hotair--2020-07-30--Learning more about the guy who plowed into the Blue Lives Matter demonstration

On Tuesday we learned about Isaih Cordova , the maniac who drove his SUV across a park to plow into a group of demonstrators supporting their local police force .
He ’ s now been released on bond but faces multiple charges when his case goes to trial .
Little was known about this loser initially , but local reporters have been doing some digging into his background and found some disturbing patterns .
He ’ s a NeverTrumper , which probably won ’ t come as much of a surprise , but he also has a history of demonstrating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ words , he seems like a classic progressive , Antifa-wannabe .
( Complete Colorado ) The Eaton man accused of driving his SUV into a group of Back the Blue rally attendees has a history of protesting and contempt for both President Trump and his supporters , as well as law enforcement according to his social media profile .
Isaiah Cordova , 21 of Eaton , was arrested Saturday afternoon on seven counts of first-degree assault , seven counts of felony menacing , and one count of reckless driving .
The life-long Eaton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , and at one point was studying to be a journalist , even submitting an opinion piece to Red Ink , the Eaton High School paper just days after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016 .
So our young Mr. Cordova fancied himself a future journalist at some point .
Looking at the one example of his work that ’ s been located thus far , he probably made a wise choice going in another direction .
Though with the attitude he ’ s been demonstrating , he ’ d probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ MSM newsrooms .
In an ironic twist that demonstrates a complete lack of self-awareness , Cordova went on social media after the 2017 incident where a driver plowed into a group of demonstrators in Charlottesville and called it an act of terrorism .
Following that same event , he accused the police of supporting the neo-nazis .
As for Cordova ’ s intended victims , it looks like everyone is going to wind up being okay .
It turns out that Cordova was as much of a failure in this attempt as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Commissioner Kevin Ross looked into the conditions of all of the Back the Blue demonstrators as soon as he got back into town and described the fact that the damage wasn ’ t worse as “ amazing.
” Ross said not only did Cordova , who drove down into the park , narrowly miss a young mother and her children who were just one-minute earlier rolling down the grass , but also a family of 11 from Fort Lupton and dozens of other rally attendees who scrambled for their lives .
Ross added @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were armed and drew their weapons but had the restraint not to fire , and the police officers with their quick reaction to apprehend Cordova , were all phenomenal .
“ It is an absolute miracle that no one was hurt , ” Ross said .
“ It goes to show the sheer connection everyone in this community has for each other and their commitment to protect one another .
Cordova is due back in court next Wednesday afternoon ( August 5th ) to formally hear the charges against him .
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date on this developing story .

On Tuesday we learned about Isaih Cordova, the maniac who drove his SUV across a park to plow into a group of demonstrators supporting their local police force. He’s now been released on bond but faces multiple charges when his case goes to trial. Little was known about this loser initially, but local reporters have been doing some digging into his background and found some disturbing patterns. He’s a NeverTrumper, which probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but he also has a history of demonstrating contempt for the police. In other words, he seems like a classic progressive, Antifa-wannabe. (Complete Colorado)
The Eaton man accused of driving his SUV into a group of Back the Blue rally attendees has a history of protesting and contempt for both President Trump and his supporters, as well as law enforcement according to his social media profile. Isaiah Cordova, 21 of Eaton, was arrested Saturday afternoon on seven counts of first-degree assault, seven counts of felony menacing, and one count of reckless driving. The life-long Eaton Resident graduated from Eaton High School in 2017, and at one point was studying to be a journalist, even submitting an opinion piece to Red Ink, the Eaton High School paper just days after Donald Trump was elected president in 2016.
So our young Mr. Cordova fancied himself a future journalist at some point. Looking at the one example of his work that’s been located thus far, he probably made a wise choice going in another direction. Though with the attitude he’s been demonstrating, he’d probably be a good ideological fit for most MSM newsrooms.
In an ironic twist that demonstrates a complete lack of self-awareness, Cordova went on social media after the 2017 incident where a driver plowed into a group of demonstrators in Charlottesville and called it an act of terrorism.
“And in case you were unclear about the car that smashed into a crowd of protesters, the driver was with the neo-nazis, and the victims were the counter-protesters. So they’re resorting to terrorism now.”
Following that same event, he accused the police of supporting the neo-nazis.
As for Cordova’s intended victims, it looks like everyone is going to wind up being okay. It turns out that Cordova was as much of a failure in this attempt as he was elsewhere in life. Weld County Commissioner Kevin Ross looked into the conditions of all of the Back the Blue demonstrators as soon as he got back into town and described the fact that the damage wasn’t worse as “amazing.”
Ross said not only did Cordova, who drove down into the park, narrowly miss a young mother and her children who were just one-minute earlier rolling down the grass, but also a family of 11 from Fort Lupton and dozens of other rally attendees who scrambled for their lives. Ross added that the numerous people in attendance who were armed and drew their weapons but had the restraint not to fire, and the police officers with their quick reaction to apprehend Cordova, were all phenomenal. “It is an absolute miracle that no one was hurt,” Ross said. “It goes to show the sheer connection everyone in this community has for each other and their commitment to protect one another.
Cordova is due back in court next Wednesday afternoon (August 5th) to formally hear the charges against him. We’ll try to keep you up to date on this developing story.


hotair--2020-07-29--Trump to suburbanites: I just made sure that you don't need to worry about lower-income housing in y

Trump to suburbanites: I just made sure that you don't need to worry about lower-income housing in your neighborhoods

