hotair--2020-12-19--Minneapolis police chief: We want change too -- but we need resources and support first

By now , it ’ s clear that the Minneapolis city council ’ s original vision for its police department — abolition — is a no-go .
Ever sine the George Floyd riots , the council has fanned the flames of unrest and crime by turning the police department into the community ’ s bête noire , and accusing residents who call them for property crime of clinging to “ privilege.
” That vision has resulted in massive upticks in crime — homicides up well over 50 % , shootings nearly doubled , and carjackings up an astounding 537 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work , then what will ?
Police chief Medaria Arradondo lays out his own vision for the future of the police department in today ’ s Star Tribune , which in part embraces some of the calls for reform .
Social workers on some calls ?
Sure , and Arradondo also declares that Minneapolis can ’ t “ arrest our way out of the many challenges we are currently facing.
” However , Arradondo insists that the city needs enough sworn officers to get the job done right now , and to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transformation , ” emphases mine : • Public safety .
Every victim of violent crime pains me .
It is easy for us to take for granted when we hear numbers — with 80 people killed by homicide this year .
More than 500 individuals shot and wounded by gun violence , hundreds of carjackings and robberies .
These are not statistics .
These are mothers , fathers , brothers , sisters , store clerks , students and neighbors .
We know that safety in our city is created through an ecosystem of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ those conditions that allow violence to occur .
This ecosystem ’ s strength relies upon having enough sworn officers and staff to respond to crime and establishing deep and mutually accountable relationships with our communities .
We can not arrest our way out of the many challenges we are currently facing .
However , we must hold those accountable who would harm others in our city .
And we need to work diligently on evidence-based and data-driven proven alternatives to traditional policing where they are an appropriate response .
• Innovation .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only creating with the community something that transforms the MPD , but also creates the conditions for safe and healthy communities .
It means increasing the role of social workers and mental health professionals to help us solve problems and avoid violent confrontations .
As your chief , I agree with these innovations and will implement approaches the community and our department build together .
• Accountability .
As chief , I will use all my authority and available resources to hold officers and supervisors accountable for misconduct .
We need legislators and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ structure of the current arbitration process that ensures bad cops don ’ t get their jobs back .
Community members and good officers both want and deserve this .
Both of the bolded parts represent a slap at the city council .
It ’ s impossible to conduct the kind of community policing required to rebuild trust in the city without having enough sworn officers on the street .
The MPD is down 20 % or more in effective sworn manpower since the start of the riots , which means they only have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ usually the worst police/community encounters .
By demagoguing the police over the last six months , the council has made the job of “ transformation ” impossible for Arradondo .
As the crime wave demonstrates , they ’ ve also emboldened the criminals who plague the city by making it clear that city leadership doesn ’ t support the police department they themselves run .
The second bolded passage is only slightly more subtle .
Politicians in every major American city get elected by pandering to public-employee unions , and then paying the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Arradondo wants the “ legislators ” of Minneapolis to break that cycle and take responsibility for their role in imposing accountability .
That means getting tough with PEUs — hopefully across the wide range of municipal agencies , but certainly the police — if the council truly wants the reform they seek .
For the last six months , the council has acted as though police accountability is some foreign component that they have to demand , not the most important job in their own authority and jurisdiction .
Clearly , Arradondo has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the police department as a quasi-scapegoat for the council ’ s own unseriousness .
His “ vision ” is still short on specifics and has its share of nebulous feel-good clichés , like this especially : Which character from Mad Men wrote that line ?
Still , even with its shortcomings , Arradondo ’ s vision includes taking responsibility and improving accountability while protecting people from violent criminals .
He ’ s not writing “ lie back and think of England ” memos to Minneapolitans in response to a crime wave that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amplified .
That makes Arradondo ’ s vision far , far superior to the nebulous , contradictory , and pusillanimous clichés coming from the Minneapolis city council the past six-plus months .

By now, it’s clear that the Minneapolis city council’s original vision for its police department — abolition — is a no-go. Ever sine the George Floyd riots, the council has fanned the flames of unrest and crime by turning the police department into the community’s bête noire, and accusing residents who call them for property crime of clinging to “privilege.” That vision has resulted in massive upticks in crime — homicides up well over 50%, shootings nearly doubled, and carjackings up an astounding 537%.
If that vision doesn’t work, then what will? Police chief Medaria Arradondo lays out his own vision for the future of the police department in today’s Star Tribune, which in part embraces some of the calls for reform. Social workers on some calls? Sure, and Arradondo also declares that Minneapolis can’t “arrest our way out of the many challenges we are currently facing.” However, Arradondo insists that the city needs enough sworn officers to get the job done right now, and to help build the trust necessary for a “transformation,” emphases mine:
• Public safety. Every victim of violent crime pains me. It is easy for us to take for granted when we hear numbers — with 80 people killed by homicide this year. More than 500 individuals shot and wounded by gun violence, hundreds of carjackings and robberies. These are not statistics. These are mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, store clerks, students and neighbors. We know that safety in our city is created through an ecosystem of support and everyone plays role in changing those conditions that allow violence to occur. This ecosystem’s strength relies upon having enough sworn officers and staff to respond to crime and establishing deep and mutually accountable relationships with our communities. We cannot arrest our way out of the many challenges we are currently facing. However, we must hold those accountable who would harm others in our city. And we need to work diligently on evidence-based and data-driven proven alternatives to traditional policing where they are an appropriate response. • Innovation. In the policing context, innovation is not only creating with the community something that transforms the MPD, but also creates the conditions for safe and healthy communities. It means increasing the role of social workers and mental health professionals to help us solve problems and avoid violent confrontations. As your chief, I agree with these innovations and will implement approaches the community and our department build together. • Accountability. As chief, I will use all my authority and available resources to hold officers and supervisors accountable for misconduct. We need legislators and elected leaders to work to modernize the structure of the current arbitration process that ensures bad cops don’t get their jobs back. Community members and good officers both want and deserve this.
Both of the bolded parts represent a slap at the city council. It’s impossible to conduct the kind of community policing required to rebuild trust in the city without having enough sworn officers on the street. The MPD is down 20% or more in effective sworn manpower since the start of the riots, which means they only have enough to respond to emergency calls — usually the worst police/community encounters. By demagoguing the police over the last six months, the council has made the job of “transformation” impossible for Arradondo. As the crime wave demonstrates, they’ve also emboldened the criminals who plague the city by making it clear that city leadership doesn’t support the police department they themselves run.
The second bolded passage is only slightly more subtle. Politicians in every major American city get elected by pandering to public-employee unions, and then paying the PEUs back at contract negotiation time. Arradondo wants the “legislators” of Minneapolis to break that cycle and take responsibility for their role in imposing accountability. That means getting tough with PEUs — hopefully across the wide range of municipal agencies, but certainly the police — if the council truly wants the reform they seek. For the last six months, the council has acted as though police accountability is some foreign component that they have to demand, not the most important job in their own authority and jurisdiction.
Clearly, Arradondo has grown tired of seeing the city council use the police department as a quasi-scapegoat for the council’s own unseriousness. His “vision” is still short on specifics and has its share of nebulous feel-good clichés, like this especially:
MPD members will keep our social contract sacred and value every interaction that embodies the principles of procedural justice and community policing where success is determined by the amount of trust engendered.
Which character from Mad Men wrote that line? Still, even with its shortcomings, Arradondo’s vision includes taking responsibility and improving accountability while protecting people from violent criminals. He’s not writing “lie back and think of England” memos to Minneapolitans in response to a crime wave that the city’s leadership encouraged and amplified. That makes Arradondo’s vision far, far superior to the nebulous, contradictory, and pusillanimous clichés coming from the Minneapolis city council the past six-plus months.


hotair--2020-12-19--Video: Did a Texas hospital fake a nurse's vaccination?

