palmerreport--2020-02-10--Everything hits the fan at once

Everything hits the fan at once

Experts predicted that once “ president ” Donald Trump was “ acquitted ” in the sham senate trial , he would be worse .
In our hearts , we already knew this .
We likely could have guessed some of his initial actions , such as going after Mitt Romney and those who testified against him in the House investigation : Gordon Sondlon and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman .
His justification for Vindman , according to the Independent and his own Tweet , was that Vindman was “ very insubordinate , reported contents of my ‘ perfect ’ calls incorrectly.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ sake of fantasy that this is true .
Then , what infraction did Vindman ’ s twin brother Yevgeny commit ?
He too was fired from the National Security Council .
Trump is an evil liar , and his base continues to eat it up , and they appear oblivious to everything else he does , including Trump ’ s continued robbery of taxpayers .
The Atlantic published a piece questioning the cost of Secret Service rooms when traveling with Trump .
They ’ re not on vacation , nor are these luxury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) were charged anywhere from $ 400 to $ 650 per night to stay at Mar-a-Lago .
David Fahrenthold ( Washington Post ) has been keeping tabs on Trump ’ s robbery and recently revealed not only the charges at Mar-a-Lago but that the Secret Service ( again , we ) were charged $ 17,000 per month for a small cottage at Trump ’ s Bedminster , NJ golf course , regardless of Trump ’ s presence .
So , if Trump wasn ’ t there , we can assume that neither were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paying rent for this cottage .
The Atlantic reveals that just last year , Trump ’ s son Eric was asked about charges for the Secret Service when traveling with Trump , and just like his miscreant father , Eric blatantly lied : “ If my father travels , they stay at our properties for free.
” He went on to say that his father is saving the government tons of money by allowing the Secret Service to stay free or for “ $ 50 per night.
” Wow .
The lying apples @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tree in this criminal family .
It is painfully clear why Trump wanted the presidency and why he fights to keep it , even though he has no interest in doing what ’ s best for this country .
The most puzzling thing in this equation , however , is his supporters .
Other than the wealthy 1 % who like Trump because he protects their millions and the Evangelicals who don ’ t like abortion , it is hard to honestly fathom the attraction of this man to people who barely have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to throw it out of .
He cares nothing about them .
He does , however , care about something very important to them : Racism and hate .
As the Independent also reports , the KKK has issued a front-page endorsement of Trump .
What a shock .
When this same organization endorsed Ronald Regan years ago , he immediately denounced them , their organization , and their endorsement .
Don ’ t expect Trump to do the same .
He needs those votes .
Everything surrounding or even remotely related to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His white supremacist followers are getting bolder by the day , and the rest of the world isn ’ t going to sit back and allow them to do what they wish they could .
The ultimate fallout from Trump is not going to be pretty .

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.
-----
-----
Experts predicted that once “president” Donald Trump was “acquitted” in the sham senate trial, he would be worse. In our hearts, we already knew this. We likely could have guessed some of his initial actions, such as going after Mitt Romney and those who testified against him in the House investigation: Gordon Sondlon and Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. His justification for Vindman, according to the Independent and his own Tweet, was that Vindman was “very insubordinate, reported contents of my ‘perfect’ calls incorrectly.” Let’s say for the sake of fantasy that this is true. Then, what infraction did Vindman’s twin brother Yevgeny commit? He too was fired from the National Security Council. Trump is an evil liar, and his base continues to eat it up, and they appear oblivious to everything else he does, including Trump’s continued robbery of taxpayers.
The Atlantic published a piece questioning the cost of Secret Service rooms when traveling with Trump. They’re not on vacation, nor are these luxury trips. Still, they (we) were charged anywhere from $400 to $650 per night to stay at Mar-a-Lago. David Fahrenthold (Washington Post) has been keeping tabs on Trump’s robbery and recently revealed not only the charges at Mar-a-Lago but that the Secret Service (again, we) were charged $17,000 per month for a small cottage at Trump’s Bedminster, NJ golf course, regardless of Trump’s presence. So, if Trump wasn’t there, we can assume that neither were the Secret Service, yet taxpayers are paying rent for this cottage.
The Atlantic reveals that just last year, Trump’s son Eric was asked about charges for the Secret Service when traveling with Trump, and just like his miscreant father, Eric blatantly lied: “If my father travels, they stay at our properties for free.” He went on to say that his father is saving the government tons of money by allowing the Secret Service to stay free or for “$50 per night.” Wow. The lying apples don’t fall far from the tree in this criminal family. It is painfully clear why Trump wanted the presidency and why he fights to keep it, even though he has no interest in doing what’s best for this country. The most puzzling thing in this equation, however, is his supporters.
Other than the wealthy 1% who like Trump because he protects their millions and the Evangelicals who don’t like abortion, it is hard to honestly fathom the attraction of this man to people who barely have a pot to piss in or window to throw it out of. He cares nothing about them. He does, however, care about something very important to them: Racism and hate. As the Independent also reports, the KKK has issued a front-page endorsement of Trump. What a shock. When this same organization endorsed Ronald Regan years ago, he immediately denounced them, their organization, and their endorsement. Don’t expect Trump to do the same. He needs those votes.
Everything surrounding or even remotely related to Trump is coming to a head. His white supremacist followers are getting bolder by the day, and the rest of the world isn’t going to sit back and allow them to do what they wish they could. The ultimate fallout from Trump is not going to be pretty.
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--2020-02-10--Mike Bloomberg drops the hammer on Donald Trump

Mike Bloomberg has been running one of the more surreal presidential candidacies of the modern era .
He ’ s @ @ @ @ @ race running pervasive television ads that attack Donald Trump , while not even bothering to @ @ @ @ @ for participating in the Democratic debates .
Bloomberg has also vowed to spend the general @ @ @ @ @ helping whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being .
That brings us to Mike Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ , which consists entirely of great lines delivered by past presidents from both parties , @ @ @ @ @ un-presidential things that Donald Trump keeps saying .
The ad is highly effective .
You @ @ @ @ @ Our country has a rich history of presidents who respected the power , decorum , @ @ @ @ @ .
Unfortunately , that rich history ended the day Trump became president .
pic.twitter.com/3QEncsTiNA

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.
-----
-----
Mike Bloomberg has been running one of the more surreal presidential candidacies of the modern era. He’s spending the Democratic 2020 primary race running pervasive television ads that attack Donald Trump, while not even bothering to try to meet the qualifications for participating in the Democratic debates. Bloomberg has also vowed to spend the general election running ads aimed at helping whoever the Democratic nominee ends up being.
That brings us to Mike Bloomberg’s latest television ad, which consists entirely of great lines delivered by past presidents from both parties, interspersed with the embarrassing and un-presidential things that Donald Trump keeps saying. The ad is highly effective. You can watch it below:
Our country has a rich history of presidents who respected the power, decorum, and influence of their office. Unfortunately, that rich history ended the day Trump became president. pic.twitter.com/3QEncsTiNA — Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 9, 2020
.
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--2020-02-11--Donald Trump just lost the first round of voting in the New Hampshire Republican primary

The New Hampshire primary isn ’ t set to take place until Tuesday , but the remote locale of Dixville Notch traditionally kicks off the voting the night before , by staying up until just after midnight .
The tiny number of voters in the town – just five voters across both parties – usually makes for an entertaining story .
This time around , Donald Trump somehow lost the Republican vote in Dixille Notch , to someone who wasn ’ t even on the ballot and isn ’ t even a Republican .
Several major news outlets are reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic primary in Dixville Notch , by getting two write-in votes .
This allowed him to beat out Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders , who got one vote each .
But it turns out Bloomberg also won the New Hampshire Republican primary in Dixville Notch by getting one write-in vote , while Donald Trump got zero votes .
That means – and this is somehow real – Mike Bloomberg somehow won the Democratic and Republican primary vote in Dixville Notch .
Donald Trump , who was running unopposed in the Republican primary , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ means that the one Republican in Dixville Notch decided to cast a protest vote against Donald Trump .
This doesn ’ t tell us much about what will happen tomorrow across New Hampshire statewide .
The polls suggest that either Bernie or Pete will win the Democratic primary in the state , and that Trump will win the Republican primary in the state .
But still , the optics couldn ’ t be much more awful for Trump tonight .

