , donates to Democratic causes , and is an extremely outspoken woman of color against Trump and his racist policies .
Hart is a danger to Trump and represents everything he resents : an educated , Black female who has made her presence known .
Now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to CNN , Hart participated in voir dire , responding to questions posed by Judge Jackson , and neither side objected to her presence even though they were well aware of her social media presence against Trump and his braindead supporters .
Obviously , neither side in this trial had a problem with her , so now , Trump attacks her ?
Why doesn ’ t he attack Stone ’ s lawyers for not using one of their preemptory strikes on her ?
As always , Trump goes after what he sees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but he is once again mistaken .
We are not Black folks of the 50s who cowered to massa .
Trump is merely showing the world once again that he is a complete idiot .

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.
-----
-----
What is wrong with “president” Donald Trump? Yes, it’s a rhetorical question, but the man is clearly out of control. He has been openly and viciously attacking the woman who served as foreperson on Roger Stone’s trial, calling her “biased” and “unfit” to sit on the jury. His third-person tweets show just how unhinged this man is: “She was an activist against Trump. She said bad things about Trump and bad things about Stone. She somehow weaseled her way onto the jury and if that’s not a tainted jury then there is no such thing as a tainted jury.” As usual, Trump shows how little he knows about anything.
The seating of a jury in any trial, civil or criminal, is preceded by something called voir dire. This process allows both the judge and counsel to question a potential juror to determine bias and other issues that might make him or her unfit to sit on a jury. Some of those questions might include whether the potential juror has heard about the case; whether he or she knows the defendant or witnesses; whether he, she, or family members have been subject to criminal prosecution; and so forth (source: azd.uscourts.gov). Even if the answers to any of those questions are “yes,” the judge will ask the potential juror whether he or she can sit without bias. If they again answer yes, they might well be seated on the jury.
Both prosecution and defense have preemptory strikes, and if one of them doesn’t like that potential juror’s answers, they can strike them without cause. They can also strike “for cause” if a compelling reason exists that might prevent a potential juror from fairly listening to the evidence. All of this is to further outline that, once again, Trump has no clue about the very things he rails against. Obviously, Trump has no rational idea just how many people in this country despise him, and that has nothing whatsoever to do with a person’s ability to sit on a jury. Unlike him, we can all remain objective even in our disgust.
Likely, Trump’s real problem with the jury foreperson, who is Tomeka Hart, is her color. On top of that, Ms. Hart works for Bill and Melinda Gates’ Foundation, is a former educator, donates to Democratic causes, and is an extremely outspoken woman of color against Trump and his racist policies. Hart is a danger to Trump and represents everything he resents: an educated, Black female who has made her presence known. Now, she’s in his bullseye. According to CNN, Hart participated in voir dire, responding to questions posed by Judge Jackson, and neither side objected to her presence even though they were well aware of her social media presence against Trump and his braindead supporters.
Obviously, neither side in this trial had a problem with her, so now, Trump attacks her? Why doesn’t he attack Stone’s lawyers for not using one of their preemptory strikes on her? As always, Trump goes after what he sees as the “easy target,” but he is once again mistaken. We are not Black folks of the 50s who cowered to massa. Trump is merely showing the world once again that he is a complete idiot.
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--2020-02-27--Nancy Pelosi signals she’s gearing up for a big swing at Donald Trump

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has impeached Donald Trump , and in the process she ’ s educated the voting public about his status as a corrupt criminal .
The GOP Senate predictably didn ’ t remove him .
But if anyone thinks Pelosi and the House are done with Trump , they haven ’ t been paying attention .
Awhile back , Palmer Report pointed out that Pelosi and the House still had multiple court battles brewing over additional evidence against Donald Trump .
One is over the Mueller grand jury transcripts .
Another is over Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , and there ’ s no way to magically speed up the glacial pace at which the courts operate .
But these battles are finally close to coming to a head .
Donald Trump recently began demanding on Twitter that two liberal Supreme Court Justices recuse themselves from these cases , for no good reason .
In so doing , Trump tipped off that he fears Chief Justice John Roberts may not vote with him on these matters , and that he may lose by a 5-4 margin .
Roberts likes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his own power base , so we wouldn ’ t be surprised if he ends up siding with Trump in one case , and with Pelosi in the other case .
To give you an idea of how we ’ re getting closer to a resolution in these cases , Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats just filed a hundred page brief with the Supreme Court on the matter of Donald Trump ’ s financial records .
The House is gearing up to take a big swing at Donald Trump with whatever they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battles .
It won ’ t be this month or next , but it ’ s surely coming before the election .