The University Medical Center of El Paso ( UMC ) has a public relations disaster on its hands .
It participated in a photo opportunity of the first coronavirus vaccines being administered to some nurses at the hospital on Tuesday .
Now there are accusations that the nurse didn ’ t really get vaccinated at all .
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived at UMC Tuesday morning .
The hospital chose five nurses to be vaccinated on camera .
Officials spoke about the vaccines being the light at the end of the tunnel and then the vaccines were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first hospital in the region to get the vaccine .
It received 2,925 doses .
Like many hospitals , health care workers were the first to be vaccinated .
The first El Pasoan to receive the vaccine was 29-year-old Crystal Molina , a native of the city .
She works in the emergency department .
It appeared to go smoothly .
Molina said “ it wasn ’ t that bad.
” I was excited , I was nervous , a little bit of both , more excited , ” she said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He was really light-handed so it wasn ’ t that bad , but I felt excitement .
“ It ’ s been hard on all of us , physically , emotionally , mentally and every effort you put in , it ’ s been hard .
But our team has kept up , we ’ ve been troopers so we ’ re just going to keep tagging on until , hopefully , if the numbers decrease , ” she said .
The second nurse was vaccinated and this time , a photojournalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right .
It appears the syringe was empty , the video shows the plunger on the syringe was already depressed .
You see the nurse is being prepped for the vaccine , but the syringe appears to be empty and the plunger has already been depressed .
Once the needle appears to go into his arm , the person giving the vaccine does not appear to push the plunger down .
It ’ s unclear if the nurse was vaccinated or why the syringe appears to have already been depressed .
The issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ second nurse .
I ’ ve looked at the video several times and that is what it looks like to me .
The nurse didn ’ t say anything and got up and walked away when it was over .
After questions were asked , UMC issued a statement on Wednesday .
“ After numerous reports emerged on social media claiming one of the five nurses receiving a vaccination on Tuesday did not receive a full dose of vaccine , we want to remove any doubt raised that he was not fully vaccinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process.
” “ The nurse in question today was vaccinated again .
UMC has confirmed with the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ( ACIP ) that re-vaccinating the nurse will not cause adverse effects .
The nurse will need to return after three weeks to receive his second dose.
” One report describes the incident as “ a mishap ” but clearly , if true , it ’ s a mistake , not a mishap .
A mishap is a soft way of saying that someone made a mistake , in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the photojournalist had not caught it so clearly on camera would anything have been done to correct the mistake ?
Would the nurse be walking around , treating patients , thinking he was vaccinated but not ?
The hospital must know it made a mistake because a second vaccination was administered .
Three tents were put up outside UMC .
That is where the hospital staff will be vaccinated .
Other hospitals in the area were scheduled to receive vaccines by the end of the week .
Health care workers are the top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
Phase one runs through February of next year , with the vaccine going directly to healthcare workers .
Phase two will run from February through July .
This will include high-risk people who are not yet vaccinated in phase one , like El Pasoans with serious health issues .
By July , Mora said most of the public should be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine .
There are currently 161 local providers enrolled to give the vaccine .
This is a different video .
The speed is slow motion in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close , more clearly .
You can see the nurse administrating the vaccine kind of fiddling around with the syringe .
Also , the needle didn ’ t go straight in and then out .
It wasn ’ t a smooth jab at all .
I ’ m going to partially disagree with Karen ’ s take on this .
I absolutely refuse to believe that this was a “ mistake ” of any sort on the part of the hospital .
How incompetent would a medical professional have to be to take @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushed all the way down and jab it into someone ’ s arm ?
If that ’ s the case , that person shouldn ’ t be working on patients .
I wrote earlier this week about how two-thirds of the nurses in Southern California are refusing the vaccine .
Could the second nurse in this video have similarly objected ?
But if so , why force him to go in front of the media and try to fake getting a vaccination ?
Surely that hospital has hundreds of nurses and they could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t right here and their “ explanation ” as to what happened and how the nurse was “ vaccinated again ” the following day doesn ’ t hold water .
Or maybe I ’ m just paranoid .

The University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) has a public relations disaster on its hands. It participated in a photo opportunity of the first coronavirus vaccines being administered to some nurses at the hospital on Tuesday. Now there are accusations that the nurse didn’t really get vaccinated at all.
The first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine arrived at UMC Tuesday morning. The hospital chose five nurses to be vaccinated on camera. Officials spoke about the vaccines being the light at the end of the tunnel and then the vaccines were administered to the nurses. UMC is the first hospital in the region to get the vaccine. It received 2,925 doses. Like many hospitals, health care workers were the first to be vaccinated.
The first El Pasoan to receive the vaccine was 29-year-old Crystal Molina, a native of the city. She works in the emergency department. It appeared to go smoothly. Molina said “it wasn’t that bad.”
I was excited, I was nervous, a little bit of both, more excited,” she said. “It wasn’t necessarily scary. He was really light-handed so it wasn’t that bad, but I felt excitement. “It’s been hard on all of us, physically, emotionally, mentally and every effort you put in, it’s been hard. But our team has kept up, we’ve been troopers so we’re just going to keep tagging on until, hopefully, if the numbers decrease,” she said.
The second nurse was vaccinated and this time, a photojournalist noticed something that didn’t look right. It appears the syringe was empty, the video shows the plunger on the syringe was already depressed.
You see the nurse is being prepped for the vaccine, but the syringe appears to be empty and the plunger has already been depressed. Once the needle appears to go into his arm, the person giving the vaccine does not appear to push the plunger down. It’s unclear if the nurse was vaccinated or why the syringe appears to have already been depressed. The issue appears to only have applied to the second nurse.
I’ve looked at the video several times and that is what it looks like to me. The nurse didn’t say anything and got up and walked away when it was over.
After questions were asked, UMC issued a statement on Wednesday.
“After numerous reports emerged on social media claiming one of the five nurses receiving a vaccination on Tuesday did not receive a full dose of vaccine, we want to remove any doubt raised that he was not fully vaccinated and further strengthen confidence in the vaccination process.” “The nurse in question today was vaccinated again. UMC has confirmed with the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that re-vaccinating the nurse will not cause adverse effects. The nurse will need to return after three weeks to receive his second dose.”
One report describes the incident as “a mishap” but clearly, if true, it’s a mistake, not a mishap. A mishap is a soft way of saying that someone made a mistake, in this case a potentially serious mistake. If the photojournalist had not caught it so clearly on camera would anything have been done to correct the mistake? Would the nurse be walking around, treating patients, thinking he was vaccinated but not? The hospital must know it made a mistake because a second vaccination was administered.
Three tents were put up outside UMC. That is where the hospital staff will be vaccinated. Other hospitals in the area were scheduled to receive vaccines by the end of the week. Health care workers are the top priority, then high-risk people in phase one.
Phase one runs through February of next year, with the vaccine going directly to healthcare workers. Phase two will run from February through July. This will include high-risk people who are not yet vaccinated in phase one, like El Pasoans with serious health issues. By July, Mora said most of the public should be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine. There are currently 161 local providers enrolled to give the vaccine.
This is a different video. The speed is slow motion in one frame to see the process up close, more clearly.
You can see the nurse administrating the vaccine kind of fiddling around with the syringe. Also, the needle didn’t go straight in and then out. It wasn’t a smooth jab at all.
UPDATE: (From Jazz)
I’m going to partially disagree with Karen’s take on this. I absolutely refuse to believe that this was a “mistake” of any sort on the part of the hospital. How incompetent would a medical professional have to be to take an obviously empty syringe with the plunger pushed all the way down and jab it into someone’s arm? If that’s the case, that person shouldn’t be working on patients. I wrote earlier this week about how two-thirds of the nurses in Southern California are refusing the vaccine. Could the second nurse in this video have similarly objected? But if so, why force him to go in front of the media and try to fake getting a vaccination? Surely that hospital has hundreds of nurses and they could have found someone else. Something isn’t right here and their “explanation” as to what happened and how the nurse was “vaccinated again” the following day doesn’t hold water. Or maybe I’m just paranoid.


hotair--2020-12-19--Tiny House majority will force Biden to slow-walk his nominees

As Joe Biden continues to roll out his picks for various positions in the next administration , it ’ s slowly dawning on the Democrats that they ’ re going to run into some logistical traps during the confirmation process .
It ’ s bad enough that their majority in the House has eroded to the point where any vote they call could be derailed by a relative handfull of defectors .
On top of that , any of Biden ’ s nominees may still need to get past a GOP majority in the Senate during the confirmation process unless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things look even dicier when the person being confirmed is one of the House Democrats .
Nancy Pelosi will have a hard enough time trying to push through Biden ’ s legislative agenda without even more of her Democratic votes disappearing into Uncle Joe ’ s cabinet .
With that in mind , it looks like Biden will hold off on officially naming some people until replacements are found for the first Congress members that he appoints .
It ’ s a bit awkward to say the least .
( Associated Press ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tap several House Democrats for administrative positions is putting Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a politically tough spot , having chiseled away at the party ’ s already slimming majority and leaving her potentially without enough votes to pass his legislative agenda… “ We need to manage something like this , ” Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina , the Democratic whip and a top Biden ally , said in an interview with The Associated Press this week .
According to Clyburn , an emerging strategy is to stagger the confirmations : Biden would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all at once so the House numbers don ’ t immediately drop .
To say this was predictable is probably a waste of time because everyone was predicting it a week after the election .
In mid-November , we were hearing reports that both Pelosi and Hoyer were urging their Democratic colleagues in the House not to accept a position in the Biden administration to avoid further weakening their majority .
( Clearly there were several of them who ignored those pleas . )
Senate Democrats are still facing a similar situation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see Bernie Sanders and/or Elizabeth Warren elevated to more influential positions .
But since they are both in states with Republican governors poised to temporarily name their replacements , that ’ s probably not going to happen .
James Clyburn is estimating that it ’ s going to take “ several months ” to push through the confirmation of the various House Democrats who Biden wants to seat .
That ’ s not really an unusual amount of time , but it ’ s definitely going to slow down the flurry of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see taking place .
Status Quo Joe is also somewhat limited in his choices when scooping up House Democrats .
He can ’ t afford to name anyone from a purple district because there ’ s no assurance that their seat won ’ t flip back to red in a special election .
One of the first examples will almost certainly be Congressman Cedric Richmond from Louisiana .
He ’ s being tapped as one of Biden ’ s senior advisers so he won ’ t face confirmation hearings .
Richmond is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his last race with more than 65 % of the vote , so that ’ s considered a safe seat .
( Despite the fact that Richmond once had his law license suspended by the state supreme court for falsifying sworn statements . )
By contrast , Biden has already announced his plans to name Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to HHS , but she ’ s going to have to wait for a while .
Fudge represents Ohio ’ s Second District , where she ’ s traditionally either run unopposed or won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote , so that ’ s about as safe of a seat as one could imagine .
But Biden will reportedly wait until Richmond ’ s seat is filled in a special election in March .
There are more examples to follow .
So as it turns out , Biden may wind up getting to occupy the Oval Office , but aside from issuing executive orders ( which he routinely criticized Trump for doing ) , he likely won ’ t be getting much done .
And that limacine rate of progress will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ranks of his own administration .