This is one of the groups he desperately needs to win back to close the gap with Biden .
He ’ s holding his own with men in the suburbs according to a recent ABC poll , leading the Democrat by four among that group .
The cohort that ’ s killing him is suburban women .
Among them he trails by — deep breath — 36 .
What can he do that might undo three years of self-inflicted political damage ?
Suburbanites were already trending sufficiently blue in 2018 that they ended up handing the House to Nancy Pelosi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ November might deliver total Democratic control of government .
One thing he might do is , ah , stop assuming that women who live in the suburbs are “ housewives ” : Another thing he might do is promise them that , in so many words , he ’ ll keep the poors out : Many a commentator on political Twitter this morning read that as barely veiled code for him promising to keep the blacks out , specifically : Pushback on that was of the “ you ’ re the real racist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say anything about race , it ’ s you that ’ s assuming ‘ low income ’ means ‘ black . '
” Okay , but the rule on low-income housing that Trump ’ s HUD is rescinding is a desegregation measure .
It was promulgated under the 1968 Fair Housing Act , which was designed to end racial discrimination in housing .
Obama ’ s HUD issued the rule in 2015 for the purpose of encouraging further racial integration of neighborhoods .
And there are in fact racial disparities among Americans who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Twenty percent of black households , 18 % of American Indian or Alaska Native ( AIAN ) households , and 16 % of Hispanic households are extremely low-income renters .
Six percent of white non-Hispanic households are extremely low-income renters.
” Why , even Trump properties have been sued by Republican-run Justice Departments for alleged racial discrimination in their housing practices .
But certainly , plenty of downscale whites qualify as low-income as well .
That ’ s the irony of Trump ’ s position .
He ’ s supposed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the so-called forgotten man , the champion of whites without a college degree .
Lots of those voters would appreciate a shot at living some scaled-down version of the “ Suburban Lifestyle Dream ” too , I ’ m sure , if only to qualify their kids to attend higher-quality public schools than they might otherwise have access to .
For the president , though , it ’ s an easy call : The poors will be there for him on Election Day no matter what whereas the suburbanites might not be if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So the poors are SOL .
How this policy will play with actual suburbanites is anyone ’ s guess .
His bottom-line reasoning on crime and property values will resonate with some .
But various media types have made the point today that America ’ s suburbs are no longer the lily-white fortresses they used to be , in which case the prospect of greater racial — and class ?
— diversity won ’ t be quite the shock that it once was .
Others have noted that suburbanites are more likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ college-educated tend to be more liberal in their racial views , which means those who view this as a coded racial pitch might end up recoiling further from the president .
There ’ s also a question of how high of a priority this is for the average suburban voter right now relative to other concerns .
What do you do if you share Trump ’ s belief that lower-income people have no business despoiling the grandeur of an American suburban with their presence but you also think that his COVID response has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrified that his school-reopening policy will be a disaster too ?
If your choice is between new Section 8 housing appearing in your zip code and a less dysfunctional federal government or a community free of poors and the president touting medical advice from people who believe that demon sperm causes illness , what do you do there ?
Here he is making his case earlier this afternoon .

This is one of the groups he desperately needs to win back to close the gap with Biden. He’s holding his own with men in the suburbs according to a recent ABC poll, leading the Democrat by four among that group.
The cohort that’s killing him is suburban women. Among them he trails by — deep breath — 36.
What can he do that might undo three years of self-inflicted political damage? Suburbanites were already trending sufficiently blue in 2018 that they ended up handing the House to Nancy Pelosi that fall. Another suburban-fueled bloodbath in November might deliver total Democratic control of government.
One thing he might do is, ah, stop assuming that women who live in the suburbs are “housewives”:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1286372175117791236
Another thing he might do is promise them that, in so many words, he’ll keep the poors out:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1288509572223651840
Many a commentator on political Twitter this morning read that as barely veiled code for him promising to keep the blacks out, specifically:
A statement like this reflects a certain view of both suburbs and race that would have been current in, say, 1955, although there is no reason to doubt some people still hold it today. https://t.co/ZQXEHNL6XW — Steve Inskeep (@NPRinskeep) July 29, 2020
I rarely bother with Trump tweets because it lowers my quality of life but holy crap he's just straight up unabashedly bigoted here. Not even the slightest pretense. https://t.co/4TRlMLORUR — Jeff B., who on earth is this guy?? (@EsotericCD) July 29, 2020
Pushback on that was of the “you’re the real racist” variety: He didn’t say anything about race, it’s you that’s assuming ‘low income’ means ‘black.'” Okay, but the rule on low-income housing that Trump’s HUD is rescinding is a desegregation measure. It was promulgated under the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which was designed to end racial discrimination in housing. Obama’s HUD issued the rule in 2015 for the purpose of encouraging further racial integration of neighborhoods. And there are in fact racial disparities among Americans who live in “extremely low-income housing”: “Twenty percent of black households, 18% of American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN) households, and 16% of Hispanic households are extremely low-income renters. Six percent of white non-Hispanic households are extremely low-income renters.”
Why, even Trump properties have been sued by Republican-run Justice Departments for alleged racial discrimination in their housing practices.
But certainly, plenty of downscale whites qualify as low-income as well. That’s the irony of Trump’s position. He’s supposed to be a populist, the candidate of the so-called forgotten man, the champion of whites without a college degree. Lots of those voters would appreciate a shot at living some scaled-down version of the “Suburban Lifestyle Dream” too, I’m sure, if only to qualify their kids to attend higher-quality public schools than they might otherwise have access to. For the president, though, it’s an easy call: The poors will be there for him on Election Day no matter what whereas the suburbanites might not be if he doesn’t give them something. So the poors are SOL.
How this policy will play with actual suburbanites is anyone’s guess. His bottom-line reasoning on crime and property values will resonate with some. But various media types have made the point today that America’s suburbs are no longer the lily-white fortresses they used to be, in which case the prospect of greater racial — and class? — diversity won’t be quite the shock that it once was. Others have noted that suburbanites are more likely to be college-educated and people who are college-educated tend to be more liberal in their racial views, which means those who view this as a coded racial pitch might end up recoiling further from the president.
There’s also a question of how high of a priority this is for the average suburban voter right now relative to other concerns. What do you do if you share Trump’s belief that lower-income people have no business despoiling the grandeur of an American suburban with their presence but you also think that his COVID response has been a disaster and you’re terrified that his school-reopening policy will be a disaster too? If your choice is between new Section 8 housing appearing in your zip code and a less dysfunctional federal government or a community free of poors and the president touting medical advice from people who believe that demon sperm causes illness, what do you do there?
Here he is making his case earlier this afternoon.