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.
-----
-----
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has impeached Donald Trump, and in the process she’s educated the voting public about his status as a corrupt criminal. The GOP Senate predictably didn’t remove him. But if anyone thinks Pelosi and the House are done with Trump, they haven’t been paying attention.
Awhile back, Palmer Report pointed out that Pelosi and the House still had multiple court battles brewing over additional evidence against Donald Trump. One is over the Mueller grand jury transcripts. Another is over Trump’s tax returns. These battles take time, and there’s no way to magically speed up the glacial pace at which the courts operate. But these battles are finally close to coming to a head.
Donald Trump recently began demanding on Twitter that two liberal Supreme Court Justices recuse themselves from these cases, for no good reason. In so doing, Trump tipped off that he fears Chief Justice John Roberts may not vote with him on these matters, and that he may lose by a 5-4 margin. Roberts likes to play both sides in order to increase his own power base, so we wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up siding with Trump in one case, and with Pelosi in the other case.
To give you an idea of how we’re getting closer to a resolution in these cases, Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats just filed a hundred page brief with the Supreme Court on the matter of Donald Trump’s financial records. The House is gearing up to take a big swing at Donald Trump with whatever they end up obtaining from these ongoing court battles. It won’t be this month or next, but it’s surely coming before the election.
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--2020-02-27--Donald Trump just screwed up and accidentally endorsed one of his opponents for president

There ’ s really never been a point in time when Donald Trump came off as sharp in his speeches or his tweets .
But over the past few months there has appeared to be a quiet yet steady decline in his cognitive abilities .
He often can ’ t get through a sentence .
His mouth sometimes does odd things .
And he ’ s making even less sense than ever .
So when Donald Trump screwed up and accidentally endorsed one of his opponents for president today , there ’ s reason to worry that it may not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and that it may be a sign of something larger going on here .
It all started when conservative pundit Eric Bolling posted this tweet : To be honest..
I ’ m 💯 @ realDonaldTrump all the way .
But… if I had to live in an America with one of the Dems as Potus at this point I believe it would be @ PeteButtigieg .
He seems smart , even tempered and as moderate as any on the stage .
Holds his own with career pols .
We don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to accomplish with his weird bet-hedging tweet .
What made it relevant is that Donald Trump retweeted it , and added this : “ Eric , I can live with that !
” That ’ s right , Trump just said that he can live with Pete Buttigieg being president .
We think Donald Trump may have mistakenly thought Bolling was pushing for Pete Buttigieg to be the Democratic nominee , and Trump was saying that he ’ d be happy with facing Buttigieg as an opponent .
But Bolling ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accidentally ended up endorsing Buttigieg for president in the process .
Oops .
The real kicker is that Trump just unwittingly told his own followers that a prominent conservative columnist is just fine with a Democrat beating Trump .
Double oops .

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.
-----
-----
There’s really never been a point in time when Donald Trump came off as sharp in his speeches or his tweets. But over the past few months there has appeared to be a quiet yet steady decline in his cognitive abilities. He often can’t get through a sentence. His mouth sometimes does odd things. And he’s making even less sense than ever.
So when Donald Trump screwed up and accidentally endorsed one of his opponents for president today, there’s reason to worry that it may not merely have been a careless screw-up, and that it may be a sign of something larger going on here. It all started when conservative pundit Eric Bolling posted this tweet:
.
To be honest.. I’m 💯 @realDonaldTrump all the way.
But… if I had to live in an America with one of the Dems as Potus at this point I believe it would be @PeteButtigieg. He seems smart, even tempered and as moderate as any on the stage.
Holds his own with career pols. — 🐊ERIC BOLLING🐊 (@ericbolling) February 26, 2020
We don’t know or care what Eric Bolling might be trying to accomplish with his weird bet-hedging tweet. What made it relevant is that Donald Trump retweeted it, and added this: “Eric, I can live with that!” That’s right, Trump just said that he can live with Pete Buttigieg being president.
We think Donald Trump may have mistakenly thought Bolling was pushing for Pete Buttigieg to be the Democratic nominee, and Trump was saying that he’d be happy with facing Buttigieg as an opponent. But Bolling’s tweet read rather clearly, and Trump accidentally ended up endorsing Buttigieg for president in the process. Oops. The real kicker is that Trump just unwittingly told his own followers that a prominent conservative columnist is just fine with a Democrat beating Trump. Double oops.
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--2020-02-27--Donald Trump has a whole new Julian Assange problem