As Joe Biden continues to roll out his picks for various positions in the next administration, it’s slowly dawning on the Democrats that they’re going to run into some logistical traps during the confirmation process. It’s bad enough that their majority in the House has eroded to the point where any vote they call could be derailed by a relative handfull of defectors. On top of that, any of Biden’s nominees may still need to get past a GOP majority in the Senate during the confirmation process unless they sweep the Georgia runoffs. But things look even dicier when the person being confirmed is one of the House Democrats. Nancy Pelosi will have a hard enough time trying to push through Biden’s legislative agenda without even more of her Democratic votes disappearing into Uncle Joe’s cabinet. With that in mind, it looks like Biden will hold off on officially naming some people until replacements are found for the first Congress members that he appoints. It’s a bit awkward to say the least. (Associated Press)
President-elect Joe Biden’s decision to tap several House Democrats for administrative positions is putting Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a politically tough spot, having chiseled away at the party’s already slimming majority and leaving her potentially without enough votes to pass his legislative agenda… “We need to manage something like this,” Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the Democratic whip and a top Biden ally, said in an interview with The Associated Press this week. According to Clyburn, an emerging strategy is to stagger the confirmations: Biden would hold off on formally submitting the nominations all at once so the House numbers don’t immediately drop.
To say this was predictable is probably a waste of time because everyone was predicting it a week after the election. In mid-November, we were hearing reports that both Pelosi and Hoyer were urging their Democratic colleagues in the House not to accept a position in the Biden administration to avoid further weakening their majority. (Clearly there were several of them who ignored those pleas.) Senate Democrats are still facing a similar situation. The progressive wing of the party wants to see Bernie Sanders and/or Elizabeth Warren elevated to more influential positions. But since they are both in states with Republican governors poised to temporarily name their replacements, that’s probably not going to happen.
James Clyburn is estimating that it’s going to take “several months” to push through the confirmation of the various House Democrats who Biden wants to seat. That’s not really an unusual amount of time, but it’s definitely going to slow down the flurry of activity that Biden’s team wanted to see taking place. Status Quo Joe is also somewhat limited in his choices when scooping up House Democrats. He can’t afford to name anyone from a purple district because there’s no assurance that their seat won’t flip back to red in a special election.
One of the first examples will almost certainly be Congressman Cedric Richmond from Louisiana. He’s being tapped as one of Biden’s senior advisers so he won’t face confirmation hearings. Richmond is from the Second District where he won his last race with more than 65% of the vote, so that’s considered a safe seat. (Despite the fact that Richmond once had his law license suspended by the state supreme court for falsifying sworn statements.)
By contrast, Biden has already announced his plans to name Ohio Congresswoman Marcia Fudge to HHS, but she’s going to have to wait for a while. Fudge represents Ohio’s Second District, where she’s traditionally either run unopposed or won with 80% or more of the vote, so that’s about as safe of a seat as one could imagine. But Biden will reportedly wait until Richmond’s seat is filled in a special election in March. There are more examples to follow.
So as it turns out, Biden may wind up getting to occupy the Oval Office, but aside from issuing executive orders (which he routinely criticized Trump for doing), he likely won’t be getting much done. And that limacine rate of progress will apparently apply to his ability to fill the ranks of his own administration.


hotair--2020-12-19--Questioning Biden's win is a conspiracy theory, but Mitch McConnell totally cheated?

We ’ ve all heard the stories playing on a loop at CNN , MSNBC and the rest of the liberal media outlets .
Anyone questioning the legitimacy of Joe Biden ’ s victory in the 2020 presidential election is engaging in conspiracy theories , right ?
It ’ s just a bunch of sore losers dreaming up ways for Trump to steal the election .
So I suppose turnabout must be fair play given the current state of this divided nation .
This week ’ s award for Inconsistency in Liberal Reporting must surely go to Raw Story .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the Kentucky Senate race with the rather unsubtle title , “ BUSTED ?
Why the numbers behind Mitch McConnell ’ s re-election don ’ t add up.
” As you will recall , Cocaine Mitch wound up thrashing Democrat Amy McGrath by a very significant margin , despite the Dems pumping vast amounts of money into both her campaign and that of a Libertarian challenger amid polling numbers that suggested a very tight race .
But Alison Greene smells a rat , and the wind is blowing from the direction of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country still insist that the election was rife with fraudulent Democratic votes , no one ’ s asking how McConnell managed one of the most lopsided landslides of the Nov. 3 election .
They should .
An investigation of Kentucky voting results by DCReport raises significant questions about the vote tallies in McConnell ’ s state .
– McConnell racked up huge vote leads in traditionally Democratic strongholds , including counties that he had never before carried .
– There were wide , unexplained discrepancies between the vote counts for presidential candidates and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state ’ s voter records .
Forty percent of the state ’ s counties carry more voters on their rolls than voting-age citizens .
– Kentucky and many other states using vote tabulation machines made by Election Systems & Software all reported down-ballot race results at significant odds with pre-election polls .
Hey , if you want to claim widespread voter fraud across an entire state , that ’ s up to you .
But I ’ m certain that I ’ ve been repeatedly told that such a thing never @ @ @ @ @ @ @ examine these complaints and see if they have any merit .
Raw Story notes that McConnell carried some Democratic counties that he typically doesn ’ t prevail in .
Oddly enough , no mention is made of the fact that Donald Trump carried more than 2,500 counties while Biden took barely 500 .
They apparently didn ’ t have a problem with that glaring discrepancy .
They next note “ wide , unexplained discrepancies between the vote counts for presidential candidates and down-ballot candidates.
” Yes , it ’ s called ticket-splitting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden allegedly won the popular vote in a “ landslide ” while the Democrats lost a significant number of seats in the House and are barely hanging on to their majority there ?
Funny how that works , huh ?
How about those “ significant anomalies ” in the voter rolls and the fact that 40 % of Kentucky ’ s counties record more registered voters than living , voting-age citizens ?
Yes , we know .
That ’ s true of a lot of primarily Democratic counties all over the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take issue with it when a Democrat was winning .
I ’ ve been railing about the need to clean up the nation ’ s voter rolls for years but nobody ever listens .
I ’ m so sorry this is happening to you .
And finally , Greene notes that vote totals recorded by the Election Systems & Software voting machines were “ at significant odds ” with pre-election polling .
Really ?
Ya think ?
A very brief Google search will produce enough stories about how the polls were once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fill up an encyclopedia .
I would also note the irony in a liberal complaining about the Election Systems & Software machines while not uttering a peep about Dominion .
But hey… you do you , Alison .
Look , you don ’ t get to have it both ways .
If you think McConnell ’ s victory smells funny , then you need to be putting a massive clothespin on your nose when you look at the presidential race results .
Otherwise , you ’ re just a partisan hack picking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While we ’ re on that topic , let ’ s pause and take a look at a couple of other headlines that are running at Raw Story concurrent with the McConnell article .
Here ’ s one .
“ Trump ’ s election delusions debunked by GOP SecState in brutal ‘ Facts vs. Myths ’ graphic.
” Oh , and here ’ s another .
“ ‘ Planet Nutzoid ’ : Trump supporters burned to the ground for latest Arizona election conspiracy shenanigans.
” You ’ re not catching a whiff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Raw Story this weekend , are you ?
Naw… of course not .
Perish the thought .