hotair--2020-07-31--Convicted murderer set loose decades early because she might catch COVID-19

Even if you ’ re a supporter of the so-called “ empty the jails ” movement , I would hope that this case is a bridge too far even for you .
Out in Yolo County , California , just west of Sacramento , there ’ s a new resident strolling around town , but not one that many people wanted to see in their neighborhood .
Terebea Williams was one of a number of inmates who have recently been sprung from behind bars , presumably because of the threat of a COVID-19 outbreak at the prison .
But Ms. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealer .
She was convicted of one of the more grusome murders seen in that part of the country in a very long time and had been serving a sentence of 84 years to life for it .
As of the date of her release she had served less than a quarter of her time .
Needless to say , the family of her victim is beside themselves .
( CBS Sacramento ) A convicted killer has been set free as the state tries to reduce the spread of COVID-19 behind bars , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is furious .
Convicted murderer , Terebea Williams , was sentenced to 84 years-to-life in prison but served less than a quarter of that sentence .
Williams , 44 , was convicted in 2001 of first-degree murder , use of a firearm , carjacking , and kidnapping in the death of 23-year-old Kevin “ John ” Ruska Jr .
Confused and angry , Ruska ’ s sister Dena Love is now wanting justice all over again for her little brother .
The story behind the 1998 murder of Kevin Ruska Jr. was as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carjacked Ruska , but rather than leaving him on the street she forced him into the trunk of his vehicle .
She then proceeded to shoot him in the abdomen , though it wasn ’ t an immediately fatal wound .
She then drove more than 750 miles with Ruska bleeding in the trunk .
Upon arriving at her destination , she rented a motel room and tied him in a chair inside and left , claiming that he should be able to either signal for help or free himself .
Ruska was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bound to the chair after suffering for more than ten hours .
And here ’ s the strangest thing about the entire crime .
At no point did prosecutors ( or the family ) learn why Williams did this .
She never offered a reason and there was no connection between the killer and her victim discovered .
It seemed to be a completely random carjacking where Williams could have either left Ruska on the side of the road or just killed him outright .
Instead , she made him suffer horrifically without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Ruska ’ s sister , Dena Love , wasn ’ t contacted by authorities prior to Williams ’ release and no reason was offered by the prison system .
When CBS News asked the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ( CDCR ) for an explanation , they were pointed to a recent policy statement saying that their goal is “ to maximize space in prison in an effort to manage the spread of COVID-19.
” But even if that ’ s a goal you might find reasonable , surely there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t being released based on the severity of their crimes and the length of their sentences , isn ’ t there ?
How did Terebea Williams make it anywhere near the top of that list ?
And not to sound like too much of a jerk here , but would it really have been all that much of a loss to society if Williams had wound up contracting the virus ?
She ’ s not even old enough to be in one of the highest-risk groups .
The CDCR ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jails ” effort isn ’ t without other serious blemishes .
Just this week , they also opened the gates for Santiago Cruz , a killer who was serving a 125 year to life sentence .
Granted , Cruz was “ only ” convicted of arson and attempted rape and murder , not actually killing anyone .
And he went down on a “ three strikes ” rule , so perhaps he wasn ’ t nearly as deserving of doing his full stretch as Williams , but it still sets a terrible example @

Even if you’re a supporter of the so-called “empty the jails” movement, I would hope that this case is a bridge too far even for you. Out in Yolo County, California, just west of Sacramento, there’s a new resident strolling around town, but not one that many people wanted to see in their neighborhood. Terebea Williams was one of a number of inmates who have recently been sprung from behind bars, presumably because of the threat of a COVID-19 outbreak at the prison. But Ms. Williams was no run-of-the-mill scofflaw or drug dealer. She was convicted of one of the more grusome murders seen in that part of the country in a very long time and had been serving a sentence of 84 years to life for it. As of the date of her release she had served less than a quarter of her time. Needless to say, the family of her victim is beside themselves. (CBS Sacramento)
A convicted killer has been set free as the state tries to reduce the spread of COVID-19 behind bars, and now the family of the victim is furious. Convicted murderer, Terebea Williams, was sentenced to 84 years-to-life in prison but served less than a quarter of that sentence. Williams, 44, was convicted in 2001 of first-degree murder, use of a firearm, carjacking, and kidnapping in the death of 23-year-old Kevin “John” Ruska Jr. Confused and angry, Ruska’s sister Dena Love is now wanting justice all over again for her little brother.
The story behind the 1998 murder of Kevin Ruska Jr. was as bizarre as it was horrifying. Williams carjacked Ruska, but rather than leaving him on the street she forced him into the trunk of his vehicle. She then proceeded to shoot him in the abdomen, though it wasn’t an immediately fatal wound. She then drove more than 750 miles with Ruska bleeding in the trunk. Upon arriving at her destination, she rented a motel room and tied him in a chair inside and left, claiming that he should be able to either signal for help or free himself. Ruska was found dead in the room, still bound to the chair after suffering for more than ten hours.
And here’s the strangest thing about the entire crime. At no point did prosecutors (or the family) learn why Williams did this. She never offered a reason and there was no connection between the killer and her victim discovered. It seemed to be a completely random carjacking where Williams could have either left Ruska on the side of the road or just killed him outright. Instead, she made him suffer horrifically without having any apparent motive to do so.
Ruska’s sister, Dena Love, wasn’t contacted by authorities prior to Williams’ release and no reason was offered by the prison system. When CBS News asked the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for an explanation, they were pointed to a recent policy statement saying that their goal is “to maximize space in prison in an effort to manage the spread of COVID-19.”
But even if that’s a goal you might find reasonable, surely there is a way to prioritize who is or isn’t being released based on the severity of their crimes and the length of their sentences, isn’t there? How did Terebea Williams make it anywhere near the top of that list? And not to sound like too much of a jerk here, but would it really have been all that much of a loss to society if Williams had wound up contracting the virus? She’s not even old enough to be in one of the highest-risk groups.
The CDCR’s track record on this “empty the jails” effort isn’t without other serious blemishes. Just this week, they also opened the gates for Santiago Cruz, a killer who was serving a 125 year to life sentence. Granted, Cruz was “only” convicted of arson and attempted rape and murder, not actually killing anyone. And he went down on a “three strikes” rule, so perhaps he wasn’t nearly as deserving of doing his full stretch as Williams, but it still sets a terrible example.