Richard Grenell , Trump ’ s new intelligence chief , is now becoming embroiled in the Julian Assange extradition fight .
According to court filings made by Assange ’ s attorneys , they have recordings and screenshots of Grenell ’ s involvement in the WikiLeaks founder ’ s legal troubles .
Apparently , according to the attorneys , Grenell was acting on Trump ’ s orders .
While we wait for this latest Trumpy sh*tshow to unfold , it ’ s come out that Chuck Schumer is investigating Grenell as well , and the CIA reportedly just had a closed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amid speculation that the briefing is concerning the fact that our top intelligence chief is nothing more than Trump ’ s handmaiden .
Grenell has also been seen as running interference for upper-echelon Russian mobster , Dmytro Firtash , in his fight against extradition to the US from Vienna for bribery .
Firtash is the guy who wired Lev Parnas ’ wife the inexplicable million dollars .
Firstash is also “ Ukraine corruption-fighting pals ” with Rudy Giuliani .
If this doesn ’ t smell like something rotting on the asphalt in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know what does .
As frightening as all this is , Trump has spent the day congratulating himself on his ratings and fanning the flames of conspiracy that the COVID-19 influenza is merely a Deep State invention to bring down his Presidency .
Madness .
We will get through this .

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.
-----
-----
Richard Grenell, Trump’s new intelligence chief, is now becoming embroiled in the Julian Assange extradition fight. According to court filings made by Assange’s attorneys, they have recordings and screenshots of Grenell’s involvement in the WikiLeaks founder’s legal troubles. Apparently, according to the attorneys, Grenell was acting on Trump’s orders.
While we wait for this latest Trumpy sh*tshow to unfold, it’s come out that Chuck Schumer is investigating Grenell as well, and the CIA reportedly just had a closed door meeting with the Gang of Eight amid speculation that the briefing is concerning the fact that our top intelligence chief is nothing more than Trump’s handmaiden.
Grenell has also been seen as running interference for upper-echelon Russian mobster, Dmytro Firtash, in his fight against extradition to the US from Vienna for bribery. Firtash is the guy who wired Lev Parnas’ wife the inexplicable million dollars. Firstash is also “Ukraine corruption-fighting pals” with Rudy Giuliani. If this doesn’t smell like something rotting on the asphalt in the midday sun, we don’t know what does.
As frightening as all this is, Trump has spent the day congratulating himself on his ratings and fanning the flames of conspiracy that the COVID-19 influenza is merely a Deep State invention to bring down his Presidency. Madness. We will get through this.
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--2020-02-27--If this is true about Bernie Sanders, it disqualifies him from being the nominee

I ’ ve been consistently clear in my position that if Bernie Sanders ends up being the democratic nominee , I ’ ll loudly support him over Donald Trump – but I don ’ t want Bernie to be the nominee , because it ’ s pretty clear he ’ d find a way to lose to Trump .
Bernie has been the “ frontrunner ” for about five minutes , and he ’ s already caused himself huge trouble in Florida by partially praising Fidel Castro , while also needlessly alienating a prominent bipartisan Jewish group .
Now it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s not clear how Bernie Sanders thinks he can defeat Donald Trump in the key swing state of Florida , if he ’ s going to keep alienating Jewish voters ( a democratic stronghold ) and Cuban voters ( who lean Republican but only supported Trump over Hillary by a 50-41 margin in 2016 , and are thus in play in 2020 ) .
Now Bernie has apparently decided he can magically beat Trump without anyone ’ s help , either .
Mike Bloomberg has publicly stated that if he loses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ll keep spending big on anti-Trump television ads , in the name of supporting the Democratic nominee .
You ’ d have to be some kind of fool to turn down that kind of free support , right ?
Well , Bernie Sanders is now saying that he ’ s precisely that kind of fool .
According to New York Magazine , Sanders now says he doesn ’ t want Mike Bloomberg ’ s help in the general election .
To be clear , there are two possibilities here .
The first is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now as a way of taking a stand against Bloomberg ’ s attempt at buying the nomination , but Bernie is quietly planning to accept Bloomberg ’ s help in the general election if it comes to that .
If this is what Bernie is really up to , then it ’ s just fine .
He has every right to call out Bloomberg ’ s attempt at buying the nomination .
But Bernie ’ s fans keep telling me that he ’ s so honest , I ’ m supposed to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So if Bernie really does mean this , and he really is planning to refuse Mike Bloomberg ’ s help in the general election , then it ’ s disqualifying .
This isn ’ t some normal election .
We ’ re up against Donald Trump , who is trying to declare himself emperor .
The Democratic nominee has a moral imperative to accept whatever help might be offered from the other Democratic primary candidates .
We can ’ t afford to have a nominee who would rather lose to Trump than accept @ @ @ @ @