We’ve all heard the stories playing on a loop at CNN, MSNBC and the rest of the liberal media outlets. Anyone questioning the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election is engaging in conspiracy theories, right? It’s just a bunch of sore losers dreaming up ways for Trump to steal the election. So I suppose turnabout must be fair play given the current state of this divided nation.
This week’s award for Inconsistency in Liberal Reporting must surely go to Raw Story. Alison Greene posted an article there yesterday about the Kentucky Senate race with the rather unsubtle title, “BUSTED? Why the numbers behind Mitch McConnell’s re-election don’t add up.” As you will recall, Cocaine Mitch wound up thrashing Democrat Amy McGrath by a very significant margin, despite the Dems pumping vast amounts of money into both her campaign and that of a Libertarian challenger amid polling numbers that suggested a very tight race. But Alison Greene smells a rat, and the wind is blowing from the direction of the GOP.
Even as Republicans across the country still insist that the election was rife with fraudulent Democratic votes, no one’s asking how McConnell managed one of the most lopsided landslides of the Nov. 3 election. They should. An investigation of Kentucky voting results by DCReport raises significant questions about the vote tallies in McConnell’s state. – McConnell racked up huge vote leads in traditionally Democratic strongholds, including counties that he had never before carried. – There were wide, unexplained discrepancies between the vote counts for presidential candidates and down-ballot candidates. – Significant anomalies exist in the state’s voter records. Forty percent of the state’s counties carry more voters on their rolls than voting-age citizens. – Kentucky and many other states using vote tabulation machines made by Election Systems & Software all reported down-ballot race results at significant odds with pre-election polls.
Hey, if you want to claim widespread voter fraud across an entire state, that’s up to you. But I’m certain that I’ve been repeatedly told that such a thing never happens. Still, let’s examine these complaints and see if they have any merit.
Raw Story notes that McConnell carried some Democratic counties that he typically doesn’t prevail in. Oddly enough, no mention is made of the fact that Donald Trump carried more than 2,500 counties while Biden took barely 500. They apparently didn’t have a problem with that glaring discrepancy.
They next note “wide, unexplained discrepancies between the vote counts for presidential candidates and down-ballot candidates.” Yes, it’s called ticket-splitting. Did Ms. Greene fail to notice that Joe Biden allegedly won the popular vote in a “landslide” while the Democrats lost a significant number of seats in the House and are barely hanging on to their majority there? Funny how that works, huh?
How about those “significant anomalies” in the voter rolls and the fact that 40% of Kentucky’s counties record more registered voters than living, voting-age citizens? Yes, we know. That’s true of a lot of primarily Democratic counties all over the country, but you didn’t seem to take issue with it when a Democrat was winning. I’ve been railing about the need to clean up the nation’s voter rolls for years but nobody ever listens. I’m so sorry this is happening to you.
And finally, Greene notes that vote totals recorded by the Election Systems & Software voting machines were “at significant odds” with pre-election polling. Really? Ya think? A very brief Google search will produce enough stories about how the polls were once again a steaming pile of hot garbage to fill up an encyclopedia. I would also note the irony in a liberal complaining about the Election Systems & Software machines while not uttering a peep about Dominion. But hey… you do you, Alison.
Look, you don’t get to have it both ways. If you think McConnell’s victory smells funny, then you need to be putting a massive clothespin on your nose when you look at the presidential race results. Otherwise, you’re just a partisan hack picking winners and losers to suit your preferences.
While we’re on that topic, let’s pause and take a look at a couple of other headlines that are running at Raw Story concurrent with the McConnell article. Here’s one. “Trump’s election delusions debunked by GOP SecState in brutal ‘Facts vs. Myths’ graphic.” Oh, and here’s another. “‘Planet Nutzoid’: Trump supporters burned to the ground for latest Arizona election conspiracy shenanigans.”
You’re not catching a whiff of inconsistency coming off the front page of Raw Story this weekend, are you? Naw… of course not. Perish the thought.


hotair--2020-12-20--Sunday morning talking heads

Sunday morning talking heads

Some weeks the Sunday shows bore in on one all-consuming story , other weeks they ’ re spinning a dozen different plates on poles .
This week is an example of the latter as no fewer than four topics jockey for Americans ’ attention .
1 .
The COVID vaccine rollout .
Moderna is officially joining the national effort this week , distributing upwards of six million doses across the country following Friday night ’ s emergency-use authorization by the FDA .
On to discuss it this morning is Moncef Slaoui , the head of Operation Warp Speed , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Union ” about whether the country ’ s hitting its weekly targets and what ’ s going on with the unexplained slowdown in distributing Pfizer ’ s vaccine .
Also scheduled are surgeon generals past , present , and future : Vivek Murthy , who served as Obama ’ s SG and will return to the job under Biden , speaks to “ Meet the Press ” while Trump SG Jerome Adams talks with “ Face the Nation.
” Adams received the vaccine on Friday morning with Mike Pence and will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ side effects .
He and Murthy will also be pressed about the reports of a handful of recipients having anaphylactic reactions .
2 .
The Russian mega-hack .
Mike Pompeo confirmed on Friday that it ’ s “ pretty clear ” Russia was behind it but that ’ s the only thing that ’ s clear at this point .
The star guest is former CISA chief Chris Krebs , who ’ s been in the news because Trump fired him for debunking various MAGA conspiracy theories about election fraud .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was supposed to detect foreign intrusions into U.S. government systems .
They failed spectacularly .
Krebs will discuss it with “ Meet the Press ” and “ State of the Union.
” The CEO of FireEye , the firm that finally sniffed out the Russian presence , will also appear on “ Face the Nation ” to explain what we do and don ’ t know about how extensive the infiltration was .
3 .
Biden cabinet appointments .
Sleepy Joe is still mulling some big nominations , notably attorney general and labor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filled every day .
This week ’ s most prominent selection was Pete Buttigieg , tapped to lead the department of transportation .
He ’ ll appear on “ State of the Union ” to make the case that a young ex-mayor from a small midwestern city lacking meaningful experience with transportation infrastructure is the perfect choice .
Meanwhile , Jennifer Granholm , Biden ’ s choice for the department of energy , will talk with “ This Week ” about her own nomination and incoming chief of staff Ron Klain will preview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Face the Nation.
” 4 .
The COVID stimulus negotiations .
Whether Congress can pull itself together and approve financial relief to struggling Americans before New Year ’ s remains a mystery as I write this on Saturday morning , although in their defense they ’ ve only had six months and numerous indicators of a coming economic crash to spur them to action .
The sticking point right now is whether the Fed will continue to enjoy emergency lending powers as Biden takes office , as Dems want , or whether those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans want .
Mary Daly , president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco , will offer her view to “ Face the Nation.
” And three members of the Senate will chime in on where they stand : Democrat Mark Warner will sit with “ This Week , ” Republican John Barrasso will speak to “ Fox News Sunday , ” and Mitt Romney will talk to “ State of the Union.
” All three will asked about the other subjects in the news this morning , of course , especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mitt .
The full line-up is at the AP .

Some weeks the Sunday shows bore in on one all-consuming story, other weeks they’re spinning a dozen different plates on poles. This week is an example of the latter as no fewer than four topics jockey for Americans’ attention.
1. The COVID vaccine rollout. Moderna is officially joining the national effort this week, distributing upwards of six million doses across the country following Friday night’s emergency-use authorization by the FDA. On to discuss it this morning is Moncef Slaoui, the head of Operation Warp Speed, who’ll chat with “State of the Union” about whether the country’s hitting its weekly targets and what’s going on with the unexplained slowdown in distributing Pfizer’s vaccine. Also scheduled are surgeon generals past, present, and future: Vivek Murthy, who served as Obama’s SG and will return to the job under Biden, speaks to “Meet the Press” while Trump SG Jerome Adams talks with “Face the Nation.” Adams received the vaccine on Friday morning with Mike Pence and will be asked whether he’s felt any side effects. He and Murthy will also be pressed about the reports of a handful of recipients having anaphylactic reactions.
2. The Russian mega-hack. Mike Pompeo confirmed on Friday that it’s “pretty clear” Russia was behind it but that’s the only thing that’s clear at this point. The star guest is former CISA chief Chris Krebs, who’s been in the news because Trump fired him for debunking various MAGA conspiracy theories about election fraud. It was CISA under Krebs’s leadership that was supposed to detect foreign intrusions into U.S. government systems. They failed spectacularly. Krebs will discuss it with “Meet the Press” and “State of the Union.” The CEO of FireEye, the firm that finally sniffed out the Russian presence, will also appear on “Face the Nation” to explain what we do and don’t know about how extensive the infiltration was.
3. Biden cabinet appointments. Sleepy Joe is still mulling some big nominations, notably attorney general and labor secretary, but other chairs are being filled every day. This week’s most prominent selection was Pete Buttigieg, tapped to lead the department of transportation. He’ll appear on “State of the Union” to make the case that a young ex-mayor from a small midwestern city lacking meaningful experience with transportation infrastructure is the perfect choice. Meanwhile, Jennifer Granholm, Biden’s choice for the department of energy, will talk with “This Week” about her own nomination and incoming chief of staff Ron Klain will preview Biden’s remaining selections with “Face the Nation.”
4. The COVID stimulus negotiations. Whether Congress can pull itself together and approve financial relief to struggling Americans before New Year’s remains a mystery as I write this on Saturday morning, although in their defense they’ve only had six months and numerous indicators of a coming economic crash to spur them to action. The sticking point right now is whether the Fed will continue to enjoy emergency lending powers as Biden takes office, as Dems want, or whether those powers will be clawed back, as Republicans want. Mary Daly, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, will offer her view to “Face the Nation.” And three members of the Senate will chime in on where they stand: Democrat Mark Warner will sit with “This Week,” Republican John Barrasso will speak to “Fox News Sunday,” and Mitt Romney will talk to “State of the Union.” All three will asked about the other subjects in the news this morning, of course, especially the Russian hack. Expect hawkishness from Mitt. The full line-up is at the AP.


hotair--2020-12-20--In Illinois, they're waiting for unemployment benefits, not relief checks