hotair--2020-07-30--Federalist Society co-founder: Trump's "delay the election" tweet is grounds for impeachment and rem

Federalist Society co-founder: Trump's "delay the election" tweet is grounds for impeachment and removal

In three and a half years , this is the first time I ’ ve seen the president say or do something that ’ s caused otherwise reasonably solid Trumpers to recoil in horror .
Not hardcore Trumpers .
A good third of this country ’ s electorate would stick with him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue , started kicking dogs , stealing candy from babies , whatever .
They ’ re not going to move .
And they ’ re most of the GOP now .
But there ’ s a meaningful slice of voters on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that still strongly prefers him to Biden , is prepared to vote for him this fall in spite of COVID and everything else , but isn ’ t part of the cult .
Those people have a red line — in theory .
They don ’ t admire everything about him .
They ’ re willing to criticize him politely when they disagree .
They ’ re very forgiving of him in the interest of preserving Republican control of governance , though .
As I say , in three and a half @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cross their personal red line , so that line must be awfully far afield .
This morning ’ s tweet crossed it for two conservative commentators who ’ d been with him until now , which makes me wonder if this episode is going to turn into a serious liability for him with voters .
Anything that can make someone go from “ Trump 2020 ” to calling for impeachment in the span of a few hours is something with real political salience , one would think .
First up is Steven Calabresi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legal organization in the country , the Federalist Society .
Not all FedSoc luminaries are solid Trumpers ( see , e.g.
, George Conway ) but Calabresi had been a good soldier for Trump .
Two years ago I wrote about him and Conway clashing over the Mueller investigation .
Conway defended the probe ; Calabresi called it unconstitutional .
He also accused Democrats of violating Trump ’ s Sixth Amendment rights in how they conducted the Ukraine impeachment inquiry .
He ’ s not a Never Trumper by any means .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980 , including voting for Donald Trump in 2016 .
I wrote op-eds and a law review article protesting what I believe was an unconstitutional investigation by Robert Mueller .
I also wrote an op-ed opposing President Trump ’ s impeachment .
But I am frankly appalled by the president ’ s recent tweet seeking to postpone the November election .
Until recently , I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats ’ assertion that President Trump is a fascist .
But this latest tweet is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president ’ s immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate… President Trump needs to be told by every Republican in Congress that he can not postpone the federal election .
Doing so would be illegal , unconstitutional and without precedent in American history .
Anyone who says otherwise should never be elected to Congress again .
I ’ m not sure how someone can go from calling for the president ’ s removal because he ’ s too fascist-y to grudgingly supporting him this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ check back in with Calabresi circa late October .
The second pundit to turn on Trump this afternoon is Henry Olsen , who writes interestingly about elections and polling for WaPo .
Olsen ’ s another guy whom you might not catch in a MAGA cap but who ’ s been friendly to POTUS in his columns .
He didn ’ t react to Trump ’ s tweet as strongly as Calabresi did , but the language here is still plenty strong : President Trump ’ s tweet Thursday morning suggesting that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than reckless and irresponsible .
It is the single most anti-democratic statement any sitting president has ever made .
It should be immediately , forcefully and vocally repudiated by every conservative and Republican .
I do not write these words lightly .
I have generally supported the Trump administration ’ s policies .
Everyone has disagreements even with leaders of their own party , but I remain what I was before Trump was even a candidate — a conservative Republican with populist leanings .
Were this election solely a matter of Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s , I would enthusiastically back the Trump agenda .
Nonetheless , his tweet strikes at the heart of American democracy and therefore must be instantly repudiated .
Republicans should be among the leaders in denouncing his call .
Olsen wants Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy ( both of whom reiterated today that the election will proceed as scheduled ) to introduce resolutions affirming Congress ’ s intent that the election be held on November 3 , and he wants every Republican in both chambers to support it .
He even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spine for once and politely disagree with his boss .
Why is it worth highlighting this stuff ?
It ’ s not just that it may presage a backlash among undecided voters and independents .
It ’ s that harsh criticism now from erstwhile admirers about attempts to play games with the election might convince Trump that he needs to stop talking about this .
Because let me tell you : If he doesn ’ t learn that lesson immediately , he will keep talking about it .
This will get worse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ no matter what as he copes with the prospect of defeat , but it ’ ll get worse sooner , and to a more alarming degree .
A notable line from the Times : “ Opposition leaders expressed outrage , but most agreed , in public and private , that Mr. Trump ’ s outburst should be treated as a distress call rather than a real statement of his governing intentions.
” That ’ s the best thing he has going for him in terms of defusing this situation before it starts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand he ’ s a blowhard and that he ’ s prone to pop off idly .
They might not dwell on his latest tweet-fart , as there are so many others to smell .
But if he keeps coming back to delaying the election , evincing a real interest in chicanery to protect his own power , we might see a dam-break in popular opinion .
If he were to lose the other Calabresis and Olsens out there , he could go from 50/40 against Biden to something like 52/35 .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to what the composition of the next Congress might look like .
He should bite his lip going forward and trust that Dan Foster is right about this , because he probably is : If he stops talking about delaying the election and suggesting that any sort of voting methods except the ones of which he personally approves are grounds for delegitimizing the result , the Calabresis and Olsens will talk themselves into returning to the fold .
( “ In hindsight I think that one really fascist tweet he sent was just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he keeps going back to it , some of these people are going to conclude that they just can ’ t support him .
You don ’ t extend the tenure of the most powerful man in the world if you think he ’ s serious about potentially clinging to power unlawfully .
In lieu of an exit question , go read Michael Brendan Dougherty on another pitiful manifestation of Trump-related “ distress , ” the QAnon cult .
Trump copes with the likelihood of defeat by fantasizing about moving the election .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by fantasizing that he ’ s accomplishing amazing things to rid the world of evil behind the scenes and that all will be revealed in due time .
When actual reality is too grim to stomach , invent your own .