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.
-----
-----
The New Hampshire primary isn’t set to take place until Tuesday, but the remote locale of Dixville Notch traditionally kicks off the voting the night before, by staying up until just after midnight. The tiny number of voters in the town – just five voters across both parties – usually makes for an entertaining story. This time around, Donald Trump somehow lost the Republican vote in Dixille Notch, to someone who wasn’t even on the ballot and isn’t even a Republican.
Several major news outlets are reporting that Mike Bloomberg won the New Hampshire Democratic primary in Dixville Notch, by getting two write-in votes. This allowed him to beat out Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders, who got one vote each. But it turns out Bloomberg also won the New Hampshire Republican primary in Dixville Notch by getting one write-in vote, while Donald Trump got zero votes.
That means – and this is somehow real – Mike Bloomberg somehow won the Democratic and Republican primary vote in Dixville Notch. Donald Trump, who was running unopposed in the Republican primary, somehow lost.
Of course this simply means that the one Republican in Dixville Notch decided to cast a protest vote against Donald Trump. This doesn’t tell us much about what will happen tomorrow across New Hampshire statewide. The polls suggest that either Bernie or Pete will win the Democratic primary in the state, and that Trump will win the Republican primary in the state. But still, the optics couldn’t be much more awful for Trump tonight.
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--2020-02-11--Donald Trump goes berserk and posts unhinged tweet with seven f-bombs in it

Donald Trump has been having a rough day .
New poll numbers suggest that he ’ s in just as much of a 2020 hole as he was before he was acquitted .
His new budget proposal landed with a huge thud .
So what ’ s Trump doing to try to turn things around ?
Well , he ’ s tweeting a Larry David video .
The trouble : it ’ s inappropriately profane by a mile .
The bigger trouble : Trump doesn ’ t appear to understand that Trump is the butt of the joke .
Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Enthusiasm in which Larry David tries to get people to leave him alone by wearing a “ Make America Great Again ” hat .
The premise is that Trump supporters are such pariahs , no one will want to talk to him while he ’ s wearing the hat .
Eventually , after Larry David accidentally cuts off a motorcycle , prompting the biker to begin repeatedly yelling the f-word at him , Larry puts on the hat and then the biker leaves him alone : It ’ s not clear if Donald @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the video clip because he didn ’ t see the entire episode , or if he ’ s just too stupid to understand what ’ s going on here .
But what kind of President of the United States tweets a profanity laced video and doesn ’ t realize the video is making fun of him ?
Trump is more off the rails than ever .

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 has been having a rough day. New poll numbers suggest that he’s in just as much of a 2020 hole as he was before he was acquitted. His new budget proposal landed with a huge thud. So what’s Trump doing to try to turn things around? Well, he’s tweeting a Larry David video. The trouble: it’s inappropriately profane by a mile. The bigger trouble: Trump doesn’t appear to understand that Trump is the butt of the joke.
Trump tweeted a video clip from Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Larry David tries to get people to leave him alone by wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. The premise is that Trump supporters are such pariahs, no one will want to talk to him while he’s wearing the hat. Eventually, after Larry David accidentally cuts off a motorcycle, prompting the biker to begin repeatedly yelling the f-word at him, Larry puts on the hat and then the biker leaves him alone:
TOUGH GUYS FOR TRUMP! pic.twitter.com/DbjZjGzLWU — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 11, 2020
It’s not clear if Donald Trump didn’t understand the context of the video clip because he didn’t see the entire episode, or if he’s just too stupid to understand what’s going on here. But what kind of President of the United States tweets a profanity laced video and doesn’t realize the video is making fun of him? Trump is more off the rails than ever.
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.


FALLING TO PIECES

As Trump had the Purple Heart recipient , Lt. Col. Alex Vindman , and his brother perp-walked out of the White House , it was reminiscent of Germany 1934 .
The Night of the Long Knives was Hitler ’ s purge of Ernst Röhm and his brownshirts , the SA .
Afterward , Hitler and his bodyguard battalion , the Schutzstaffel , better known at the SS , took over and reigned supreme .
But only till 1945 .
Even the Thousand Year Reich had an early expiration date .
Trump doesn ’ t even have nine months .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Because it ’ s vitally important that Senator Collins come to regret her defense of her vote to protect criminal Trump , and it ’ s necessary that these Republicans drown with their Dear Leader all the way to the bottom of their own individual political demise .
Even better , that they now all become so full of themselves , that they land in their own cell at the supermax prison , ADX Florence .
We know it ’ s hard to stomach watching all this self-justified treason , hearing our Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin , to see every one of them defend the indefensible .
But now is not the time to get discouraged .
We have an ace in the hole .
It ’ s the sheer stupidity of Trump and his kind that will tumble them all down the chute to prison .
The idiotic , frat house fidelity to their agenda is not only insane , it is suicidal .
If Collins had just had the guts Romney displayed , she ’ d have had a chance at getting reelected .
But these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kamikaze , they seem like cartoon villains flaunting their evil until the hero comes and drops an anvil on their heads .
If they think they can perform this in-your-face corruption and not have the FBI looking at them ( and we strongly suspect the FBI has been looking at most of them for years now ) , they are clearly imbeciles .
It ’ s obvious these guys are owned .
And not by you or me .
Indictments take time and timing .
Trump is now convinced he can do anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him try .
He ’ s got less than eight months to find out .
He can purge our White House of its patriots , and he can even complain about it on the Night of the Long Tweets .
But this won ’ t keep him from rotting in prison as a traitor .

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.
-----
-----
As Trump had the Purple Heart recipient, Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, and his brother perp-walked out of the White House, it was reminiscent of Germany 1934. The Night of the Long Knives was Hitler’s purge of Ernst Röhm and his brownshirts, the SA. Afterward, Hitler and his bodyguard battalion, the Schutzstaffel, better known at the SS, took over and reigned supreme. But only till 1945. Even the Thousand Year Reich had an early expiration date.
Trump doesn’t even have nine months. But don’t tell him that. Because it’s vitally important that Senator Collins come to regret her defense of her vote to protect criminal Trump, and it’s necessary that these Republicans drown with their Dear Leader all the way to the bottom of their own individual political demise. Even better, that they now all become so full of themselves, that they land in their own cell at the supermax prison, ADX Florence.
We know it’s hard to stomach watching all this self-justified treason, hearing our Republican representatives demure to a hostile dictator like Putin, to see every one of them defend the indefensible. But now is not the time to get discouraged. We have an ace in the hole. It’s the sheer stupidity of Trump and his kind that will tumble them all down the chute to prison.
The idiotic, frat house fidelity to their agenda is not only insane, it is suicidal. If Collins had just had the guts Romney displayed, she’d have had a chance at getting reelected. But these people are so glued to their Trump-or-Die kamikaze, they seem like cartoon villains flaunting their evil until the hero comes and drops an anvil on their heads. If they think they can perform this in-your-face corruption and not have the FBI looking at them (and we strongly suspect the FBI has been looking at most of them for years now), they are clearly imbeciles. It’s obvious these guys are owned. And not by you or me.
Indictments take time and timing. Trump is now convinced he can do anything and get away with it. Let him try. He’s got less than eight months to find out. He can purge our White House of its patriots, and he can even complain about it on the Night of the Long Tweets. But this won’t keep him from rotting in prison as a traitor.
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--2020-02-11--Donald Trump just proved that he can’t even do revenge right

Last week Donald Trump was handed a brief post-acquittal window of opportunity , which he could use however he wanted , before the media and the public got back to realizing that he ’ s the same old Trump and that nothing has magically changed for him .
Trump used that opportunity to oust Alexander Vindman , and his brother , and Gordon Sondland .
In other words , Trump was going for revenge , not winning .
Now it turns out he couldn ’ t even do the revenge right .
Politico ’ s Natasha Bertrand is reporting that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colonel Yevgeny Vindman , has still been given “ no explanation whatsoever ” for why he ’ s been ousted from the White House National Security Council .
This is a huge mistake on Trump ’ s part .
Even though Alexander and Yevgeny weren ’ t fired from the military , they were prematurely removed from their prestigious White House posts , in what is clearly retaliation for Alexander having testified in the impeachment hearings .
It ’ s plainly illegal .
If Trump wants to pull this kind of thing off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some phony “ legitimate ” reason for making these moves .
Trump ’ s camp has been touting the fact that one of Alexander Vindman ’ s former supervisors said some negative things about him .
This is horse crap , but it at least gives Trump ’ s camp some kind of reasonable doubt .
But they clearly didn ’ t even bother to come up with anything about Yevgeny Vindman before ousting him .
A competent villain would have combed over Yevgeny ’ s record , found some real or perceived @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made clear that it was the supposed reason for his ouster .
But it ’ s too late now .
Donald Trump and his team have handed Yevgeny Vindman a huge opening here .
This gives him a nearly airtight civil case if he goes that route .
And if Trump loses in November , it helps increase the odds that Trump and his co-conspirators will be convicted on the criminal charges they end up facing for felony witness intimidation .
Trump can ’ t even get his villainy right .