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.
-----
-----
I’ve been consistently clear in my position that if Bernie Sanders ends up being the democratic nominee, I’ll loudly support him over Donald Trump – but I don’t want Bernie to be the nominee, because it’s pretty clear he’d find a way to lose to Trump. Bernie has been the “frontrunner” for about five minutes, and he’s already caused himself huge trouble in Florida by partially praising Fidel Castro, while also needlessly alienating a prominent bipartisan Jewish group. Now it’s apparently gotten even worse.
It’s not clear how Bernie Sanders thinks he can defeat Donald Trump in the key swing state of Florida, if he’s going to keep alienating Jewish voters (a democratic stronghold) and Cuban voters (who lean Republican but only supported Trump over Hillary by a 50-41 margin in 2016, and are thus in play in 2020). Now Bernie has apparently decided he can magically beat Trump without anyone’s help, either.
Mike Bloomberg has publicly stated that if he loses the Democratic Party nomination, he’ll keep spending big on anti-Trump television ads, in the name of supporting the Democratic nominee. You’d have to be some kind of fool to turn down that kind of free support, right? Well, Bernie Sanders is now saying that he’s precisely that kind of fool.
According to New York Magazine, Sanders now says he doesn’t want Mike Bloomberg’s help in the general election. To be clear, there are two possibilities here. The first is that Bernie is simply saying this right now as a way of taking a stand against Bloomberg’s attempt at buying the nomination, but Bernie is quietly planning to accept Bloomberg’s help in the general election if it comes to that. If this is what Bernie is really up to, then it’s just fine. He has every right to call out Bloomberg’s attempt at buying the nomination.
But Bernie’s fans keep telling me that he’s so honest, I’m supposed to take everything he says at face value. So if Bernie really does mean this, and he really is planning to refuse Mike Bloomberg’s help in the general election, then it’s disqualifying. This isn’t some normal election. We’re up against Donald Trump, who is trying to declare himself emperor. The Democratic nominee has a moral imperative to accept whatever help might be offered from the other Democratic primary candidates. We can’t afford to have a nominee who would rather lose to Trump than accept Bloomberg’s help.
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--2020-02-27--President Obama comes out swinging in defense of Joe Biden

President Obama has made a point of trying not to get involved in the 2020 Democratic primary process .
That way , once we have a nominee , he can launch a full-on offensive on behalf of the nominee .
But something has happened that has left Obama with no choice but to come out swinging in defense of one of the candidates .
How scared are the Republicans of Joe Biden ’ s potential comeback ?
They ’ re running smear ads against him in South Carolina right now , for the sole purpose of trying to prevent Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would much rather face a more divisive candidate like Sanders , and they ’ re putting their money where their mouth is by running ads which purport to show President Obama accusing Joe Biden of being a racist .
Of course Obama never said any such thing , and that ’ s where the story picks up .
President Obama has sent a cease and desist letter to the TV stations in South Carolina that are running the ad , which consists of a deceptively edited version of his words .
In his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the ad as “ despicable.
” What ’ s interesting here is that by trying to use Obama ’ s out-of-context words to smear Joe Biden , the Republicans have unwittingly prompted Obama to come out in defense of Biden .
Obama ’ s letter has resulted in numerous major media outlets running stories about how Obama is defending Biden , which – considering Obama ’ s enduring popularity – is a huge gift to Biden .
We ’ ll see what happens in South Carolina .
The latest poll numbers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all show Joe Biden winning the state , by various margins .
If Biden does win , it ’ ll be a sign that voters in diverse Super Tuesday states are also planning to turn out for him , and it ’ ll create a media narrative about Biden having momentum .
And now , because the GOP blew it , Biden is getting headlines about President Obama defending his honor .