In three and a half years, this is the first time I’ve seen the president say or do something that’s caused otherwise reasonably solid Trumpers to recoil in horror.
Not hardcore Trumpers. A good third of this country’s electorate would stick with him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue, started kicking dogs, stealing candy from babies, whatever. They’re not going to move. And they’re most of the GOP now.
But there’s a meaningful slice of voters on top of that base, I think, that still strongly prefers him to Biden, is prepared to vote for him this fall in spite of COVID and everything else, but isn’t part of the cult. Those people have a red line — in theory. They don’t admire everything about him. They’re willing to criticize him politely when they disagree. They’re very forgiving of him in the interest of preserving Republican control of governance, though. As I say, in three and a half years he’d managed not to cross their personal red line, so that line must be awfully far afield.
This morning’s tweet crossed it for two conservative commentators who’d been with him until now, which makes me wonder if this episode is going to turn into a serious liability for him with voters. Anything that can make someone go from “Trump 2020” to calling for impeachment in the span of a few hours is something with real political salience, one would think. First up is Steven Calabresi, who co-founded the most influential conservative legal organization in the country, the Federalist Society. Not all FedSoc luminaries are solid Trumpers (see, e.g., George Conway) but Calabresi had been a good soldier for Trump. Two years ago I wrote about him and Conway clashing over the Mueller investigation. Conway defended the probe; Calabresi called it unconstitutional. He also accused Democrats of violating Trump’s Sixth Amendment rights in how they conducted the Ukraine impeachment inquiry. He’s not a Never Trumper by any means.
But maybe he is now?
I have voted Republican in every presidential election since 1980, including voting for Donald Trump in 2016. I wrote op-eds and a law review article protesting what I believe was an unconstitutional investigation by Robert Mueller. I also wrote an op-ed opposing President Trump’s impeachment. But I am frankly appalled by the president’s recent tweet seeking to postpone the November election. Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats’ assertion that President Trump is a fascist. But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president’s immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate… President Trump needs to be told by every Republican in Congress that he cannot postpone the federal election. Doing so would be illegal, unconstitutional and without precedent in American history. Anyone who says otherwise should never be elected to Congress again.
I’m not sure how someone can go from calling for the president’s removal because he’s too fascist-y to grudgingly supporting him this fall over Biden but we’ll check back in with Calabresi circa late October. The second pundit to turn on Trump this afternoon is Henry Olsen, who writes interestingly about elections and polling for WaPo. Olsen’s another guy whom you might not catch in a MAGA cap but who’s been friendly to POTUS in his columns. He didn’t react to Trump’s tweet as strongly as Calabresi did, but the language here is still plenty strong:
President Trump’s tweet Thursday morning suggesting that the November election should be delayed is more than reckless and irresponsible. It is the single most anti-democratic statement any sitting president has ever made. It should be immediately, forcefully and vocally repudiated by every conservative and Republican. I do not write these words lightly. I have generally supported the Trump administration’s policies. Everyone has disagreements even with leaders of their own party, but I remain what I was before Trump was even a candidate — a conservative Republican with populist leanings. Were this election solely a matter of Trump’s platform vs. former vice president Joe Biden’s, I would enthusiastically back the Trump agenda. Nonetheless, his tweet strikes at the heart of American democracy and therefore must be instantly repudiated. Republicans should be among the leaders in denouncing his call.
Olsen wants Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy (both of whom reiterated today that the election will proceed as scheduled) to introduce resolutions affirming Congress’s intent that the election be held on November 3, and he wants every Republican in both chambers to support it. He even wants Mike Pence to show a little spine for once and politely disagree with his boss.
Why is it worth highlighting this stuff? It’s not just that it may presage a backlash among undecided voters and independents. It’s that harsh criticism now from erstwhile admirers about attempts to play games with the election might convince Trump that he needs to stop talking about this. Because let me tell you: If he doesn’t learn that lesson immediately, he will keep talking about it. This will get worse. It’s going to get worse no matter what as he copes with the prospect of defeat, but it’ll get worse sooner, and to a more alarming degree.
If this is how Trump is tweeting in July, cannot imagine what it will be like in October. Or Nov. – Jan. if he loses. — Philip Klein (@philipaklein) July 30, 2020
A notable line from the Times: “Opposition leaders expressed outrage, but most agreed, in public and private, that Mr. Trump’s outburst should be treated as a distress call rather than a real statement of his governing intentions.” That’s the best thing he has going for him in terms of defusing this situation before it starts to cost him in the polls. Voters understand he’s a blowhard and that he’s prone to pop off idly. They might not dwell on his latest tweet-fart, as there are so many others to smell. But if he keeps coming back to delaying the election, evincing a real interest in chicanery to protect his own power, we might see a dam-break in popular opinion. If he were to lose the other Calabresis and Olsens out there, he could go from 50/40 against Biden to something like 52/35. And then all bets would be off as to what the composition of the next Congress might look like.
He should bite his lip going forward and trust that Dan Foster is right about this, because he probably is:
https://twitter.com/DanFosterType/status/1288969673992802307
If he stops talking about delaying the election and suggesting that any sort of voting methods except the ones of which he personally approves are grounds for delegitimizing the result, the Calabresis and Olsens will talk themselves into returning to the fold. (“In hindsight I think that one really fascist tweet he sent was just him blowing off steam.”) If he keeps going back to it, some of these people are going to conclude that they just can’t support him. You don’t extend the tenure of the most powerful man in the world if you think he’s serious about potentially clinging to power unlawfully.
In lieu of an exit question, go read Michael Brendan Dougherty on another pitiful manifestation of Trump-related “distress,” the QAnon cult. Trump copes with the likelihood of defeat by fantasizing about moving the election. QAnoners cope with Trump’s failures by fantasizing that he’s accomplishing amazing things to rid the world of evil behind the scenes and that all will be revealed in due time. When actual reality is too grim to stomach, invent your own.