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.
-----
-----
Last week Donald Trump was handed a brief post-acquittal window of opportunity, which he could use however he wanted, before the media and the public got back to realizing that he’s the same old Trump and that nothing has magically changed for him. Trump used that opportunity to oust Alexander Vindman, and his brother, and Gordon Sondland. In other words, Trump was going for revenge, not winning. Now it turns out he couldn’t even do the revenge right.
Politico’s Natasha Bertrand is reporting that Alexander Vindman’s brother, Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Vindman, has still been given “no explanation whatsoever” for why he’s been ousted from the White House National Security Council. This is a huge mistake on Trump’s part. Even though Alexander and Yevgeny weren’t fired from the military, they were prematurely removed from their prestigious White House posts, in what is clearly retaliation for Alexander having testified in the impeachment hearings. It’s plainly illegal.
If Trump wants to pull this kind of thing off, he has to come up with some phony “legitimate” reason for making these moves. Trump’s camp has been touting the fact that one of Alexander Vindman’s former supervisors said some negative things about him. This is horse crap, but it at least gives Trump’s camp some kind of reasonable doubt. But they clearly didn’t even bother to come up with anything about Yevgeny Vindman before ousting him.
A competent villain would have combed over Yevgeny’s record, found some real or perceived minor violation from the past, and made clear that it was the supposed reason for his ouster. But it’s too late now. Donald Trump and his team have handed Yevgeny Vindman a huge opening here. This gives him a nearly airtight civil case if he goes that route. And if Trump loses in November, it helps increase the odds that Trump and his co-conspirators will be convicted on the criminal charges they end up facing for felony witness intimidation. Trump can’t even get his villainy right.
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--2020-02-11--The Iowa caucus (finally, officially) has a winner

The Iowa caucus has finally , officially confirmed today that Pete Buttigieg is the winner .
At this late date , does it even matter ?
Not necessarily .
But it does shut down one narrative rather definitively , even as Buttigieg heads into a far bigger test – and no , we ’ re not talking about tomorrow ’ s New Hampshire primary .
For starters , this means the most deranged of Iowa caucus conspiracy theories are now officially dead .
The conspiracy theorists have spent the past week insisting that Pete Buttigieg somehow had enough control over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make sure it didn ’ t work right , thus delaying the announcement that he lost .
But if Pete somehow magically had this kind of control over things , wouldn ’ t he have just rigged the results such that he was immediately named the winner ?
In fact , now that we know Buttigieg was the Iowa caucus winner , it means he ’ s the one who got screwed by the flaky app , because the media could have spent all week talking about how he ’ s the winner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ won .
But baseless conspiracy theories never do make any sense to anyone who applies logic to them .
Meanwhile back in the real world , Buttigieg is heading into the New Hampshire primary vote tomorrow , where he ’ ll likely either finish in a close first or a close second .
Considering where expectations were for his campaign a week ago , does it really matter if he finishes in first or second ?
The media is going to continue talking about his “ momentum ” one way or the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early primary states , “ momentum ” doesn ’ t exist .
It ’ s not about that .
It ’ s about voting demographics .
Next week the Democratic primary race will shift to Nevada , where Hispanic Democrats get to vote in large numbers for the first time .
Then it ’ s on to South Carolina , where Black Democrats get to vote in large numbers for the first time .
Pete Buttigieg is polling 14 points off the lead in Nevada , and 20 points off the lead in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do far better than that with nonwhite voters if he wants the nomination .
It ’ s the latest reminder that Iowa and New Hampshire simply don ’ t tell us much .

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.
-----
-----
The Iowa caucus has finally, officially confirmed today that Pete Buttigieg is the winner. At this late date, does it even matter? Not necessarily. But it does shut down one narrative rather definitively, even as Buttigieg heads into a far bigger test – and no, we’re not talking about tomorrow’s New Hampshire primary.
For starters, this means the most deranged of Iowa caucus conspiracy theories are now officially dead. The conspiracy theorists have spent the past week insisting that Pete Buttigieg somehow had enough control over the Iowa caucus vote recording app to make sure it didn’t work right, thus delaying the announcement that he lost. But if Pete somehow magically had this kind of control over things, wouldn’t he have just rigged the results such that he was immediately named the winner? In fact, now that we know Buttigieg was the Iowa caucus winner, it means he’s the one who got screwed by the flaky app, because the media could have spent all week talking about how he’s the winner, instead of how he merely maybe won.
But baseless conspiracy theories never do make any sense to anyone who applies logic to them. Meanwhile back in the real world, Buttigieg is heading into the New Hampshire primary vote tomorrow, where he’ll likely either finish in a close first or a close second. Considering where expectations were for his campaign a week ago, does it really matter if he finishes in first or second? The media is going to continue talking about his “momentum” one way or the other.
The trouble is that in these early primary states, “momentum” doesn’t exist. It’s not about that. It’s about voting demographics. Next week the Democratic primary race will shift to Nevada, where Hispanic Democrats get to vote in large numbers for the first time. Then it’s on to South Carolina, where Black Democrats get to vote in large numbers for the first time. Pete Buttigieg is polling 14 points off the lead in Nevada, and 20 points off the lead in South Carolina. He’ll have to do far better than that with nonwhite voters if he wants the nomination. It’s the latest reminder that Iowa and New Hampshire simply don’t tell us much.
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--2020-02-11--Bill Barr has a whole new problem

Bill Barr has a whole new problem

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham hit the Sunday morning talk show circuit yesterday and revealed an apparent ongoing pipeline from Rudy Giuliani to Attorney General Bill Barr .
This is disconcerting , and it ’ s led a number of Resistance members to worry about what it means .
But they ’ re probably not the people who should be worried about this .
Bill Barr is , by far , Donald Trump ’ s most effective remaining henchman .
But even Barr has been on a losing streak since initially besting Robert Mueller .
Trump bet big on the DOJ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t twist it to say what Trump wanted it to say .
Nor could Barr stop the series of events that led to Lev Parnas going on television and exposing Trump ’ s crimes .
Barr ’ s batting average keeps dropping , and that ’ s when people like him start resorting to desperate means to try to get back in the game .
Rudy Giuliani keeps digging up “ dirt ” on Trump ’ s adversaries that ’ s such embarrassing gibberish , even the Republican Senate wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s defense during the impeachment trial .
But now Bill Barr is going to rely on Rudy ’ s gibberish ?
That ’ s not going to get him anywhere .
In fact , when Trump decided to take Rudy ’ s drooling nonsense seriously , it backfired on him so badly , it got him impeached .
This is before getting to the part where the loudest Trump-Barr cheerleader , Lindsey Graham , is so bad at cheerleading that he just outed the secret pipeline on live national television .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ announce an investigation today into Barr ’ s conversation with Rudy .
Barr will try to stonewall the House .
But at the least , this will keep Barr playing defense at a time when he ’ s trying to play offense .

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.
-----
-----
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham hit the Sunday morning talk show circuit yesterday and revealed an apparent ongoing pipeline from Rudy Giuliani to Attorney General Bill Barr. This is disconcerting, and it’s led a number of Resistance members to worry about what it means. But they’re probably not the people who should be worried about this.
Bill Barr is, by far, Donald Trump’s most effective remaining henchman. But even Barr has been on a losing streak since initially besting Robert Mueller. Trump bet big on the DOJ Inspector General report, but Barr couldn’t twist it to say what Trump wanted it to say. Nor could Barr stop the series of events that led to Lev Parnas going on television and exposing Trump’s crimes. Barr’s batting average keeps dropping, and that’s when people like him start resorting to desperate means to try to get back in the game.
Rudy Giuliani keeps digging up “dirt” on Trump’s adversaries that’s such embarrassing gibberish, even the Republican Senate wasn’t willing to call Rudy to testify in Trump’s defense during the impeachment trial. But now Bill Barr is going to rely on Rudy’s gibberish? That’s not going to get him anywhere. In fact, when Trump decided to take Rudy’s drooling nonsense seriously, it backfired on him so badly, it got him impeached.
This is before getting to the part where the loudest Trump-Barr cheerleader, Lindsey Graham, is so bad at cheerleading that he just outed the secret pipeline on live national television. This has predictably prompted the House to announce an investigation today into Barr’s conversation with Rudy. Barr will try to stonewall the House. But at the least, this will keep Barr playing defense at a time when he’s trying to play offense.
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--2020-02-11--Holy crap is Roger Stone ever screwed

Holy crap is Roger Stone ever screwed

When Roger Stone was convicted on seven felony counts , Palmer Report said this meant that he would likely spend the rest of his life in prison .
Considering his advanced age , and the rate at which prison ages people , and the fact that he ’ ll have to do his time in solitary confinement , even a sentence of a couple years would effectively be a life sentence .
Now prosecutors have made their sentencing recommendation , and it ’ s a doozy .
In new court filings today , federal prosecutors are calling for Roger Stone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison .
If Judge Amy Berman Jackson agrees with them and gives him a sentence this long , then Stone will never taste freedom again .
Even if she only gives him half that long in prison , it ’ s very likely a life sentence .
Keep in mind that unlike the judge who tried ( and ultimately failed ) to give Paul Manafort an absurdly short sentence , Judge Jackson has routinely shown herself to be reasonable .
We don ’ t know how many years she ’ ll give Roger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s going to be totally screwed .
Also keep in mind that , despite how much the pundits might yell around about Donald Trump magically pardoning everyone , that ’ s not a real thing .
Trump has shown no inclination to take the risk of pardoning his co-conspirators , presumably for fear of triggering a court ruling that could ultimately prevent him from trying to pardon himself .
Even if Trump were to pardon Roger Stone on federal charges , New York State would take advantage of Stone ’ s status @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and bring state level charges against him that Trump can ’ t pardon .