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.
-----
-----
President Obama has made a point of trying not to get involved in the 2020 Democratic primary process. That way, once we have a nominee, he can launch a full-on offensive on behalf of the nominee. But something has happened that has left Obama with no choice but to come out swinging in defense of one of the candidates.
How scared are the Republicans of Joe Biden’s potential comeback? They’re running smear ads against him in South Carolina right now, for the sole purpose of trying to prevent Biden from winning the state. The Republicans would much rather face a more divisive candidate like Sanders, and they’re putting their money where their mouth is by running ads which purport to show President Obama accusing Joe Biden of being a racist. Of course Obama never said any such thing, and that’s where the story picks up.
President Obama has sent a cease and desist letter to the TV stations in South Carolina that are running the ad, which consists of a deceptively edited version of his words. In his letter, Obama and his attorneys refer to the ad as “despicable.” What’s interesting here is that by trying to use Obama’s out-of-context words to smear Joe Biden, the Republicans have unwittingly prompted Obama to come out in defense of Biden. Obama’s letter has resulted in numerous major media outlets running stories about how Obama is defending Biden, which – considering Obama’s enduring popularity – is a huge gift to Biden.
We’ll see what happens in South Carolina. The latest poll numbers are all over the place, but they all show Joe Biden winning the state, by various margins. If Biden does win, it’ll be a sign that voters in diverse Super Tuesday states are also planning to turn out for him, and it’ll create a media narrative about Biden having momentum. And now, because the GOP blew it, Biden is getting headlines about President Obama defending his honor.
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--2020-02-27--Looks like Donald Trump really is trying to dump Mike Pence from the 2020 ticket

Before Donald Trump held his press conference today , there was a lot of speculation about who his pick might be for “ coronavirus czar.
” The thing is , Trump knows that his administration ’ s response to the outbreak will be a failure .
Even if he gets lucky and the virus doesn ’ t spread in the United States , the worldwide economic impact will hit the U.S. hard , and the Trump regime ’ s response to the worldwide epidemic will be seen as a failure .
Specifically , Trump ’ s coronavirus czar will seen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was picking a fall guy today .
So who drew the unlucky straw ?
Remarkably , Mike Pence .
This is interesting to say the least .
There ’ s no way around it , Trump is setting up Pence to fail .
Trump has slipped badly in the cognitive department of late , but even he can ’ t be delusional enough to believe that the coronavirus mess will go well for him .
So why on earth would Trump decide to scapegoat Pence ?
Sure , it could be out of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Donald Trump is heading into reelection , and even he ’ s not whacked out enough to pointlessly damage the reputation of his running mate out of spite .
Instead , there has to be more going on here .
There ’ s been media buzz for a long time that Trump would like to replace Mike Pence on the 2020 ticket .
We ’ ve never really believed that was a possibility – until just now .
Think about it .
Donald Trump puts Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong no matter who ’ s in charge of it .
Pence ’ s reputation gets so damaged , even Pence ’ s Republican allies end up reluctantly concluding that they should let Trump pick a new running mate .
They ’ re not going to let Trump pick his own daughter , or anything quite so on-the-nose .
But they would allow him to pick someone like Nikki Haley .
Donald Trump didn ’ t want Mike Pence the first time around , and was only pressured into it by Paul Manafort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Pence may have helped Trump get the evangelical vote in 2016 , but by now , the ever narcissistic Trump has surely decided that he got all those evangelical votes himself , so he doesn ’ t need Pence again .
He sees multiple women running on the Democratic side , figures one will end up on the Democratic ticket , and – in his simplistic sexist mind – thinks he needs to pick a Republican woman for his running mate .
Either that , or Trump put Pence in charge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reason .
Take your pick .