hotair--2020-07-30--Swampy: Dem lawmaker cleared of ethics violation, after “substantial reason” of guilt found by OCE

A piece in The Intercept caught my attention about a lawmaker cleared of ethics charges by the House Ethics Committee .
Normally this wouldn ’ t be notable but in this case , the House Ethics Committee went against the conclusion drawn by the Office of Congressional Ethics .
That body found “ substantial reason ” to believe that Democrat Rep. Lori Trahan was guilty of breaking campaign finance laws .
In the last days of her tight Democratic primary in Massachusetts in 2018 , Rep. Trahan deposited $ 300,000 into her campaign coffers .
That money was classified as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money for an ad blitz on television that likely played a big role in her victory .
She won the primary race by only 155 votes .
A candidate loaning his or her own campaign money isn ’ t particularly unusual but with Rep. Trahan ’ s filing of a personal financial statement , it became clear that Trahan didn ’ t have the assets to make this kind of loan .
So , the question became where did this money come from ?
Her critics pointed their fingers at her wealthy husband @ @ @ @ @ @ @ donation to her campaign .
When she was asked about this , Trahan not only denied the allegation but doubled down in the denial – she called it a sexist accusation .
Yep .
She threw the woman card .
“ The suggestion that I did not have the personal resources to make that loan to my campaign is just inaccurate , ” she said .
“ There ’ s a lot of narratives you want to change when you are taking on a run like this , and you ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 131 women , and that ’ s one of them , right ?
That women can start successful businesses , they can earn income , they can have affordable day care , they can get paid the same as men who are doing the same job , and they can make a loan that they can afford to their campaign.
” She said that when her next financial disclosure in spring 2019 was revealed , everything would be cleared up .
Sounds like an overreaction .
The question wasn ’ t about the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ businesses and make their own livings .
The question was brought up because her financial statements weren ’ t lining up to show she had enough personal assets to cover a loan of that amount .
She deflected to victimhood instead of just answering the question .
Brushing it off by telling critics to just wait for her next financial disclosure filing was less than transparent , to put it kindly .
When asked a month later by another reporter if she could categorically deny that her husband did not contribute more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replied , “ Yeah , look , the suggestion that I personally did not have the funds is completely inaccurate.
” She lied and her story came out .
So , why did the House Ethics Committee clear her ?
It is now clear that Trahan was lying .
What was ultimately revealed , after a series of corrections made by Trahan and $ 400,000 in legal advice , was that her husband had shifted assets out of companies he owned into a joint checking account which was then quickly deposited into Trahan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not what Trahan ’ s critics are claiming — that is now her own story .
Yet , earlier this month , the Ethics Committee cleared Trahan by finding that , while the loan had indeed been made out of funds from her husband ’ s companies , doing so was legal because a prenuptial agreement stipulated that such funds were joint marital property .
Trahan ’ s financial disclosure , however , lists all of the assets her husband used to make the loan as “ SP , ” for spouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for joint , as she lists other joint property .
And the prenup , in fact , stipulates that separate property will remain separate and that “ each party waives , discharges , and releases all right , title , and interest in and to the separate property that the other party now owns or acquires after the execution of this Agreement , or acquires from the proceeds of any separate property now owned , including but not limited to any real property which either party may acquire with funds derived from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ property.
” But the prenup also says : “ All wages , salary , and income of each party earned or received during marriage , together with all property purchased with such wages , salary and income , shall also be marital property.
” But even if the committee granted that the funds were indeed jointly owned , part of the loan came from a company that was not subject to the prenup .
A $ 50,000 loan made to the campaign by Trahan on June 30 , 2018 originated with a company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
DCT Development was founded prior to their 2007 marriage and not listed in the prenup as joint property .
That was an oversight , Trahan said .
“ According to Representative Trahan , she and Mr. Trahan intended DCT Development , Granite Rock Businesses , and the income he received from those entities to be marital property under the agreement .
Representative Trahan did not provide the Committee with any documentary evidence to support her explanation , ” wrote the Ethics Committee in its final report .
Federal campaign finance law states @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the legal maximum ( at the time , $ 2,700 ) .
Some of the assets used by Trahan ’ s husband were not his alone .
On April 2 , 2018 , the committee report reveals , Mass Eagle Development LLC deposited $ 100,000 into David Trahan ’ s personal account .
He lists himself as just a one-third owner of Eagle Development in Lori Trahan ’ s financial disclosures ( which list it as David Trahan ’ s separate property ) .
On August 21 , David Trahan transferred $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wife .
A few weeks earlier , he had drawn $ 180,900 from Middlesex Land Holdings LLC and $ 110,000 from Poplar Hill Development LLC .
He lists himself as a half-owner of Poplar Hill .
The ethics committee noted that her husband ’ s properties aren ’ t separate property in their pre-nup , so the question remained – were the properties purchased from the proceeds of his other separate property , which meant they were off-limits , or whether the withdrawals count as income that becomes a joint asset .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ make that determination , it cleared her .
That ’ s about as swampy as it gets .
She knows how to work the edges because she was chief of staff to former Rep. Marty Meehan , who was the lead Democratic sponsor of the McCain-Feingold Act in the House .
She boasted about her work on campaign finance reform in a press release in 2019 .
Since the campaign owes Rep. Trahan and her husband $ 300,000 , Trahan has been aggressively fundraising , even violating her pledge to not take money @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trahan ’ s spokesperson claims “ that they fit within the narrow definition created by End Citizens United.
” Like I said , Trahan knows how to work the system .
And , the House Ethics Committee is complicit in allowing her to do so .