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.
-----
-----
When Roger Stone was convicted on seven felony counts, Palmer Report said this meant that he would likely spend the rest of his life in prison. Considering his advanced age, and the rate at which prison ages people, and the fact that he’ll have to do his time in solitary confinement, even a sentence of a couple years would effectively be a life sentence. Now prosecutors have made their sentencing recommendation, and it’s a doozy.
In new court filings today, federal prosecutors are calling for Roger Stone to get seven to nine years in prison. If Judge Amy Berman Jackson agrees with them and gives him a sentence this long, then Stone will never taste freedom again. Even if she only gives him half that long in prison, it’s very likely a life sentence.
Keep in mind that unlike the judge who tried (and ultimately failed) to give Paul Manafort an absurdly short sentence, Judge Jackson has routinely shown herself to be reasonable. We don’t know how many years she’ll give Roger Stone, but we do know he’s going to be totally screwed.
Also keep in mind that, despite how much the pundits might yell around about Donald Trump magically pardoning everyone, that’s not a real thing. Trump has shown no inclination to take the risk of pardoning his co-conspirators, presumably for fear of triggering a court ruling that could ultimately prevent him from trying to pardon himself. Even if Trump were to pardon Roger Stone on federal charges, New York State would take advantage of Stone’s status as a part-time New York City resident, and bring state level charges against him that Trump can’t pardon.
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--2020-02-11--Resignations now underway amid fallout from William Barr and Roger Stone

Roger Stone isn ’ t going to magically get a shorter prison sentence as a result of Attorney General William Barr ’ s corrupt decision to retroactively try to force federal prosecutors to reduce the sentencing recommendation .
Whatever sentence Judge Amy Berman Jackson gives Stone , it ’ ll be the same as what she was always going to give him .
But the sheer corruption of Barr ’ s ( pointless ) stunt has immediately set off a chain reaction of fallout .
All four federal prosecutors who were handling Roger Stone ’ s case have now resigned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s corrupt meddling , according to several major news outlets .
To be clear , as of right now only one of them has resigned from the Department of Justice entirely ; the other three are just resigning from the Stone case .
But this is still a big deal , because it ’ s quickly turning this into a massive scandal for Barr , and for Donald Trump .
As we explained earlier , this may actually be the point .
Donald Trump tweeted earlier today that Roger Stone ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s idiotic for Trump to be focused on something that can ’ t help him at all in 2020 , and could potentially blow up in his face and cost him votes .
But Trump is pretty far removed from reality .
Bill Barr is trying to do something to convince Trump that he ’ s helping him out , because Barr has to convince Trump to pardon him on his way out the door , or Barr goes to prison after this .
So Barr does something like this that makes Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , even though it hurts Trump , simply because Trump mistakenly thinks this nonsense somehow helps him .
But regardless of the motivations of anyone involved , this is turning into an explosive scandal that ’ s not going away .
There ’ s a strong chance it ’ ll lead to Bill Barr being impeached in the House , and a decent chance it ’ ll lead to Donald Trump getting impeached again as well .
Trump is clearly hesitant to pardon Stone , but he ’ s also afraid Stone will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appears aimed at splitting the difference .
But it doesn ’ t actually help Stone , and certainly doesn ’ t help Trump , and now it could turn into a scandal just as big as his Ukraine extortion scandal .

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.
-----
-----
Roger Stone isn’t going to magically get a shorter prison sentence as a result of Attorney General William Barr’s corrupt decision to retroactively try to force federal prosecutors to reduce the sentencing recommendation. Whatever sentence Judge Amy Berman Jackson gives Stone, it’ll be the same as what she was always going to give him. But the sheer corruption of Barr’s (pointless) stunt has immediately set off a chain reaction of fallout.
All four federal prosecutors who were handling Roger Stone’s case have now resigned from the case in protest of Barr’s corrupt meddling, according to several major news outlets. To be clear, as of right now only one of them has resigned from the Department of Justice entirely; the other three are just resigning from the Stone case. But this is still a big deal, because it’s quickly turning this into a massive scandal for Barr, and for Donald Trump.
As we explained earlier, this may actually be the point. Donald Trump tweeted earlier today that Roger Stone’s sentence is too long. It’s idiotic for Trump to be focused on something that can’t help him at all in 2020, and could potentially blow up in his face and cost him votes. But Trump is pretty far removed from reality. Bill Barr is trying to do something to convince Trump that he’s helping him out, because Barr has to convince Trump to pardon him on his way out the door, or Barr goes to prison after this. So Barr does something like this that makes Trump’s socks roll up and down, even though it hurts Trump, simply because Trump mistakenly thinks this nonsense somehow helps him.
But regardless of the motivations of anyone involved, this is turning into an explosive scandal that’s not going away. There’s a strong chance it’ll lead to Bill Barr being impeached in the House, and a decent chance it’ll lead to Donald Trump getting impeached again as well. Trump is clearly hesitant to pardon Stone, but he’s also afraid Stone will seek revenge on him. This stunt appears aimed at splitting the difference. But it doesn’t actually help Stone, and certainly doesn’t help Trump, and now it could turn into a scandal just as big as his Ukraine extortion scandal.
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--2020-02-11--The thing about Bill Barr that no one wants to admit

In times like this , vigilance is your friend , but fatalism is your enemy .
If you go into battle thinking you ’ re going to lose – or worse , trying to convince your comrades that your side is going to lose – then your odds of losing that battle will go way up .
It ’ s a lot harder to find a way to win when you ’ re saddled with the belief that the other side is going to win no matter what you do .
This brings us to Attorney General Bill Barr .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Robert Mueller , at a time when ( let ’ s be honest here ) Mueller appeared to be in the early stages of cognitive decline , the fatalists have since cast Barr as some kind of evil wizard with limitless powers .
Barr can just wave his magic wand and make anything happen .
The thing is , though , that ’ s all just fantasy land – and we keep seeing evidence that the precise opposite is true .
Back in the real world , Bill Barr is a guy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of justice while fending off Mueller .
If Trump loses in November , and doesn ’ t pardon Barr on his way out the door , Barr will go to prison for much or all of the rest of his life .
Put another way : just try to imagine the DOJ not deciding to make an example out of Barr once he ’ s been ousted .
So in reality , Barr is a desperate man who ’ s trying to find a way to coax a fickle Trump into keeping his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us to more accurately understand why Bill Barr did something as pointless and ineffective today as forcing prosecutors to retroactively lower their sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone .
Judge Jackson is going to give Stone whatever sentence she wants to give him , and Barr ’ s antics won ’ t reduce that sentence by even a day .
In fact Barr ’ s antics are giving the Democrats something new to campaign on in 2020 .
Barr is just hoping that Trump is naive or addled enough to think that his move @ @ @ @ @ @ @ real , when it fact it ’ s just sleight of hand .
The thing no one wants to admit is that Barr has no magical powers of any kind .
In fact Barr has failed at almost everything he ’ s tried since his initial Mueller victory ( DOJ Inspector General report , silencing Lev Parnas , etc ) .
Barr knows he ’ s in way over his head , he knows he ’ s on track for prison , and he ’ s desperately trying to figure out how to @ @ @ @

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.
-----
-----
In times like this, vigilance is your friend, but fatalism is your enemy. If you go into battle thinking you’re going to lose – or worse, trying to convince your comrades that your side is going to lose – then your odds of losing that battle will go way up. It’s a lot harder to find a way to win when you’re saddled with the belief that the other side is going to win no matter what you do.
This brings us to Attorney General Bill Barr. Because he pulled off one initial victory against Robert Mueller, at a time when (let’s be honest here) Mueller appeared to be in the early stages of cognitive decline, the fatalists have since cast Barr as some kind of evil wizard with limitless powers. Barr can just wave his magic wand and make anything happen. The thing is, though, that’s all just fantasy land – and we keep seeing evidence that the precise opposite is true.
Back in the real world, Bill Barr is a guy who committed several counts of felony obstruction of justice while fending off Mueller. If Trump loses in November, and doesn’t pardon Barr on his way out the door, Barr will go to prison for much or all of the rest of his life. Put another way: just try to imagine the DOJ not deciding to make an example out of Barr once he’s been ousted. So in reality, Barr is a desperate man who’s trying to find a way to coax a fickle Trump into keeping his pardon on track.
This context helps us to more accurately understand why Bill Barr did something as pointless and ineffective today as forcing prosecutors to retroactively lower their sentencing recommendation for Roger Stone. Judge Jackson is going to give Stone whatever sentence she wants to give him, and Barr’s antics won’t reduce that sentence by even a day. In fact Barr’s antics are giving the Democrats something new to campaign on in 2020. Barr is just hoping that Trump is naive or addled enough to think that his move to “help” Stone is something real, when it fact it’s just sleight of hand.
The thing no one wants to admit is that Barr has no magical powers of any kind. In fact Barr has failed at almost everything he’s tried since his initial Mueller victory (DOJ Inspector General report, silencing Lev Parnas, etc). Barr knows he’s in way over his head, he knows he’s on track for prison, and he’s desperately trying to figure out how to avoid that fate.
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--2020-02-11--No, Donald Trump didn’t just magically get Roger Stone’s prison sentence reduced

Something wicked is afoot .
Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr are playing games with Roger Stone ’ s prison sentence recommendation , and they ’ re not even being coy about it .
In fact they ’ re being almost hilariously incompetent at it .
And the thing is , even if they were any good at this , it wouldn ’ t work anyway .
It all started yesterday when federal prosecutors announced that they were recommending a prison sentence of seven to nine years for Roger Stone .
Considering his age and apparent infirmity , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the fact that he ’ d have to serve his sentence in solitary confinement , this would be a de facto life sentence .
The thing is , Stone has plenty of dirt on Trump thanks to their forty years of friendship , and he ’ s surely expecting a pardon in exchange for his continued silence .
But Trump would be taking a major risk by pardoning Stone , setting off court battles that could result in Trump losing the opportunity to try to pardon himself and his family on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because Stone has a secondary residence in New York City , he ’ d get hit with state charges in New York anyway , which can ’ t be pardoned by the president .
So instead , Trump is trying a different strategy .
After Trump posted a tweet asserting that the lengthy prison sentence against Roger Stone can ’ t be allowed to stand , Barr ’ s Department of Justice announced that seven to nine years is indeed too long , and that it ’ ll be seeking a shorter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In fact it ’ s a criminal act .
If Trump loses in November , he and Bill will both end up with even longer prison sentences of their own , because of it .
But it also won ’ t work .
Prosecutors can recommend the sentence , but they have no control over what sentence the judge actually decides to hand down .
Throughout these proceedings , Judge Amy Berman Jackson has shown herself to be fair and reasonable , and she ’ s shown that she has little patience for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommendation was seven to nine years , and she can still give him whatever sentence she thinks is fair .
Trump ’ s antics won ’ t reduce Stone ’ s sentence by a single day .
Trump is just hoping that the gesture alone will be enough to convince Stone to keep his mouth shut about Trump ’ s ugliest scandals and secrets .