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.
-----
-----
Before Donald Trump held his press conference today, there was a lot of speculation about who his pick might be for “coronavirus czar.” The thing is, Trump knows that his administration’s response to the outbreak will be a failure. Even if he gets lucky and the virus doesn’t spread in the United States, the worldwide economic impact will hit the U.S. hard, and the Trump regime’s response to the worldwide epidemic will be seen as a failure.
Specifically, Trump’s coronavirus czar will seen as a scapegoat. He knew he was picking a fall guy today. So who drew the unlucky straw? Remarkably, Mike Pence. This is interesting to say the least. There’s no way around it, Trump is setting up Pence to fail. Trump has slipped badly in the cognitive department of late, but even he can’t be delusional enough to believe that the coronavirus mess will go well for him. So why on earth would Trump decide to scapegoat Pence?
Sure, it could be out of pure spite and cruelty. But really, Donald Trump is heading into reelection, and even he’s not whacked out enough to pointlessly damage the reputation of his running mate out of spite. Instead, there has to be more going on here. There’s been media buzz for a long time that Trump would like to replace Mike Pence on the 2020 ticket. We’ve never really believed that was a possibility – until just now.
Think about it. Donald Trump puts Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus response, knowing it’ll go wrong no matter who’s in charge of it. Pence’s reputation gets so damaged, even Pence’s Republican allies end up reluctantly concluding that they should let Trump pick a new running mate. They’re not going to let Trump pick his own daughter, or anything quite so on-the-nose. But they would allow him to pick someone like Nikki Haley.
Donald Trump didn’t want Mike Pence the first time around, and was only pressured into it by Paul Manafort, who’s now in prison. Pence may have helped Trump get the evangelical vote in 2016, but by now, the ever narcissistic Trump has surely decided that he got all those evangelical votes himself, so he doesn’t need Pence again. He sees multiple women running on the Democratic side, figures one will end up on the Democratic ticket, and – in his simplistic sexist mind – thinks he needs to pick a Republican woman for his running mate. Either that, or Trump put Pence in charge of the coronavirus mess today for absolutely no reason. Take your pick.
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--2020-02-27--Here lies Donald Trump