A piece in The Intercept caught my attention about a lawmaker cleared of ethics charges by the House Ethics Committee. Normally this wouldn’t be notable but in this case, the House Ethics Committee went against the conclusion drawn by the Office of Congressional Ethics. That body found “substantial reason” to believe that Democrat Rep. Lori Trahan was guilty of breaking campaign finance laws.
In the last days of her tight Democratic primary in Massachusetts in 2018, Rep. Trahan deposited $300,000 into her campaign coffers. That money was classified as a personal loan. She used the money for an ad blitz on television that likely played a big role in her victory. She won the primary race by only 155 votes. A candidate loaning his or her own campaign money isn’t particularly unusual but with Rep. Trahan’s filing of a personal financial statement, it became clear that Trahan didn’t have the assets to make this kind of loan. So, the question became where did this money come from?
Her critics pointed their fingers at her wealthy husband, claiming his companies financed the timely donation to her campaign. When she was asked about this, Trahan not only denied the allegation but doubled down in the denial – she called it a sexist accusation. Yep. She threw the woman card.
“The suggestion that I did not have the personal resources to make that loan to my campaign is just inaccurate,” she said. “There’s a lot of narratives you want to change when you are taking on a run like this, and you’re going back to Congress as one of those 131 women, and that’s one of them, right? That women can start successful businesses, they can earn income, they can have affordable day care, they can get paid the same as men who are doing the same job, and they can make a loan that they can afford to their campaign.” She said that when her next financial disclosure in spring 2019 was revealed, everything would be cleared up.
Sounds like an overreaction. The question wasn’t about the abilities of women to have their own businesses and make their own livings. The question was brought up because her financial statements weren’t lining up to show she had enough personal assets to cover a loan of that amount. She deflected to victimhood instead of just answering the question. Brushing it off by telling critics to just wait for her next financial disclosure filing was less than transparent, to put it kindly. When asked a month later by another reporter if she could categorically deny that her husband did not contribute more than the $2,700 allowed by law she replied, “Yeah, look, the suggestion that I personally did not have the funds is completely inaccurate.”
She lied and her story came out. So, why did the House Ethics Committee clear her?
It is now clear that Trahan was lying. What was ultimately revealed, after a series of corrections made by Trahan and $400,000 in legal advice, was that her husband had shifted assets out of companies he owned into a joint checking account which was then quickly deposited into Trahan’s congressional campaign. That’s not what Trahan’s critics are claiming — that is now her own story. Yet, earlier this month, the Ethics Committee cleared Trahan by finding that, while the loan had indeed been made out of funds from her husband’s companies, doing so was legal because a prenuptial agreement stipulated that such funds were joint marital property. Trahan’s financial disclosure, however, lists all of the assets her husband used to make the loan as “SP,” for spouse, rather than “JT,” for joint, as she lists other joint property. And the prenup, in fact, stipulates that separate property will remain separate and that “each party waives, discharges, and releases all right, title, and interest in and to the separate property that the other party now owns or acquires after the execution of this Agreement, or acquires from the proceeds of any separate property now owned, including but not limited to any real property which either party may acquire with funds derived from the proceeds of his or her own separate property.” But the prenup also says: “All wages, salary, and income of each party earned or received during marriage, together with all property purchased with such wages, salary and income, shall also be marital property.” But even if the committee granted that the funds were indeed jointly owned, part of the loan came from a company that was not subject to the prenup. A $50,000 loan made to the campaign by Trahan on June 30, 2018 originated with a company owned by her husband, DCT Development. DCT Development was founded prior to their 2007 marriage and not listed in the prenup as joint property. That was an oversight, Trahan said. “According to Representative Trahan, she and Mr. Trahan intended DCT Development, Granite Rock Businesses, and the income he received from those entities to be marital property under the agreement. Representative Trahan did not provide the Committee with any documentary evidence to support her explanation,” wrote the Ethics Committee in its final report. Federal campaign finance law states that a spouse cannot contribute more than the legal maximum (at the time, $2,700). Some of the assets used by Trahan’s husband were not his alone. On April 2, 2018, the committee report reveals, Mass Eagle Development LLC deposited $100,000 into David Trahan’s personal account. He lists himself as just a one-third owner of Eagle Development in Lori Trahan’s financial disclosures (which list it as David Trahan’s separate property). On August 21, David Trahan transferred $200,000 to the joint checking account with his wife. A few weeks earlier, he had drawn $180,900 from Middlesex Land Holdings LLC and $110,000 from Poplar Hill Development LLC. He lists himself as a half-owner of Poplar Hill.
The ethics committee noted that her husband’s properties aren’t separate property in their pre-nup, so the question remained – were the properties purchased from the proceeds of his other separate property, which meant they were off-limits, or whether the withdrawals count as income that becomes a joint asset. Since the Ethics Committee couldn’t make that determination, it cleared her. That’s about as swampy as it gets. She knows how to work the edges because she was chief of staff to former Rep. Marty Meehan, who was the lead Democratic sponsor of the McCain-Feingold Act in the House. She boasted about her work on campaign finance reform in a press release in 2019.
Since the campaign owes Rep. Trahan and her husband $300,000, Trahan has been aggressively fundraising, even violating her pledge to not take money from the PACs of corporate lobbying firms. Trahan’s spokesperson claims “that they fit within the narrow definition created by End Citizens United.” Like I said, Trahan knows how to work the system. And, the House Ethics Committee is complicit in allowing her to do so.