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.
-----
-----
Something wicked is afoot. Donald Trump and Attorney General Bill Barr are playing games with Roger Stone’s prison sentence recommendation, and they’re not even being coy about it. In fact they’re being almost hilariously incompetent at it. And the thing is, even if they were any good at this, it wouldn’t work anyway.
It all started yesterday when federal prosecutors announced that they were recommending a prison sentence of seven to nine years for Roger Stone. Considering his age and apparent infirmity, the fact that prison ages people rather quickly, and the fact that he’d have to serve his sentence in solitary confinement, this would be a de facto life sentence.
The thing is, Stone has plenty of dirt on Trump thanks to their forty years of friendship, and he’s surely expecting a pardon in exchange for his continued silence. But Trump would be taking a major risk by pardoning Stone, setting off court battles that could result in Trump losing the opportunity to try to pardon himself and his family on his way out the door. Also, because Stone has a secondary residence in New York City, he’d get hit with state charges in New York anyway, which can’t be pardoned by the president. So instead, Trump is trying a different strategy.
After Trump posted a tweet asserting that the lengthy prison sentence against Roger Stone can’t be allowed to stand, Barr’s Department of Justice announced that seven to nine years is indeed too long, and that it’ll be seeking a shorter sentence. This is brazenly corrupt. In fact it’s a criminal act. If Trump loses in November, he and Bill will both end up with even longer prison sentences of their own, because of it.
But it also won’t work. Prosecutors can recommend the sentence, but they have no control over what sentence the judge actually decides to hand down. Throughout these proceedings, Judge Amy Berman Jackson has shown herself to be fair and reasonable, and she’s shown that she has little patience for hijinks. She knows that the original recommendation was seven to nine years, and she can still give him whatever sentence she thinks is fair. Trump’s antics won’t reduce Stone’s sentence by a single day. Trump is just hoping that the gesture alone will be enough to convince Stone to keep his mouth shut about Trump’s ugliest scandals and secrets.
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--2020-02-11--For Donald Trump, the cruelty is the point

Whenever I think of the human quality of largesse , sooner or later I think of Abraham Lincoln .
It was Lincoln who appointed some of his enemies and rivals to his cabinet .
That his generosity was , to one degree or another , lost on its receivers was to their discredit , not Lincoln ’ s .
Lincoln ’ s Secretary of State William Seward was eventually won over .
His Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase was not .
Even so , in 1864 Lincoln eventually named Chase Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ success is the best revenge.
” I think most people ( whether they are aware of it or not ) who experience much of life ’ s frustrations from the disadvantageous position of impotence , tend to behave with greater forbearance than they imagine they will when the tables are turned .
Were it otherwise the saying would really go something more like , “ success is the beginning of revenge.
” We would also see a lot of new millionaires ( or billionaires ) going around routinely ruining lives .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ becomes successful they are usually ( not always ) satisfied with it , and are too busy cultivating it to worry about what others are doing .
They may take their petty retributions here and there , but most enjoy their improved status too much to worry about getting back at their enemies .
Donald Trump is not such a person .
Trump never forgets a slight .
We know this from the countless anecdotes that spring up from time to time , compliments of people who have had the misfortune of knowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the patron saint of the impotent malcontent , the loser , the angry little man , the bitter , small-minded woman .
Donald Trump loves cruelty , and so do the little people who follow him .
As a student of the American Civil War since I was ten , I was struck by the contrasting attitudes between my English friends toward their civil war and my American compatriots toward ours .
The English Civil War was a conflict centered around a single personality , King Charles I .
The American Civil war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around the civil right of African Americans to be free and the degree to which individual states could be autocratic and self-determining .
The English Civil War ended , in every sense of the word , with the beheading of Charles and the ten year failed experimental protectorate of Oliver Cromwell .
The American Civil War has never ended , and has been continuously fought on the battlefield of ideology ever since .
This is why the Confederate flag is so odious a symbol .
It represents the willingness of human beings to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they would consider intolerable were it done to themselves .
“ As I would not be a slave , ” Lincoln said , “ so I would not be a master .
This expresses my idea of democracy.
” In their subtle ( and sometimes not so subtle ) articulations of repression toward people of color , in their starry-eyed idolatry of the tough-talking strong man , in their rabid , blood-thirsty advocacy of the death penalty , in their racist proclamations about “ law and order ” and defense of brutal police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a thousand ways every day that they love slavery and they hate democracy .
They are still fighting the American Civil War .
This is the disease that has infected roughly one third of the population of America today with the same virulence and deadly potential it infected the people of Germany in the 1930s .
Despite the lesson of Donald Trump ’ s impeachment they cheer William Barr , who recently announced that he will accept information from “ the ” Ukraine ( a vestigial definite article left over from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vassal state ) brought by Rudy Giuliani concerning Hunter Biden .
It ’ s all about revenge , it ’ s all about refighting the same bitter conflicts from the American Civil War .
And in the final analysis , it ’ s all about cruelty .

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.
-----
-----
Whenever I think of the human quality of largesse, sooner or later I think of Abraham Lincoln. It was Lincoln who appointed some of his enemies and rivals to his cabinet. That his generosity was, to one degree or another, lost on its receivers was to their discredit, not Lincoln’s. Lincoln’s Secretary of State William Seward was eventually won over. His Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase was not. Even so, in 1864 Lincoln eventually named Chase Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
It is whence comes the saying “success is the best revenge.” I think most people (whether they are aware of it or not) who experience much of life’s frustrations from the disadvantageous position of impotence, tend to behave with greater forbearance than they imagine they will when the tables are turned. Were it otherwise the saying would really go something more like, “success is the beginning of revenge.” We would also see a lot of new millionaires (or billionaires) going around routinely ruining lives. We tend not to. Once a person becomes successful they are usually (not always) satisfied with it, and are too busy cultivating it to worry about what others are doing. They may take their petty retributions here and there, but most enjoy their improved status too much to worry about getting back at their enemies.
Donald Trump is not such a person. Trump never forgets a slight. We know this from the countless anecdotes that spring up from time to time, compliments of people who have had the misfortune of knowing Trump personally. Trump has therefore become the patron saint of the impotent malcontent, the loser, the angry little man, the bitter, small-minded woman. Donald Trump loves cruelty, and so do the little people who follow him.
As a student of the American Civil War since I was ten, I was struck by the contrasting attitudes between my English friends toward their civil war and my American compatriots toward ours. The English Civil War was a conflict centered around a single personality, King Charles I. The American Civil war was centered around political ideology, centered around the civil right of African Americans to be free and the degree to which individual states could be autocratic and self-determining. The English Civil War ended, in every sense of the word, with the beheading of Charles and the ten year failed experimental protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. The American Civil War has never ended, and has been continuously fought on the battlefield of ideology ever since.
This is why the Confederate flag is so odious a symbol. It represents the willingness of human beings to do to other human beings that which they would consider intolerable were it done to themselves. “As I would not be a slave,” Lincoln said, “so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.” In their subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) articulations of repression toward people of color, in their starry-eyed idolatry of the tough-talking strong man, in their rabid, blood-thirsty advocacy of the death penalty, in their racist proclamations about “law and order” and defense of brutal police murders, the modern Trump-supporting Republican declares in a thousand ways every day that they love slavery and they hate democracy. They are still fighting the American Civil War.
This is the disease that has infected roughly one third of the population of America today with the same virulence and deadly potential it infected the people of Germany in the 1930s. Despite the lesson of Donald Trump’s impeachment they cheer William Barr, who recently announced that he will accept information from “the” Ukraine (a vestigial definite article left over from the time when Ukraine was a downtrodden Soviet vassal state) brought by Rudy Giuliani concerning Hunter Biden. It’s all about revenge, it’s all about refighting the same bitter conflicts from the American Civil War. And in the final analysis, it’s all about cruelty.
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.