Even as Congress works to complete a COVID relief bill that would send a single , $ 600 check to everyone , people in Illinois ( among other places ) are dealing with a far more urgent problem .
The unemployment rate in that state is still going in the wrong direction .
Last week an additional 138,000 people filed new unemployment claims , a 30 % increase from the previous week .
And if that ’ s not bad enough , simply filing a legitimate claim for unemployment isn ’ t helping for many of them .
Thousands of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been waiting for weeks and sometimes months to begin receiving their benefits .
CBS Chicago talked to some of them and explored why they can ’ t get the situation resolved .
Amber Taylor is one of more than 83,000 people who are in the state ’ s system but are not getting paid because of identity verification issues .
She said she has provided IDES with everything they have asked for and for her the problem just got worse .
“ I have to keep the phone glued to my hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Every day she waits on a call from the Illinois Department of Employment Security .
“ Every time my phone rings I ’ m jumping to the call .
I don ’ t want people calling my phone because I want the line to be clear for IDES to call , ” she said .
Amber Taylor , the woman from the story above , appeared to have done everything right .
When her employer ’ s business was shut down over the summer , she filed a claim which was quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , after a couple of weeks , a note appeared on her account saying her identity had to be verified because she had used a temporary ID card when applying .
She soon sent a copy of her new , permanent driver ’ s license and was told she was all set .
She wasn ’ t .
Not only didn ’ t the payments restart , but she received a letter demanding she return the payments she had already received .
She ’ s not alone .
Similar system failures are impacting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 450,000 active claimants in the state ’ s system , more than 178,000 are currently not receiving benefits .
Nearly 85,000 of those are flagged as having identity verification issues .
We ’ ve discussed this here before , but the Illinois Department of Employment Security is only one of many state unemployment systems that was completely unprepared for the flood of claims that began arriving when the shutdowns began .
All of these people who are frozen out wouldn ’ t be in such dire need of a new congressional stimulus package @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits they ’ ve earned from the system .
These people are not out of work because of a recession or some personal issues .
The vast , vast majority of them are out of a job because the government shut their employers down as part of the pandemic response .
The state put them out of work and it ’ s the state ’ s responsibility to fulfill its obligations to them so they can survive .
All of the states with collapsed unemployment claims processing systems need to take a lesson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ systems .
But that ’ s not going to happen in time to help these folks in Illinois .
The other option , as some states like Washington have attempted , is to simply forgo the identify verification process and approve the claims as they arrive .
But scammers quickly figured out that trick and began filing record numbers of fraudulent claims .
If Illinois can ’ t correct this problem they need to get their people back to work .
It ’ s the state ’ s fault for not anticipating a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point and being prepared to handle that many claims .
And the state was the one that caused the crisis by shutting down so many employers .
State workers seem to have managed to keep their jobs even if they ’ re at home and not doing anything .
The same is not true for the private sector These unemployed workers must demand more from the state or get rid of the officials who created this disaster .

Even as Congress works to complete a COVID relief bill that would send a single, $600 check to everyone, people in Illinois (among other places) are dealing with a far more urgent problem. The unemployment rate in that state is still going in the wrong direction. Last week an additional 138,000 people filed new unemployment claims, a 30% increase from the previous week. And if that’s not bad enough, simply filing a legitimate claim for unemployment isn’t helping for many of them. Thousands of workers whose jobs disappeared during the lockdowns have been waiting for weeks and sometimes months to begin receiving their benefits. CBS Chicago talked to some of them and explored why they can’t get the situation resolved.
Amber Taylor is one of more than 83,000 people who are in the state’s system but are not getting paid because of identity verification issues. She said she has provided IDES with everything they have asked for and for her the problem just got worse. “I have to keep the phone glued to my hand all day long,” she said. Every day she waits on a call from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. “Every time my phone rings I’m jumping to the call. I don’t want people calling my phone because I want the line to be clear for IDES to call,” she said.
Amber Taylor, the woman from the story above, appeared to have done everything right. When her employer’s business was shut down over the summer, she filed a claim which was quickly approved and began receiving benefits. Then, after a couple of weeks, a note appeared on her account saying her identity had to be verified because she had used a temporary ID card when applying. She soon sent a copy of her new, permanent driver’s license and was told she was all set.
She wasn’t. Not only didn’t the payments restart, but she received a letter demanding she return the payments she had already received. She’s not alone. Similar system failures are impacting thousands of people. Of more than 450,000 active claimants in the state’s system, more than 178,000 are currently not receiving benefits. Nearly 85,000 of those are flagged as having identity verification issues.
We’ve discussed this here before, but the Illinois Department of Employment Security is only one of many state unemployment systems that was completely unprepared for the flood of claims that began arriving when the shutdowns began. All of these people who are frozen out wouldn’t be in such dire need of a new congressional stimulus package if they were able to obtain the benefits they’ve earned from the system.
These people are not out of work because of a recession or some personal issues. The vast, vast majority of them are out of a job because the government shut their employers down as part of the pandemic response. The state put them out of work and it’s the state’s responsibility to fulfill its obligations to them so they can survive.
All of the states with collapsed unemployment claims processing systems need to take a lesson from this debacle and modernize their computer systems. But that’s not going to happen in time to help these folks in Illinois. The other option, as some states like Washington have attempted, is to simply forgo the identify verification process and approve the claims as they arrive. But scammers quickly figured out that trick and began filing record numbers of fraudulent claims.
If Illinois can’t correct this problem they need to get their people back to work. It’s the state’s fault for not anticipating a surge like this taking place at some point and being prepared to handle that many claims. And the state was the one that caused the crisis by shutting down so many employers. State workers seem to have managed to keep their jobs even if they’re at home and not doing anything. The same is not true for the private sector These unemployed workers must demand more from the state or get rid of the officials who created this disaster.


hotair--2020-12-20--Mars or bust? Let's be smart about this

Mars or bust? Let's be smart about this

While 2020 has largely been a huge crap sandwich in many ways , it ’ s hard to deny that it ’ s been a very big year for space news .
We saw astronauts ascending to the ISS from American soil in an American-made rocket for the first time in nearly a decade .
And when he wasn ’ t sending people aloft , Elon Musk was launching literally hundreds of satellites , both his own and those of commercial customers , up into space .
But both NASA and the private sector have had their eyes on bigger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ put people back on the moon in the next few years , but Mr. Musk has his eyes set on Mars .
Can we do both ?
Should we ?
That ’ s the question being asked and answered by David W. Brown at the Wall Street Journal this week .
Brown argues that the moon is a target that was for a previous generation of pioneers .
He sees Mars as a “ grander , more fitting target ” for our space program .
But the dream of putting people on Mars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a succession of presidents .
Both George H.W .
Bush and his son George W. Bush embraced Mars as a target .
Bill Clinton and Barack Obama nixed the idea in favor of goals that were closer to home .
Donald Trump prefers the moon as a target , but NASA still claims Mars is on the menu .
Brown argues that doing either is a huge challenge in terms of the budget so it should be one or the other .
And he clearly prefers Mars .
( Subscription required ) The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course , is that it ’ s easier to reach and we ’ ve done it before .
But for all the difficulties of landing on Mars and establishing a human presence there , it is clearly the superior prospect for sustainable exploration .
Mars is a bona fide planet with air , ice , wind , weather and usable resources .
It also has real similarities to Earth .
A Mars day is just over 24 hours long .
The planet , on average , is just 30 degrees colder than Antarctica @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Earth ( versus the moon , which is about one-sixth ) .
It has moons and its own complex geology , from the highest mountain in the solar system to a canyon network that makes the Grand Canyon seem a mere local attraction by comparison .
It could be a home for people in a way that the moon never will .
The American space program has always aimed at putting people on Mars .
Before the word astronaut had been coined or an agency named NASA existed , there was “ Das @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fiction written in 1948 by Wernher von Braun , who developed rocket technology for Nazi Germany before escaping to the arms of the American military .
He built the rocket that would put Explorer 1 , the first American satellite , in space and became the leading engineer and best-known promoter of the early U.S. space program .
While I ’ m a huge fan of space exploration , I ’ m always a bit more cautious about supporting manned missions as opposed to remote-controlled robotic efforts .
While we are well-stocked with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the cause of furthering science , those lives should never be wasted foolishly , and I would argue that a trip to Mars is still far beyond our capability of completing it safely and returning our astronauts back home in one piece .
Many of the things that Brown says about Mars are true .
There is air there ( after a fashion ) and ice , weather and some resources .
But that description paints an awfully rosy picture of a place that is much closer to being hell than heaven .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ totally unbreathable , having no measurable levels of oxygen .
And the air pressure on the surface is about six millibars .
That ’ s barely one half of one percent of the pressure on Earth at sea level .
It ’ s not a complete vacuum , but if you stepped out on the surface of the planet without a pressure suit and a suitable air supply , you would die of depressurization long before you died of asphyxiation .
And while there are spots on Mars where the temperature gets up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it drops to hundreds of degrees below zero at night .
In other words , Mars isn ’ t really any more survivable than the moon unless you have technology keeping you alive .
And if that technology fails and you are exposed to the environment there , it ’ s all over .
The longer you stay away from the Earth and in an environment such as that , the greater the chances that your technology will eventually fail you .
Even Elon Musk has admitted that the people who go on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undoubtedly never return to Earth alive .
It ’ s also worth keeping in mind that getting to and safely landing on the red planet isn ’ t exactly routine yet .
Yes , we ’ ve had great results with quite a few rovers , but still , more than half of the missions sent to Mars have failed to stick the landing .
And you only get one shot at it .
I ’ m all for going to Mars , but it just seems like it will have to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take far longer than some of the sunny projections we ’ re hearing .
To do this in a smart way , robotic missions would need to land first , with plenty of supplies including oxygen , water , food , and everything else you would need to survive .
A return vehicle would have to land there as well and remain operational and ready to use before the first astronauts ever leave the Earth .
Even then the prospects are far from a sure thing .
I ’ m not saying we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think we can and I hope we do .
But we have to be smart about it .
And that ’ s going to take a long time and a staggering amount of money .