Here lies Donald Trump

I ’ ve known a handful of pathological liars in my life and I expect so have most of you .
A prominent feature of the pathological liar is that they sometimes lie when the truth would serve just as well — or even better .
For them lying must be its own reward .
I can not identify with someone who prefers a lie to the truth .
That makes no sense to me .
But then I don ’ t associate lying with pleasure either , so I suppose if someone is wired that way it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Perhaps they experience pleasure when lying in the same way normal people feel pleasure when they are being kind or decent or honorable .
If I were wired that way I would hope I would make the moral choice to actively resist the impulse to lie , but since I ’ m not wired that way I can ’ t say for sure what I would do .
In any case , I do not think Donald Trump is wired that way either .
I think Trump is a special case , perhaps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he lies because he doesn ’ t care and he lies because he has never experienced any real consequence for lying and is too lazy-minded and amoral to even wonder if it matters .
It is a habituation so deep with Trump that he ’ s probably not even aware when he does it .
In short , Trump lies to himself , and it would never occur to him that even that is a bad thing .
This is a consequence of Trump ’ s lacking self reflection .
Self reflection is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s identifiable in our ability to question our own motives , our own truthfulness , our own accuracy .
It ’ s why we change our minds , why we admit we ’ re wrong , why we apologize .
As far as I can recall , Trump has never done any of those things .
Such a quality missing in the president of the United States could be fatal .
Unfortunately , that quality is inadvertently encouraged .
We are often intolerant of politicians who change their minds .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the exact same opinions they had when they were three years old .
If they don ’ t we call them out for it .
That creates enormous pressure on them to never change their minds about anything .
So when Trump never admits wrongdoing , blames others for his failures and takes credit from others for his successes , he ’ s perceived as strong by some for those reasons .
Trump lies for self-glorification , self-protection and self-enrichment .
That ’ s the point of everything he ever does .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ full of stories about themselves in which they are the star and the hero of every tale they tell .
Donald Trump is that — writ large .
CNN ’ s Jim Acosta understands all this and sees through Trump .
Acosta asks Trump tough questions .
Trump doesn ’ t like that .
For example , in a recent press conference Acosta asked Trump , “ Can you pledge to the American people that you will not accept any foreign assistance in the upcoming election ?
” To which Trump replied , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help from any country and I haven ’ t been given any help from any country .
And if you see what CNN , your wonderful network , said , I guess they apologized in a way .
Didn ’ t they apologize for the fact that they said certain things that weren ’ t true ?
” I hesitate to make sense of the mess that is Donald Trump ’ s brain , but I think he may be referring to something that he ’ s been banging on about for years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN ran a story that claimed two sources told the network that the Trump campaign received an email that gave Trump and his son Don Jr. early access to WikiLeaks documents .
CNN subsequently retracted that story and apologized for it .
It ’ s characteristic of Trump ’ s hypocrisy that he sees this as a weakness and “ proof ” that CNN is a network full of liars , when in fact it shows the exact opposite .
It ’ s exasperating that Trump , who has told over 16,000 lies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about ) , would attack a network for both making a mistake and recognizing it as a mistake and retracting it and apologizing for it , and it ’ s also pure hypocrisy .
That Trump told Acosta he wants no help from other countries to get re-elected and he hasn ’ t “ been given any help from any country , ” is really the crowning lie .
It ’ s a lie of many layers and is immediately demonstrable as a lie .
We know this because in June of 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called from a country , Norway , [ and said ] ‘ we have information on your opponent ’ — oh , I think I ’ d want to hear it.
” Then one month later he tried to extort Ukraine into announcing an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter and was impeached for it .
And of course we all know that Russia has been actively engaged in subverting every American election since Trump took office because every single American intelligence agency says it has .
In short , Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has accepted foreign aid to win an election and he would do it again — and he plans to do it in 2020 .
Another way Donald Trump lies is he attacks people with adjectives instead of facts .
This way he can publicly excoriate someone without having to work too hard or think too much .
The people he attacks are almost always innocent of any wrongdoing .
When Trump tweets something ugly about people he also puts their lives in danger .
Many stupid and violent people love Trump .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before one of them kills someone Trump has attacked .
Donald Trump recently proclaimed that the coronavirus crisis is “ very well under control in our country.
” That is a lie .
Coronavirus is a clear and present danger to the health of the world , and may infect , by some estimates , as much as 70 % of the world ’ s population before it finally dies out .
That the man who said the solution to forest fires is raking leaves , or category 5 hurricanes can be subdued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believed when speaking about coronavirus is a tribute to human stupidity .
It ’ s also an artifact of the power of the presidency , because no one would listen to Donald Trump at all if he weren ’ t president of the United States .
That is yet another reason why we must get rid of 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.
-----
-----
I’ve known a handful of pathological liars in my life and I expect so have most of you. A prominent feature of the pathological liar is that they sometimes lie when the truth would serve just as well — or even better. For them lying must be its own reward.
I cannot identify with someone who prefers a lie to the truth. That makes no sense to me. But then I don’t associate lying with pleasure either, so I suppose if someone is wired that way it’s possible they associate lying with pleasure. Perhaps they experience pleasure when lying in the same way normal people feel pleasure when they are being kind or decent or honorable. If I were wired that way I would hope I would make the moral choice to actively resist the impulse to lie, but since I’m not wired that way I can’t say for sure what I would do.
In any case, I do not think Donald Trump is wired that way either. I think Trump is a special case, perhaps even a unique case. I think he lies because he doesn’t care and he lies because he has never experienced any real consequence for lying and is too lazy-minded and amoral to even wonder if it matters. It is a habituation so deep with Trump that he’s probably not even aware when he does it. In short, Trump lies to himself, and it would never occur to him that even that is a bad thing.
This is a consequence of Trump’s lacking self reflection. Self reflection is a quality most normal people have. It’s identifiable in our ability to question our own motives, our own truthfulness, our own accuracy. It’s why we change our minds, why we admit we’re wrong, why we apologize. As far as I can recall, Trump has never done any of those things.
Such a quality missing in the president of the United States could be fatal. Unfortunately, that quality is inadvertently encouraged. We are often intolerant of politicians who change their minds. We too often require our politicians to have the exact same opinions they had when they were three years old. If they don’t we call them out for it. That creates enormous pressure on them to never change their minds about anything. So when Trump never admits wrongdoing, blames others for his failures and takes credit from others for his successes, he’s perceived as strong by some for those reasons.
Trump lies for self-glorification, self-protection and self-enrichment. That’s the point of everything he ever does. We’ve all known people who are full of stories about themselves in which they are the star and the hero of every tale they tell. Donald Trump is that — writ large.
CNN’s Jim Acosta understands all this and sees through Trump. Acosta asks Trump tough questions. Trump doesn’t like that. For example, in a recent press conference Acosta asked Trump, “Can you pledge to the American people that you will not accept any foreign assistance in the upcoming election?” To which Trump replied, “First of all I want no help from any country and I haven’t been given any help from any country. And if you see what CNN, your wonderful network, said, I guess they apologized in a way. Didn’t they apologize for the fact that they said certain things that weren’t true?”
I hesitate to make sense of the mess that is Donald Trump’s brain, but I think he may be referring to something that he’s been banging on about for years. On December 8, 2017, CNN ran a story that claimed two sources told the network that the Trump campaign received an email that gave Trump and his son Don Jr. early access to WikiLeaks documents. CNN subsequently retracted that story and apologized for it. It’s characteristic of Trump’s hypocrisy that he sees this as a weakness and “proof” that CNN is a network full of liars, when in fact it shows the exact opposite.
It’s exasperating that Trump, who has told over 16,000 lies while in office (that we know about), would attack a network for both making a mistake and recognizing it as a mistake and retracting it and apologizing for it, and it’s also pure hypocrisy. That Trump told Acosta he wants no help from other countries to get re-elected and he hasn’t “been given any help from any country,” is really the crowning lie. It’s a lie of many layers and is immediately demonstrable as a lie.
We know this because in June of 2019 Trump told George Stephanopolous “If somebody called from a country, Norway, [and said] ‘we have information on your opponent’ — oh, I think I’d want to hear it.” Then one month later he tried to extort Ukraine into announcing an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter and was impeached for it. And of course we all know that Russia has been actively engaged in subverting every American election since Trump took office because every single American intelligence agency says it has. In short, Donald Trump brazenly lied to Acosta. He has accepted foreign aid to win an election and he would do it again — and he plans to do it in 2020.
Another way Donald Trump lies is he attacks people with adjectives instead of facts. This way he can publicly excoriate someone without having to work too hard or think too much. The people he attacks are almost always innocent of any wrongdoing. When Trump tweets something ugly about people he also puts their lives in danger. Many stupid and violent people love Trump. It’s only a matter of time before one of them kills someone Trump has attacked.
Donald Trump recently proclaimed that the coronavirus crisis is “very well under control in our country.” That is a lie. Coronavirus is a clear and present danger to the health of the world, and may infect, by some estimates, as much as 70% of the world’s population before it finally dies out. That the man who said the solution to forest fires is raking leaves, or category 5 hurricanes can be subdued with atom bombs, is even still believed when speaking about coronavirus is a tribute to human stupidity. It’s also an artifact of the power of the presidency, because no one would listen to Donald Trump at all if he weren’t president of the United States. That is yet another reason why we must get rid of 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--2020-02-26--Donald Trump goes off the deep end during bizarre coronavirus press conference