What a headache

How many times have we heard “ president ” Donald Trump tout his support for our armed service members ?
According to him , he ’ s the best president they ’ ve ever had .
Yet , after his assassination of Qasem Soleimani that caused Iran to strike back by bombing a U.S. military base in Iraq , he downplayed the injuries in the attack .
In fact , he said , “ I heard they had headaches.
” Now , CNN has revealed that more than a hundred troops have since been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to most people ?
No , but then , Donald Trump isn ’ t “ most people.
” In fact , most of the time , he doesn ’ t act like anyone even remotely recognizable as a person .
According to the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation , “ an estimated 57 million people worldwide have been hospitalized with one or more TBIs , ” though they don ’ t fully know how many are living with this condition .
So , if people are living with this injury , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Wrong .
This type of injury can result in long-term or lifelong physical , cognitive , behavioral , and emotional problems .
The impact of cognitive problems can prevent people from performing daily activities that most of us take for granted .
TBI has also resulted in disabilities and increased risk for other health problems such as epilepsy , among other illnesses .
So , these are only headaches ?
Trump proves time and again that not only is he incompetent , but he is a blathering idiot .
Trump and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ injured in the January attack on al Asad military base .
Just last month , according to CNN , Trump said that he “ does not consider potential brain injuries to be serious as physical combat wounds.
” Well , when one doesn ’ t have much of a brain ( like Trump ) , that might be true , but these men and women use far more than just physical abilities to do their jobs .
They need their brains , and they need them intact .
While in Switzerland for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on his belief that the injuries suffered by military personnel in the missile strike weren ’ t “ very serious.
” Let ’ s try an experiment .
Let ’ s beat Trump in the head for awhile and see how he comes out .
Seriously , though , downplaying this type of injury is deplorable and is typical Trump .
Even after information comes to him from experts in the field , he downplays the impact .
“ Headaches.
” Really , Trump ?
As usual , his staff comes to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump “ understands the nature of these injuries ” and that he is “ very concerned about the health and welfare of all our service members.
” Sure , he is .
That ’ s why he referred to their injuries as “ headaches.
” It was a willful , evil attempt to downplay the havoc he wreaked when he decided on his own to assassinate Soleimani .
He may think this is funny , but others don ’ t .
The VFW has demanded an apology from “ president ” Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told CNN : “ The VFW expects an apology from the President to our service men and women for his misguided remarks.
” Virtually everything Trump says and does is misguided .
He has the worst case of foot-in-the-mouth disease known to mankind .
Likely , he thinks his comments were “ perfect .
”

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.
-----
-----
How many times have we heard “president” Donald Trump tout his support for our armed service members? According to him, he’s the best president they’ve ever had. Yet, after his assassination of Qasem Soleimani that caused Iran to strike back by bombing a U.S. military base in Iraq, he downplayed the injuries in the attack. In fact, he said, “I heard they had headaches.” Now, CNN has revealed that more than a hundred troops have since been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. Does TBI qualify as a “headache” to most people? No, but then, Donald Trump isn’t “most people.” In fact, most of the time, he doesn’t act like anyone even remotely recognizable as a person.
According to the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, “an estimated 57 million people worldwide have been hospitalized with one or more TBIs,” though they don’t fully know how many are living with this condition. So, if people are living with this injury, it must not be that bad, right? Wrong. This type of injury can result in long-term or lifelong physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional problems. The impact of cognitive problems can prevent people from performing daily activities that most of us take for granted. TBI has also resulted in disabilities and increased risk for other health problems such as epilepsy, among other illnesses. So, these are only headaches? Trump proves time and again that not only is he incompetent, but he is a blathering idiot.
Trump and the Pentagon initially said that no one was injured in the January attack on al Asad military base. Just last month, according to CNN, Trump said that he “does not consider potential brain injuries to be serious as physical combat wounds.” Well, when one doesn’t have much of a brain (like Trump), that might be true, but these men and women use far more than just physical abilities to do their jobs. They need their brains, and they need them intact. While in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, Trump doubled down on his belief that the injuries suffered by military personnel in the missile strike weren’t “very serious.” Let’s try an experiment. Let’s beat Trump in the head for awhile and see how he comes out. Seriously, though, downplaying this type of injury is deplorable and is typical Trump. Even after information comes to him from experts in the field, he downplays the impact. “Headaches.” Really, Trump?
As usual, his staff comes to his rescue, as Mark Esper told CNN that Trump “understands the nature of these injuries” and that he is “very concerned about the health and welfare of all our service members.” Sure, he is. That’s why he referred to their injuries as “headaches.” It was a willful, evil attempt to downplay the havoc he wreaked when he decided on his own to assassinate Soleimani. He may think this is funny, but others don’t.
The VFW has demanded an apology from “president” Trump. Commander William “Doc” Schmitz told CNN: “The VFW expects an apology from the President to our service men and women for his misguided remarks.” Virtually everything Trump says and does is misguided. He has the worst case of foot-in-the-mouth disease known to mankind. Likely, he thinks his comments were “perfect.”
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--2020-02-11--There’s nothing left of this guy

There’s nothing left of this guy

You ’ re Donald Trump .
You ’ re ten months away from an election that ’ ll send you to prison if you don ’ t win , and your poll numbers are in the gutter .
Your corrupt Senate allies have just handed you a sham acquittal , in the last piece of major good news you ’ re likely to get before election day .
So how do you go about seizing the moment ?
Now we have our answer .
If you ’ re Trump , you spend a prayer breakfast speech vowing revenge on your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House press conference and start cursing and saying incoherent things .
You sign off on the firing of multiple impeachment witnesses , even though they were of no further threat to you .
Then you release a budget proposal so absurd it ’ ll probably cost you votes in November .
Then , after new poll numbers reveal that you ’ re in just as bad of 2020 shape as ever , you tweet an f-word filled Larry David video because you don ’ t realize you ’ re the punchline in said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump has a plan for 2020 ?
This isn ’ t an effective strategy .
It ’ s not a strategy , period .
This guy doesn ’ t even have a functioning brain .
He can ’ t speak , can ’ t think things through , can ’ t figure out what will make him look good or bad , can ’ t figure out that he ’ s the butt of the joke he ’ s promoting .
Donald Trump is as dangerous as ever .
But it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” – a buzzword that the media has already begun ditching , as we predicted .
He ’ s dangerous because he ’ s cornered , at a time when he ’ s struggling to function on even a basic level .
Trump is a ship adrift with no one at the wheel .

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.
-----
-----
You’re Donald Trump. You’re ten months away from an election that’ll send you to prison if you don’t win, and your poll numbers are in the gutter. Your corrupt Senate allies have just handed you a sham acquittal, in the last piece of major good news you’re likely to get before election day. So how do you go about seizing the moment?
Now we have our answer. If you’re Trump, you spend a prayer breakfast speech vowing revenge on your political opponents. You hold a White House press conference and start cursing and saying incoherent things. You sign off on the firing of multiple impeachment witnesses, even though they were of no further threat to you. Then you release a budget proposal so absurd it’ll probably cost you votes in November. Then, after new poll numbers reveal that you’re in just as bad of 2020 shape as ever, you tweet an f-word filled Larry David video because you don’t realize you’re the punchline in said video.
Can we stop pretending Donald Trump has a plan for 2020? This isn’t an effective strategy. It’s not a strategy, period. This guy doesn’t even have a functioning brain. He can’t speak, can’t think things through, can’t figure out what will make him look good or bad, can’t figure out that he’s the butt of the joke he’s promoting.
Donald Trump is as dangerous as ever. But it’s not because he’s “emboldened” – a buzzword that the media has already begun ditching, as we predicted. He’s dangerous because he’s cornered, at a time when he’s struggling to function on even a basic level. Trump is a ship adrift with no one at the wheel.
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--2020-02-12--Donald Trump just got some ugly news out of the New Hampshire primary

The night before the New Hampshire primary , we got a fun but not substantial story out of the tiny locale of Dixville Notch , where the only person to vote in the Republican primary decided to write in “ Mike Bloomberg ” just to stick it to Donald Trump .
This didn ’ t mean Trump was going to lose the entire state , of course .
But Dixville Notch did foreshadow that Trump would end up getting some pretty ugly numbers out of New Hampshire .
It turns out the anti-Trump sentiment among Republicans in New Hampshire is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended up getting around 12,000 votes , or roughly nine percent of the Republican primary vote .
This obviously does not put Weld on track to come anywhere close to competing with Donald Trump for the Republican nomination .
But it does potentially point to a historical level of trouble for Trump .
Whenever a modern incumbent president has faced a primary challenger who managed to pick off a decent percentage of the vote across the nation , that president has gone on to lose the general election .
Gerald Ford lost the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ primaried him .
Jimmy Carter lost the general election in 1980 after Ted Kennedy primaried him .
George H.W .
Bush lost the general election in 1992 after Pat Buchanan primaried him .
In each instance , the primary challenge confirmed a strong anti-incumbent voter sentiment within the president ’ s own party , which carried over into apathy from the president ’ s party in the general election .
To be clear , these primary challengers all ended up getting a lot higher percentage of the vote than Bill Weld got last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Donald Trump has gone to extreme lengths to try to prevent the Republican primary contests from even happening , and Weld ’ s strength in New Hampshire suggests that Trump was correct to worry .
Again , Weld isn ’ t going to be the nominee .
But if Weld continues putting in numbers this high or higher in upcoming primary states , it can be taken as a sign that anti-Trump sentiment among Republican voters is indeed something that Trump will need to worry about in the general 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.
-----
-----
The night before the New Hampshire primary, we got a fun but not substantial story out of the tiny locale of Dixville Notch, where the only person to vote in the Republican primary decided to write in “Mike Bloomberg” just to stick it to Donald Trump. This didn’t mean Trump was going to lose the entire state, of course. But Dixville Notch did foreshadow that Trump would end up getting some pretty ugly numbers out of New Hampshire.
It turns out the anti-Trump sentiment among Republicans in New Hampshire is decidedly real. Republican candidate Bill Weld ended up getting around 12,000 votes, or roughly nine percent of the Republican primary vote. This obviously does not put Weld on track to come anywhere close to competing with Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. But it does potentially point to a historical level of trouble for Trump.
Whenever a modern incumbent president has faced a primary challenger who managed to pick off a decent percentage of the vote across the nation, that president has gone on to lose the general election. Gerald Ford lost the general election in 1976 after Ronald Reagan primaried him. Jimmy Carter lost the general election in 1980 after Ted Kennedy primaried him. George H.W. Bush lost the general election in 1992 after Pat Buchanan primaried him. In each instance, the primary challenge confirmed a strong anti-incumbent voter sentiment within the president’s own party, which carried over into apathy from the president’s party in the general election.
To be clear, these primary challengers all ended up getting a lot higher percentage of the vote than Bill Weld got last night in New Hampshire. But still, Donald Trump has gone to extreme lengths to try to prevent the Republican primary contests from even happening, and Weld’s strength in New Hampshire suggests that Trump was correct to worry. Again, Weld isn’t going to be the nominee. But if Weld continues putting in numbers this high or higher in upcoming primary states, it can be taken as a sign that anti-Trump sentiment among Republican voters is indeed something that Trump will need to worry about in the general 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--2020-02-12--This reporting about Bill Barr and Roger Stone is entirely wrong