While 2020 has largely been a huge crap sandwich in many ways, it’s hard to deny that it’s been a very big year for space news. We saw astronauts ascending to the ISS from American soil in an American-made rocket for the first time in nearly a decade. And when he wasn’t sending people aloft, Elon Musk was launching literally hundreds of satellites, both his own and those of commercial customers, up into space. But both NASA and the private sector have had their eyes on bigger goals. There are ongoing plans to put people back on the moon in the next few years, but Mr. Musk has his eyes set on Mars.
Can we do both? Should we? That’s the question being asked and answered by David W. Brown at the Wall Street Journal this week. Brown argues that the moon is a target that was for a previous generation of pioneers. He sees Mars as a “grander, more fitting target” for our space program. But the dream of putting people on Mars has been alternately embraced and rejected by a succession of presidents. Both George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush embraced Mars as a target. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama nixed the idea in favor of goals that were closer to home. Donald Trump prefers the moon as a target, but NASA still claims Mars is on the menu.
Brown argues that doing either is a huge challenge in terms of the budget so it should be one or the other. And he clearly prefers Mars. (Subscription required)
The moon’s great advantage, of course, is that it’s easier to reach and we’ve done it before. But for all the difficulties of landing on Mars and establishing a human presence there, it is clearly the superior prospect for sustainable exploration. Mars is a bona fide planet with air, ice, wind, weather and usable resources. It also has real similarities to Earth. A Mars day is just over 24 hours long. The planet, on average, is just 30 degrees colder than Antarctica. Its gravity is one-third that of Earth (versus the moon, which is about one-sixth). It has moons and its own complex geology, from the highest mountain in the solar system to a canyon network that makes the Grand Canyon seem a mere local attraction by comparison. It could be a home for people in a way that the moon never will. The American space program has always aimed at putting people on Mars. Before the word astronaut had been coined or an agency named NASA existed, there was “Das Marsprojekt,” a work of speculative fiction written in 1948 by Wernher von Braun, who developed rocket technology for Nazi Germany before escaping to the arms of the American military. He built the rocket that would put Explorer 1, the first American satellite, in space and became the leading engineer and best-known promoter of the early U.S. space program.
While I’m a huge fan of space exploration, I’m always a bit more cautious about supporting manned missions as opposed to remote-controlled robotic efforts. While we are well-stocked with heroes willing to risk their lives in the cause of furthering science, those lives should never be wasted foolishly, and I would argue that a trip to Mars is still far beyond our capability of completing it safely and returning our astronauts back home in one piece.
Many of the things that Brown says about Mars are true. There is air there (after a fashion) and ice, weather and some resources. But that description paints an awfully rosy picture of a place that is much closer to being hell than heaven. The “air” on Mars is totally unbreathable, having no measurable levels of oxygen. And the air pressure on the surface is about six millibars. That’s barely one half of one percent of the pressure on Earth at sea level. It’s not a complete vacuum, but if you stepped out on the surface of the planet without a pressure suit and a suitable air supply, you would die of depressurization long before you died of asphyxiation. And while there are spots on Mars where the temperature gets up near 30 degrees during the day, it drops to hundreds of degrees below zero at night.
In other words, Mars isn’t really any more survivable than the moon unless you have technology keeping you alive. And if that technology fails and you are exposed to the environment there, it’s all over. The longer you stay away from the Earth and in an environment such as that, the greater the chances that your technology will eventually fail you. Even Elon Musk has admitted that the people who go on his planned excursion to Mars will almost undoubtedly never return to Earth alive.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that getting to and safely landing on the red planet isn’t exactly routine yet. Yes, we’ve had great results with quite a few rovers, but still, more than half of the missions sent to Mars have failed to stick the landing. And you only get one shot at it.
I’m all for going to Mars, but it just seems like it will have to be done in stages and the process will take far longer than some of the sunny projections we’re hearing. To do this in a smart way, robotic missions would need to land first, with plenty of supplies including oxygen, water, food, and everything else you would need to survive. A return vehicle would have to land there as well and remain operational and ready to use before the first astronauts ever leave the Earth. Even then the prospects are far from a sure thing.
I’m not saying we can’t do it. I think we can and I hope we do. But we have to be smart about it. And that’s going to take a long time and a staggering amount of money.


hotair--2020-12-20--Fauci to kids during CNN town hall: Santa is "good to go" and won't be spreading the coronavirus

All is well .
Santa Claus will be free to travel to deliver presents to good boys and girls this year .
CNN hosted a town hall with Sesame Street and experts like Dr. Fauci to ease the fears of children and deliver practical information to parents as we head into Christmas week .
The town hall hosts were CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta , CNN Anchor Erica Hill , and Big Bird .
I ’ ll begin by saying that I watched the last half , I think , of the town hall out of curiosity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ politics is adults who drag children into the political world .
Children don ’ t belong in politics and using them to make political statements is wrong .
It ’ s bad enough that most young people are completely in the hands of liberal teachers by the time they finish their school careers , whether they go on to college or not .
So , a liberal cable news network developing a town hall in conjunction with Sesame Street raised some red flags for me .
Dr. Fauci was one of the expert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allegedly , by children .
Fauci reassured young viewers that yes , Santa is clear to roll on Christmas Eve and he will not spread the coronavirus .
Yes , Virginia , Dr. Fauci vaccinated Santa himself .
Introduced by Sesame Street ’ s Elmo , children asked Fauci hard-hitting questions , including how did Kris Kringle get the vaccine and how can he safely deliver presents to kids who have been good all year long .
“ Will Santa still be able to visit me in coronavirus this season ?
What if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s house or near his reindeer ?
” one child said .
With a smile , Fauci said he himself had vaccinated Saint Nick , who would still be able to make his annual visit down the chimney .
“ Well , I have to say I took care of that for you , because I was worried that you ’ d all be upset .
What I did a little while ago , I took a trip up there to the North Pole .
I went there , and I vaccinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of immunity , and he is good to go , ” he said .
“ He can come down the chimney .
He can leave the presents…you have nothing to worry about .
Santa Claus is good to go , ” he continued .
Fauci was in full-on kindly grandpa mode , which was appropriate given the setting .
He even reassured one four year old that it will be ok to hug Gramps and Nana if they don ’ t travel to see their grandchildren .
I ’ m not sure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ receive Fauci ’ s full answer but remember , this was all about feel-good exchanges with children .
Kids also asked Fauci when they can hug their family members again , especially their grandparents .
A 4-year-old named Freddie says he wants to give his grandma one hundred hugs but wasn ’ t sure if that was safe .
“ I think if you ’ re in the immediate household… and it ’ s not someone who ’ s maybe coming in and traveling … yeah you can give them hugs , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cautioned that if that person has traveled through airports and train stations and is coming into your house , perhaps hugs aren ’ t the best way to show affection .
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the pandemic has been the isolation of older people from their families .
Listening to a question about a grandchild ’ s longing to hug his grandparents was all too real .
Also , when a child asked if the coronavirus vaccine shot hurts , Fauci said it ’ s a “ pinch ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a completely normal question from a kid .
Why do doctors always say it ’ s a pinch ?
Shots never feel like a pinch to me , they feel like a jab .
I hate needles .
I think some of this touchy-feely attitude comes from Fauci ’ s need to clean up some of his earlier doom and gloom warnings about holiday gatherings .
Last week Fauci was busy denying that he ever suggested that Christmas be canceled for family gatherings .
But he essentially did just that when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming home to spend the holiday with him and his wife – they ’ d only be spending the holiday with each other .
He has warned about anticipated spikes in new cases of the coronavirus during the holiday season since before Thanksgiving .
“ I ’ m not saying that everyone should cancel the family gathering , I ’ m saying that people will need to make individual choices , ” Fauci told host Bill Hemmer .
“ When you talking about having a congregate setting for dinner , [ I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aspect .
“ You have some Christmas dinners [ where ] people bring friends and others in who travel from different parts of the country .
You could have 15 , 20 people at a dinner , ” Fauci added .
“ That ’ s really somewhat risky .
You can do a modified version of that .
“ You don ’ t have to cancel things , you can still spend time with your family .
I ’ m just asking people to be careful when it comes to travel that may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can avoid , and when you get together , try to make some limitation to it.
” Hemmer pointed out that Fauci himself will not be celebrating Christmas with his children for the first time in his life .
“ I ’ ve heard and seen tweets saying , ‘ Fauci says cancel Christmas , ' ” said the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases .
“ Nonsense .
I ’ ve never said that.
” Good to know .
At least the kiddos won ’ t have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this year .