Donald Trump really wants you to know that when it comes to the coronavirus , everything is going to magically be just fine .
He held a press conference this afternoon just to try to prove as much – but thanks to his inane rambling and obvious lies , he ’ s probably only served to make people more concerned about whether the United States is prepared for a potential epidemic .
Trump started off by trying to downplay the seriousness of the coronavirus in the United States by asserting that only fifteen people have it .
But considering the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ necessarily true .
Then he insisted that the infections have “ slowed down ” in the United States over the past few days .
Okay , so we get it , he wants to convince everyone that things are just fine , so the stock market will stop plummeting .
But then Trump tried to claim that the coronavirus isn ’ t spreading in the United States because he closed the borders .
It ’ s not clear what he ’ s even referring to ; perhaps he ’ s suggesting that his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stopping infected people from Asia from entering the United States .
We knew sooner or later he ’ d try to make this into an anti-immigrant argument .
Trump also wants you to know he ’ s not happy that he ’ s being “ ridiculed ” for how he ’ s handling this , because he ’ s made some “ very good ” decisions .
Donald Trump also claimed that a vaccine will be developed “ fairly rapidly , ” even though various experts have been quoted in the media as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or more .
Then he announced that he ’ s putting Mike Pence in charge of the U.S. response to the coronavirus .
It ’ s not clear if that ’ s somehow supposed to make us feel better .

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.
-----
-----
Donald Trump really wants you to know that when it comes to the coronavirus, everything is going to magically be just fine. He held a press conference this afternoon just to try to prove as much – but thanks to his inane rambling and obvious lies, he’s probably only served to make people more concerned about whether the United States is prepared for a potential epidemic.
Trump started off by trying to downplay the seriousness of the coronavirus in the United States by asserting that only fifteen people have it. But considering the incubation period, that’s not necessarily true. Then he insisted that the infections have “slowed down” in the United States over the past few days. Okay, so we get it, he wants to convince everyone that things are just fine, so the stock market will stop plummeting.
But then Trump tried to claim that the coronavirus isn’t spreading in the United States because he closed the borders. It’s not clear what he’s even referring to; perhaps he’s suggesting that his imaginary border wall with Mexico is somehow stopping infected people from Asia from entering the United States. We knew sooner or later he’d try to make this into an anti-immigrant argument. Trump also wants you to know he’s not happy that he’s being “ridiculed” for how he’s handling this, because he’s made some “very good” decisions.
Donald Trump also claimed that a vaccine will be developed “fairly rapidly,” even though various experts have been quoted in the media as saying that it could take a year or more. Then he announced that he’s putting Mike Pence in charge of the U.S. response to the coronavirus. It’s not clear if that’s somehow supposed to make us feel better.
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.