On days like this , when the Trump regime does something highly corrupt but highly ineffective , the mainstream media has an unfortunate tendency to misreport things in ways that just happen to be fantastic for ratings .
You ’ d have to ask NBC News what it was thinking when it incorrectly claimed this evening that Attorney General Bill Barr is “ taking control ” of the “ Roger Stone sentencing , ” but that ’ s simply not a real thing .
What has actually happened is that Bill Barr has taken control of the Roger Stone sentencing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommend that the judge give Stone significantly less prison time than the seven to nine years that federal prosecutors originally recommended .
But this doesn ’ t mean anything , because again , it ’ s just a recommendation .
If we were dealing with a wacky and unpredictable federal judge like T.S .
Ellis , we might have reason for concern about the sentencing .
In fact , if Ellis were handling the Roger Stone case , we ’ d have had reason for concern long before Trump and Barr got involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Amy Berman Jackson , who is a picture of reason and consistency .
We don ’ t know what sentence she ’ ll give Roger Stone , but we know for 100 % certain that she ’ ll give Stone the exact same sentence that she was already planning to give him , and it ’ ll have nothing to do with anything that Bill Barr is recommending .
Judges are not under the purview of the Attorney General , the President , or anyone in the Executive Branch .
There is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr or Donald Trump can do to change the number of years in prison that the judge will give Roger Stone .
Trump could end up pardoning Stone , but Trump ’ s antics today make clear that he ’ s trying to find a way to not have to pardon Stone , because a pardon would backfire on Trump in various ways .
Pardons aren ’ t magic wands , no matter how much time the TV pundits have spent over the past few years trying to convince us otherwise .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what kind of prison sentence a judge gives a convict .
These simply aren ’ t real things , any more than Trump or Barr could magically make it rain tomorrow .
But at a time when everyone is fearful and vulnerable , these kinds of literally impossible doomsday scenarios sure do scare people into staying tuned in .

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.
-----
-----
On days like this, when the Trump regime does something highly corrupt but highly ineffective, the mainstream media has an unfortunate tendency to misreport things in ways that just happen to be fantastic for ratings. You’d have to ask NBC News what it was thinking when it incorrectly claimed this evening that Attorney General Bill Barr is “taking control” of the “Roger Stone sentencing,” but that’s simply not a real thing.
What has actually happened is that Bill Barr has taken control of the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation. This means that Barr will recommend that the judge give Stone significantly less prison time than the seven to nine years that federal prosecutors originally recommended. But this doesn’t mean anything, because again, it’s just a recommendation.
If we were dealing with a wacky and unpredictable federal judge like T.S. Ellis, we might have reason for concern about the sentencing. In fact, if Ellis were handling the Roger Stone case, we’d have had reason for concern long before Trump and Barr got involved. But we’re dealing with Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is a picture of reason and consistency. We don’t know what sentence she’ll give Roger Stone, but we know for 100% certain that she’ll give Stone the exact same sentence that she was already planning to give him, and it’ll have nothing to do with anything that Bill Barr is recommending.
Judges are not under the purview of the Attorney General, the President, or anyone in the Executive Branch. There is nothing – literally nothing – that Bill Barr or Donald Trump can do to change the number of years in prison that the judge will give Roger Stone. Trump could end up pardoning Stone, but Trump’s antics today make clear that he’s trying to find a way to not have to pardon Stone, because a pardon would backfire on Trump in various ways.
Pardons aren’t magic wands, no matter how much time the TV pundits have spent over the past few years trying to convince us otherwise. The Attorney General can’t magically decide what kind of prison sentence a judge gives a convict. These simply aren’t real things, any more than Trump or Barr could magically make it rain tomorrow. But at a time when everyone is fearful and vulnerable, these kinds of literally impossible doomsday scenarios sure do scare people into staying tuned in.
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--2020-02-12--Donald Trump suffers bizarre Twitter malfunction during whacked out meltdown

Donald Trump is very upset that federal prosecutors have recommended a lengthy prison sentence for Roger Stone .
Trump has become even more upset now that he ’ s figured out that his corrupt DOJ antics today won ’ t have any impact on the prison sentence that the judge decides to give Stone .
We know all of this because Trump is unraveling on Twitter in real time .
The trouble for Trump tonight is that he ’ s so rattled at how quickly his latest ineffective corrupt plot is blowing up in his face , he can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usual Twitter antics .
For instance , he posted this tweet which was aimed at taunting… someone : Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet both dropped out of the race tonight , but Donald Trump never did specify which one he was talking about .
He just ended his tweet after accusing someone of having a low IQ .
To be clear , neither Yang nor Bennet has a low IQ .
Trump has since moved on to ranting separately about Mike Bloomberg , who did not drop out , so it doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tell us which candidate he ’ s trying to taunt .
This guy is completely rattled .

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 is very upset that federal prosecutors have recommended a lengthy prison sentence for Roger Stone. Trump has become even more upset now that he’s figured out that his corrupt DOJ antics today won’t have any impact on the prison sentence that the judge decides to give Stone. We know all of this because Trump is unraveling on Twitter in real time.
The trouble for Trump tonight is that he’s so rattled at how quickly his latest ineffective corrupt plot is blowing up in his face, he can’t even seem to focus on his usual Twitter antics. For instance, he posted this tweet which was aimed at taunting… someone:
Andrew Yang and Michael Bennet both dropped out of the race tonight, but Donald Trump never did specify which one he was talking about. He just ended his tweet after accusing someone of having a low IQ. To be clear, neither Yang nor Bennet has a low IQ. Trump has since moved on to ranting separately about Mike Bloomberg, who did not drop out, so it doesn’t look like Trump is ever going to tell us which candidate he’s trying to taunt. This guy is completely rattled.
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--2020-02-12--Here comes Bill Barr’s impeachment

Here comes Bill Barr’s impeachment

The impeachment of Donald Trump was a success , in that the House hearings educated voters on Trump ’ s crimes .
The sham acquittal of Trump ended up being irrelevant , in that it didn ’ t cause Trump ’ s approval rating or 2020 poll numbers to magically go up .
Now that the House knows it can pursue impeachment for righteous reasons and not have it backfire , it ’ s raised the question of whether the House might impeach Trump for his next crimes , or impeach Trump ’ s criminal henchmen like Bill Barr .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s clear that the odds have shifted strongly in favor of Bill Barr getting impeached .
He created a huge scandal by corruptly changing the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation , after it had already been announced .
To be as clear as possible , this will have literally zero impact on Stone ’ s sentence .
The judge in the case has sole discretion on sentencing .
Whatever sentence she was planning to give Stone before any of this , she ’ ll end up giving him that exact same sentence .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the bigger criminal scandals in Attorney General history .
The four prosecutors in charge of the Stone case have all abruptly quit the case in protest , underscoring how ugly this is going to get .
The scandal is about to get much more visible once Stone ’ s sentencing actually takes place .
The judge will give Stone the exact same sentence that she was always planning to give him , meaning Trump and Barr will have gained nothing .
But the media coverage of the sentencing will make this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House Nancy Pelosi isn ’ t a fan of impeachment .
But we all saw her impeach Donald Trump , because it was the right and necessary thing to do .
And she pulled it off in a manner which didn ’ t harm the Democrats politically .
Now Bill Barr is committing a crime that ’ s roughly as egregious as Trump ’ s Ukraine extortion scandal .
The House will hold quasi-impeachment hearings against Barr at the least – and it ’ s hard to imagine how that won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Barr ’ s inevitable Senate acquittal won ’ t matter .
It ’ s all about the House doing the right thing , and doing it in a way that doesn ’ t unwittingly hand Trump or Barr any new power .