All is well. Santa Claus will be free to travel to deliver presents to good boys and girls this year. CNN hosted a town hall with Sesame Street and experts like Dr. Fauci to ease the fears of children and deliver practical information to parents as we head into Christmas week. The town hall hosts were CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Anchor Erica Hill, and Big Bird.
I’ll begin by saying that I watched the last half, I think, of the town hall out of curiosity. One of my biggest pet peeves in politics is adults who drag children into the political world. Children don’t belong in politics and using them to make political statements is wrong. It’s bad enough that most young people are completely in the hands of liberal teachers by the time they finish their school careers, whether they go on to college or not. So, a liberal cable news network developing a town hall in conjunction with Sesame Street raised some red flags for me.
Dr. Fauci was one of the expert guests who was asked questions submitted, allegedly, by children. Fauci reassured young viewers that yes, Santa is clear to roll on Christmas Eve and he will not spread the coronavirus. Yes, Virginia, Dr. Fauci vaccinated Santa himself.
Introduced by Sesame Street’s Elmo, children asked Fauci hard-hitting questions, including how did Kris Kringle get the vaccine and how can he safely deliver presents to kids who have been good all year long. “Will Santa still be able to visit me in coronavirus this season? What if he can’t go to anyone’s house or near his reindeer?” one child said. With a smile, Fauci said he himself had vaccinated Saint Nick, who would still be able to make his annual visit down the chimney. “Well, I have to say I took care of that for you, because I was worried that you’d all be upset. What I did a little while ago, I took a trip up there to the North Pole. I went there, and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself. I measured his level of immunity, and he is good to go,” he said. “He can come down the chimney. He can leave the presents…you have nothing to worry about. Santa Claus is good to go,” he continued.
Santa Claus will be coming to town this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci says. “I took care of that for you,” he says. “…I took a trip up there to the North Pole; I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself. I measured his level of immunity, and he is good to go.” #CNNSesameStreet pic.twitter.com/CNJ520XTew — CNN (@CNN) December 19, 2020
Fauci was in full-on kindly grandpa mode, which was appropriate given the setting. He even reassured one four year old that it will be ok to hug Gramps and Nana if they don’t travel to see their grandchildren. I’m not sure that four-year-old Freddie was old enough to receive Fauci’s full answer but remember, this was all about feel-good exchanges with children.
Kids also asked Fauci when they can hug their family members again, especially their grandparents. A 4-year-old named Freddie says he wants to give his grandma one hundred hugs but wasn’t sure if that was safe. “I think if you’re in the immediate household… and it’s not someone who’s maybe coming in and traveling … yeah you can give them hugs,” Fauci told him. But he also cautioned that if that person has traveled through airports and train stations and is coming into your house, perhaps hugs aren’t the best way to show affection.
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of the pandemic has been the isolation of older people from their families. Listening to a question about a grandchild’s longing to hug his grandparents was all too real. Also, when a child asked if the coronavirus vaccine shot hurts, Fauci said it’s a “pinch” that only lasts a few seconds. That’s a completely normal question from a kid. Why do doctors always say it’s a pinch? Shots never feel like a pinch to me, they feel like a jab. I hate needles.
I think some of this touchy-feely attitude comes from Fauci’s need to clean up some of his earlier doom and gloom warnings about holiday gatherings. Last week Fauci was busy denying that he ever suggested that Christmas be canceled for family gatherings. But he essentially did just that when he declared his daughters would not be coming home to spend the holiday with him and his wife – they’d only be spending the holiday with each other. He has warned about anticipated spikes in new cases of the coronavirus during the holiday season since before Thanksgiving.
“I’m not saying that everyone should cancel the family gathering, I’m saying that people will need to make individual choices,” Fauci told host Bill Hemmer. “When you talking about having a congregate setting for dinner, [I’m saying] not cancel the family aspect. “You have some Christmas dinners [where] people bring friends and others in who travel from different parts of the country. You could have 15, 20 people at a dinner,” Fauci added. “That’s really somewhat risky. You can do a modified version of that. “You don’t have to cancel things, you can still spend time with your family. I’m just asking people to be careful when it comes to travel that may not be necessary, travel that you can avoid, and when you get together, try to make some limitation to it.” Hemmer pointed out that Fauci himself will not be celebrating Christmas with his children for the first time in his life. “I’ve heard and seen tweets saying, ‘Fauci says cancel Christmas,'” said the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “Nonsense. I’ve never said that.”
Good to know. At least the kiddos won’t have to worry about Santa skipping his holiday routine this year.


hotair--2020-12-20--Romney: It's sad and embarrassing that Trump is talking about martial law and seizing voting machine

Romney: It's sad and embarrassing that Trump is talking about martial law and seizing voting machines

Reportedly talking about martial law and seizing voting machines , I should say .
Trump denies it , which is a good sign inasmuch as it means he grasps how taboo this subject is even if he ’ s inquiring about it in hushed tones behind the scenes .
The problem with alleging “ fake news ” in this case is that many different reporters had anxious sources whispering to them yesterday about his Friday meeting with Sidney Powell and Mike Flynn .
It wasn ’ t some random left-wing blog alleging to have heard something through the grapevine .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ CNN and the Daily Beast , among others .
More than one reporter made a point of noting on Twitter that their sources in this case weren ’ t the typical anti-Trump establishment Republicans inside the White House known to complain about him off the record to journalists .
These were Trump insiders who were wringing their hands .
Evidently the things he ’ s saying in private have begun to freak out even true blue MAGA loyalists : The country ’ s going to spend the next 31 days wondering whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breakdown because his narcissism simply can ’ t cope with the idea that he lost the election and has to make way for Biden .
What he ’ s capable of doing during that period may be limited only by what the people around him are willing to condone .
The Times ’ s account of the meeting : President Trump on Friday discussed naming Sidney Powell , who as a lawyer for his campaign team unleashed conspiracy theories about a Venezuelan plot to rig voting machines in the United States , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of voter fraud , according to two people briefed on the discussion… Ms. Powell ’ s client , retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn , the former national security adviser whom the president recently pardoned , was also there , two of the people briefed on the meeting said… The White House counsel , Pat A. Cipollone , and the White House chief of staff , Mark Meadows , repeatedly and aggressively pushed back on the ideas being proposed , which went beyond the special counsel idea , those briefed on the meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Friday night was a discussion about an executive order to take control of voting machines to examine them , according to one of the people briefed on the discussion .
A few nights ago Flynn went on Newsmax to declare the upcoming Georgia runoffs a “ fake election ” and to propose that Trump use “ military capabilities ” to re-run the presidential election in swing states , an insane , illegal idea that he ’ s pushed before .
According to Times reporter Maggie Haberman , Trump brought up that idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Whatever was said spooked enough people in attendance that they went running to the press afterwards to raise the alarm .
Trump sounds crazy behind closed doors right now even by Trump standards , according to people whose tolerance for craziness is exceedingly high .
The idea of appointing Powell as a special counsel to investigate voter fraud for the DOJ was so outlandish that reportedly even Rudy Giuliani objected to it .
And Rudy himself is so far gone that he allegedly dialed up Ken Cuccinelli at DHS on Thursday night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seize states ’ voting machines for inspection , only to be told by Cuccinelli that DHS has no authority to do that .
In other words , even the voices of *relative* sanity close to Trump right now are somewhere on the spectrum of insanity .
“ It ’ s basically Sidney versus everybody , ” said a source to Axios ’ s Jonathan Swan .
“ That is why voices were raised [ at the meeting ] .
There is literally not one motherf—r in the president ’ s entire orbit — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — who doesn ’ t think that Sidney Powell should be on that first rocket to Mars.
” Everyone still attached to this circus recognizes Powell as a crank among cranks — except the president , apparently , who ’ s considering handing her a position of federal authority .
The Times claims that when Trump talked about making her a “ special counsel , ” he didn ’ t necessarily mean a special counsel deputized by the DOJ a la Robert Mueller to investigate a sensitive matter free from political pressure .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House , appointed by the president , ” replete with security clearances ( ! )
.
That ’ s … an odd idea , though , since it would mean Powell will be out on her ass just 31 days from now .
Making her a DOJ-appointed special counsel would ensure that her work would carry on through the Biden administration — unless Biden fired her .
Jonathan Turley writes today that there ’ s no chance Powell will end up as a DOJ special counsel for the simple reasons that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rosen nor any of his deputies would comply with Trump ’ s demand to hand that kind of power to her and ( 2 ) Powell would have a glaring conflict of interest in that she served as a lawyer investigating voter fraud for Trump ’ s own campaign before departing last month .
But as to the first point , there ’ s a strong constitutional argument that Trump can appoint the special counsel himself .
And as to the second , no ethical qualms are going to stop him from doing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say .
If he appointed Powell it would become a mess for Biden to sort out .
Presumably he ’ d fire her , citing the point about her conflict of interest , but it would be a bad look for President Norms to terminate a special counsel so soon after taking office .
And of course it would deepen suspicions among MAGA fans that Biden feared Powell would discover “ the truth ” about The Big Steal and had to stop her from doing so .
Biden would probably have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump created intact and simply replace Powell with a more respectable lawyer who ’ s acceptable to establishment Republicans .
That might even work out for him politically in the end .
Having some GOP-affiliated prosecutor conclude that there was no voter fraud in the election would add a little extra legitimacy to Biden ’ s victory .
Here ’ s all you need to know to grasp how absurd the idea of Trump appointing Powell to an official position is .
Less than a day after the president ’ s meeting with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the general counsel of Trump ’ s presidential campaign sent a memo to staffers warning them to preserve all documents related to Powell in case they ’ re sought during discovery by Dominion Voting Systems in suing her for defamation .
Trump ’ s own campaign could potentially become a defendant in an election-related defamation case because of its association with Powell .
Imagine her purporting to investigate voter fraud on behalf of the United States government while Dominion is taking her and Team Trump to the cleaners in court for allegedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month .
As for Romney ’ s point below about this episode being “ sad ” and “ embarrassing , ” I ’ d guess that it ’ ll end up being a supreme example of the phenomenon in which Trump is accused of doing something outrageous behind the scenes and MAGA Nation instantly splits into two camps about it .
The first camp insists that he would never do such a terrible thing and we ’ re once again being suckered by lies from Trump-hating fake news .
The second camp says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ true !
He should do it !
” There are some prominent members in that second camp : The # CrossTheRubicon hashtag circulating today on Twitter will give you a solid idea of who among the “ conservative ” base is ready for all-out fascism .
Here ’ s Romney , who ’ s hopefully right that this is an instance in which we needn ’ t take the most powerful man in the world either literally or seriously .

Reportedly talking about martial law and seizing voting machines, I should say. Trump denies it, which is a good sign inasmuch as it means he grasps how taboo this subject is even if he’s inquiring about it in hushed tones behind the scenes.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1340523944680583169
The problem with alleging “fake news” in this case is that many different reporters had anxious sources whispering to them yesterday about his Friday meeting with Sidney Powell and Mike Flynn. It wasn’t some random left-wing blog alleging to have heard something through the grapevine. It was the Times and Axios and CNN and the Daily Beast, among others. More than one reporter made a point of noting on Twitter that their sources in this case weren’t the typical anti-Trump establishment Republicans inside the White House known to complain about him off the record to journalists. These were Trump insiders who were wringing their hands. Evidently the things he’s saying in private have begun to freak out even true blue MAGA loyalists:
What is different is these are NOT the Never Trumper types. These are people who have fully thrown their lot in with Trump but are legitimately worried about his receptivity to Flynn and Powell’s ideas and conspiracy theories. One month seems like an eternity in this context. https://t.co/7t5oWkg1ht — Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 19, 2020
Sources who have gotten used to Trump’s eruptions over four years sound scared by what’s transpired in the past week when I’ve talked to them. https://t.co/oICndCsXIw — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020
The country’s going to spend the next 31 days wondering whether the president is having a bona fide mental breakdown because his narcissism simply can’t cope with the idea that he lost the election and has to make way for Biden. What he’s capable of doing during that period may be limited only by what the people around him are willing to condone.
The Times’s account of the meeting:
President Trump on Friday discussed naming Sidney Powell, who as a lawyer for his campaign team unleashed conspiracy theories about a Venezuelan plot to rig voting machines in the United States, to be a special counsel overseeing an investigation of voter fraud, according to two people briefed on the discussion… Ms. Powell’s client, retired Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser whom the president recently pardoned, was also there, two of the people briefed on the meeting said… The White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, and the White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, repeatedly and aggressively pushed back on the ideas being proposed, which went beyond the special counsel idea, those briefed on the meeting said… Part of the White House meeting on Friday night was a discussion about an executive order to take control of voting machines to examine them, according to one of the people briefed on the discussion.
A few nights ago Flynn went on Newsmax to declare the upcoming Georgia runoffs a “fake election” and to propose that Trump use “military capabilities” to re-run the presidential election in swing states, an insane, illegal idea that he’s pushed before. According to Times reporter Maggie Haberman, Trump brought up that idea in the meeting with Powell and Flynn:
During the meeting, the president asked about Flynn’s suggestion of deploying the military, those briefed said. That was also shot down. — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 19, 2020
Whatever was said spooked enough people in attendance that they went running to the press afterwards to raise the alarm.
A senior administration official said that when Trump is “retweeting threats of putting politicians in jail, and spends his time talking to conspiracy nuts who openly say declaring martial law is no big deal, it’s impossible not to start getting anxious about how this ends.” “People who are concerned and nervous aren’t the weak-kneed bureaucrats that we loathe,” the official added. “These are people who have endured arguably more insanity and mayhem than any administration officials in history.”
Trump sounds crazy behind closed doors right now even by Trump standards, according to people whose tolerance for craziness is exceedingly high. The idea of appointing Powell as a special counsel to investigate voter fraud for the DOJ was so outlandish that reportedly even Rudy Giuliani objected to it. And Rudy himself is so far gone that he allegedly dialed up Ken Cuccinelli at DHS on Thursday night and asked him about having the department seize states’ voting machines for inspection, only to be told by Cuccinelli that DHS has no authority to do that. In other words, even the voices of *relative* sanity close to Trump right now are somewhere on the spectrum of insanity.
“It’s basically Sidney versus everybody,” said a source to Axios’s Jonathan Swan. “That is why voices were raised [at the meeting]. There is literally not one motherf—r in the president’s entire orbit — his staunchest group of supporters and allies — who doesn’t think that Sidney Powell should be on that first rocket to Mars.” Everyone still attached to this circus recognizes Powell as a crank among cranks — except the president, apparently, who’s considering handing her a position of federal authority. The Times claims that when Trump talked about making her a “special counsel,” he didn’t necessarily mean a special counsel deputized by the DOJ a la Robert Mueller to investigate a sensitive matter free from political pressure. He meant “a special counsel within the White House, appointed by the president,” replete with security clearances(!). That’s … an odd idea, though, since it would mean Powell will be out on her ass just 31 days from now. Making her a DOJ-appointed special counsel would ensure that her work would carry on through the Biden administration — unless Biden fired her.
Jonathan Turley writes today that there’s no chance Powell will end up as a DOJ special counsel for the simple reasons that (1) neither acting AG Jeffrey Rosen nor any of his deputies would comply with Trump’s demand to hand that kind of power to her and (2) Powell would have a glaring conflict of interest in that she served as a lawyer investigating voter fraud for Trump’s own campaign before departing last month. But as to the first point, there’s a strong constitutional argument that Trump can appoint the special counsel himself. And as to the second, no ethical qualms are going to stop him from doing what he wants to do, needless to say. If he appointed Powell it would become a mess for Biden to sort out. Presumably he’d fire her, citing the point about her conflict of interest, but it would be a bad look for President Norms to terminate a special counsel so soon after taking office. And of course it would deepen suspicions among MAGA fans that Biden feared Powell would discover “the truth” about The Big Steal and had to stop her from doing so.
Biden would probably have to keep the position of special counsel that Trump created intact and simply replace Powell with a more respectable lawyer who’s acceptable to establishment Republicans. That might even work out for him politically in the end. Having some GOP-affiliated prosecutor conclude that there was no voter fraud in the election would add a little extra legitimacy to Biden’s victory.
Here’s all you need to know to grasp how absurd the idea of Trump appointing Powell to an official position is. Less than a day after the president’s meeting with her and Flynn in the White House, the general counsel of Trump’s presidential campaign sent a memo to staffers warning them to preserve all documents related to Powell in case they’re sought during discovery by Dominion Voting Systems in suing her for defamation. Trump’s own campaign could potentially become a defendant in an election-related defamation case because of its association with Powell. Imagine her purporting to investigate voter fraud on behalf of the United States government while Dominion is taking her and Team Trump to the cleaners in court for allegedly libeling the company relentlessly over the past month.
As for Romney’s point below about this episode being “sad” and “embarrassing,” I’d guess that it’ll end up being a supreme example of the phenomenon in which Trump is accused of doing something outrageous behind the scenes and MAGA Nation instantly splits into two camps about it. The first camp insists that he would never do such a terrible thing and we’re once again being suckered by lies from Trump-hating fake news. The second camp says, “I hope it’s true! He should do it!” There are some prominent members in that second camp:
Mr. President @realDonaldTrump – we are with you in #Arizona. We are working every avenue to stop this coup & to stop our Republic from crumbing. Patriots are united. Those who are against us are exposing themselves. #Liberty & #freedom are on the line. #CrossTheRubicon @GenFlynn pic.twitter.com/wbzjqkQJv7 — Dr. Kelli Ward 🇺🇸 (@kelliwardaz) December 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1340482330893365256
The #CrossTheRubicon hashtag circulating today on Twitter will give you a solid idea of who among the “conservative” base is ready for all-out fascism. Here’s Romney, who’s hopefully right that this is an instance in which we needn’t take the most powerful man in the world either literally or seriously.