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.
-----
-----
The impeachment of Donald Trump was a success, in that the House hearings educated voters on Trump’s crimes. The sham acquittal of Trump ended up being irrelevant, in that it didn’t cause Trump’s approval rating or 2020 poll numbers to magically go up. Now that the House knows it can pursue impeachment for righteous reasons and not have it backfire, it’s raised the question of whether the House might impeach Trump for his next crimes, or impeach Trump’s criminal henchmen like Bill Barr.
After today’s events, it’s clear that the odds have shifted strongly in favor of Bill Barr getting impeached. He created a huge scandal by corruptly changing the Roger Stone sentencing recommendation, after it had already been announced. To be as clear as possible, this will have literally zero impact on Stone’s sentence. The judge in the case has sole discretion on sentencing. Whatever sentence she was planning to give Stone before any of this, she’ll end up giving him that exact same sentence.
But this has nonetheless quickly turned into one of the bigger criminal scandals in Attorney General history. The four prosecutors in charge of the Stone case have all abruptly quit the case in protest, underscoring how ugly this is going to get. The scandal is about to get much more visible once Stone’s sentencing actually takes place. The judge will give Stone the exact same sentence that she was always planning to give him, meaning Trump and Barr will have gained nothing. But the media coverage of the sentencing will make this a mainstream scandal.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi isn’t a fan of impeachment. But we all saw her impeach Donald Trump, because it was the right and necessary thing to do. And she pulled it off in a manner which didn’t harm the Democrats politically. Now Bill Barr is committing a crime that’s roughly as egregious as Trump’s Ukraine extortion scandal. The House will hold quasi-impeachment hearings against Barr at the least – and it’s hard to imagine how that won’t evolve into articles of impeachment. Again, Barr’s inevitable Senate acquittal won’t matter. It’s all about the House doing the right thing, and doing it in a way that doesn’t unwittingly hand Trump or Barr any new power.
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--2020-02-12--Donald Trump has berserk meltdown once he realizes he can’t force the judge to give Roger Stone a re

Donald Trump has berserk meltdown once he realizes he can’t force the judge to give Roger Stone a reduced sentence

Donald Trump made the decision today that , even though it ’ ll cause him huge problems in the 2020 election , he ’ s going to meddle in the Roger Stone criminal case anyway .
Not only is he meddling , he ’ s making a point of taking credit for it on Twitter .
Sure , this means Trump will go to prison for even longer if he loses in November .
But Trump is already looking at life in prison , so what ’ s the difference ?
The thing is , Trump is – predictably – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The reality is that Donald Trump and Bill Barr can ’ t do anything about Roger Stone ’ s sentence .
Sure , Barr illegally changed the sentencing recommendation .
But Judge Amy Berman Jackson is a straight shooter , and she ’ s going to give Stone whatever sentence she ’ s already decided to give him .
Trump seems to be figuring out that Barr ’ s change in recommendation will have no impact on anything , so he ’ s flipping out on the judge .
Trump tweeted , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Manafort in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT , something that not even mobster Al Capone had to endure ?
How did she treat Crooked Hillary Clinton ?
Just asking !
” For the record , Jackson is one of the two judges who sent Manafort to prison .
And because Hillary Clinton has never been convicted of any crime of any sort , Jackson has obviously never dealt with Clinton .
Make no mistake : if Donald Trump loses in November , he ’ ll be indicted and arrested on a whole host of criminal charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get this far ahead of the narrative , but Trump ’ s arrest is a given .
The only question is whether the Feds or New York State will go first .
Once Trump is on trial on the federal charges , the tweets he ’ s posting today will be used as evidence .
Trump is literarily tweeting himself into 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.
-----
-----
Donald Trump made the decision today that, even though it’ll cause him huge problems in the 2020 election, he’s going to meddle in the Roger Stone criminal case anyway. Not only is he meddling, he’s making a point of taking credit for it on Twitter. Sure, this means Trump will go to prison for even longer if he loses in November. But Trump is already looking at life in prison, so what’s the difference? The thing is, Trump is – predictably – taking things way over the top.
The reality is that Donald Trump and Bill Barr can’t do anything about Roger Stone’s sentence. Sure, Barr illegally changed the sentencing recommendation. But Judge Amy Berman Jackson is a straight shooter, and she’s going to give Stone whatever sentence she’s already decided to give him. Trump seems to be figuring out that Barr’s change in recommendation will have no impact on anything, so he’s flipping out on the judge.
Trump tweeted, “Is this the Judge that put Paul Manafort in SOLITARY CONFINEMENT, something that not even mobster Al Capone had to endure? How did she treat Crooked Hillary Clinton? Just asking!” For the record, Jackson is one of the two judges who sent Manafort to prison. And because Hillary Clinton has never been convicted of any crime of any sort, Jackson has obviously never dealt with Clinton.
Make no mistake: if Donald Trump loses in November, he’ll be indicted and arrested on a whole host of criminal charges. Most pundits don’t want to get this far ahead of the narrative, but Trump’s arrest is a given. The only question is whether the Feds or New York State will go first. Once Trump is on trial on the federal charges, the tweets he’s posting today will be used as evidence. Trump is literarily tweeting himself into 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--2020-02-12--This is incredibly ugly, but here are the salient points

Let ’ s stop wasting time fretting over the sanctity of democracy .
That ship sailed three years ago .
Today is exciting .
Trump made the mistake of meddling in the Roger Stone case , which gives us a huge 2020 advantage .
The media will seize on how scandalous it is .
The Democrats will use it as a key component of their 2020 campaign messaging .
Today is a win for us .
In war , this is what winning looks like .
Sure , today is exceedingly ugly .
But here are the salient points : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same sentence she was always going to give him – William Barr will likely be impeached now – Trump may be impeached again too – None of this magically helps Trump ’ s weak 2020 prospects No , Trump and Barr aren ’ t magically going to be removed by the Senate .
But under these circumstances , that ’ s not the point of impeachment .
The point is to hold House hearings , educate voters on Trump ’ s latest crimes , and force Trump and Barr to play defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here is what helps or hurts any given side in the 2020 election .
This isn ’ t “ optimism.
” I ’ m not trying to make you “ feel good.
” This is just reality , based on the available facts , logic , and evidence .
If any of this sounds optimistic it you , it ’ s only because you ’ re comparing it to the ratings-driven pundits who constantly feed you doomsday hysteria in order to scare you into staying tuned in .
You ’ d have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Jackson is going to give Stone a shorter sentence to appease Trump , or that this stunt somehow magically helps Trump ’ s 2020 prospects .
That ’ s how severely the doomsday pundits can brainwash you with their hysteria .
Stop trying to figure out Trump ’ s evil genius strategy .
He doesn ’ t have one .
He ’ s just flailing .
Stop painting Barr as having a magic wand .
He ’ s just a flailing guy who ’ s desperately trying to convince Trump to pardon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to prison without a pardon .
When bumbling crooks like Trump and Barr do brazenly corrupt things that are stupid and self defeating , it ’ s an outrage and it ’ s bad for democracy – but it doesn ’ t somehow magically help them .
Dumb criminals brazenly screw themselves over all the time .
These two are no different .
If you want to win , your job is to identify and exploit their weaknesses – not to fret all day about what supposed magic powers they ’ re @ @ @ @ @

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.
-----
-----
Let’s stop wasting time fretting over the sanctity of democracy. That ship sailed three years ago. Today is exciting. Trump made the mistake of meddling in the Roger Stone case, which gives us a huge 2020 advantage. The media will seize on how scandalous it is. The Democrats will use it as a key component of their 2020 campaign messaging. Today is a win for us. In war, this is what winning looks like. Sure, today is exceedingly ugly. But here are the salient points:
– Judge Jackson will give Roger Stone the same sentence she was always going to give him – William Barr will likely be impeached now – Trump may be impeached again too – None of this magically helps Trump’s weak 2020 prospects
No, Trump and Barr aren’t magically going to be removed by the Senate. But under these circumstances, that’s not the point of impeachment. The point is to hold House hearings, educate voters on Trump’s latest crimes, and force Trump and Barr to play defense. And again, all that matters here is what helps or hurts any given side in the 2020 election.
This isn’t “optimism.” I’m not trying to make you “feel good.” This is just reality, based on the available facts, logic, and evidence. If any of this sounds optimistic it you, it’s only because you’re comparing it to the ratings-driven pundits who constantly feed you doomsday hysteria in order to scare you into staying tuned in. You’d have to be almost literally insane to think that Judge Jackson is going to give Stone a shorter sentence to appease Trump, or that this stunt somehow magically helps Trump’s 2020 prospects. That’s how severely the doomsday pundits can brainwash you with their hysteria.
Stop trying to figure out Trump’s evil genius strategy. He doesn’t have one. He’s just flailing. Stop painting Barr as having a magic wand. He’s just a flailing guy who’s desperately trying to convince Trump to pardon him. Barr knows he’s going to prison without a pardon. When bumbling crooks like Trump and Barr do brazenly corrupt things that are stupid and self defeating, it’s an outrage and it’s bad for democracy – but it doesn’t somehow magically help them. Dumb criminals brazenly screw themselves over all the time. These two are no different. If you want to win, your job is to identify and exploit their weaknesses – not to fret all day about what supposed magic powers they’re going to use next.
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.