hotair--2020-07-30--"We do not make decisions based on petitions": We're not changing our labels just because wokesters

"We do not make decisions based on petitions": We're not changing our labels just because wokesters dislike them, says Trader Joe's

Every progressive who signed the petition is reading this polite F-You from the company and thinking the same thing .
“ They must be boycotted… ” This pretend controversy began a few weeks ago when a — deep breath — “ rising high school senior and human rights activist ” posted a petition at Change.org demanding that TJ change some of the names on its food labels .
The company likes to have fun with its branding on certain items based on their country of origin or significance in ethnic cuisine .
For instance , Trader Joe ’ s beer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trader Jose ’ s. ” Items traditionally used in Asian dishes might be branded “ Trader Ming ’ s. ” The petition from America ’ s wokest high-schooler accuses the company of “ exoticism ” : The Trader Joe ’ s branding is racist because it exoticizes other cultures – it presents “ Joe ” as the default “ normal ” and the other characters falling outside of it – they are “ Arabian Joe , ” “ Trader José , ” and “ Trader Joe San.
” The book , White Shadows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it perpetuates the myth of the “ white god ” and the “ noble savage ” stereotypes .
It becomes even more racist in context because the founder of Trader Joe ’ s said that he was inspired by this book in some way when creating his company , a book which shows traders ’ exotification of non-Western peoples turned into violent exploitation and destruction .
My theory for how the petition happened is that she needed a killer hook for the personal essay on her college applications and figured if she could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ d have her pick of the Ivies .
Whatever the case , her petition got an … undue amount of media attention , with various national news outlets picking it up .
( Karen noticed on July 20 . )
I almost wrote “ surprising ” there instead of “ undue , ” but “ surprising ” isn ’ t the right word to describe the American press salivating over a conflict about racism between corporate America and a plucky teen who just wants to make the world a better place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time that it already decided years ago to phase out its ethnic food packaging and rebrand everything under the company name .
The petition ’ s author responded , naturally , not by saying “ Great , thank you !
” but by grumbling that they should “ commit to a date in which the packaging changes will be completed .
If a date can not be established , we ask that Trader Joe ’ s immediately remove all products that the company recognizes have not been inclusive and have not cultivated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Which makes me think she probably has her eye on Harvard .
The company responded in a statement on July 24 , although for whatever weird reason the entirety of political Twitter ( me included ) seems to have missed it until this afternoon .
But the delay doesn ’ t make it any less enjoyable : A few weeks ago , an online petition was launched calling on us to “ remove racist packaging from [ our ] products.
” Following were inaccurate reports that the petition prompted us to take action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we disagree that any of these labels are racist .
We do not make decisions based on petitions .
We make decisions based on what customers purchase , as well as the feedback we receive from our customers and Crew Members .
If we feel there is need for change , we do not hesitate to take action .
Decades ago , our Buying Team started using product names , like Trader Giotto ’ s , Trader José ’ s , Trader Ming ’ s , etc .
We thought then—and still do—that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and show appreciation for other cultures .
For example , we named our Mexican beer “ Trader José Premium ” and a couple guacamole products are called “ Avocado ’ s Number ” in a kitschy reference to a mathematical theory .
These products have been really popular with our customers , including some budding mathematicians… Recently we have heard from many customers reaffirming that these name variations are largely viewed in exactly the way they were intended—as an attempt to have fun with our product marketing .
We continue our ongoing evaluation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our customers and sell well will remain on our shelves .
Lotta high-fiving happening on social media during the past few hours among the enemies of “ cancel culture ” over that statement .
The punchline , and what probably explains the company ’ s boldness in saying , “ um , nope , ” is that virtually no one actually signed the petition .
It had all of 1,400 names on it when Karen wrote her post , which is peanuts compared to a standard viral Change.org complaint .
As I write @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ’ s barely nudged past 5,000 .
There ’ s zero evidence of any sort of meaningful grassroots energy to get TJ to change its ways .
Which leaves us with an inescapable question : How the hell did this land on the media ’ s radar ?
Have we reached the point where news outlets are willing to promote any ol ’ woke crusade as “ news ” irrespective of scale ?
There ’ s a secondary question .
Why would Trader Joe ’ s supply this wheezing cancellation effort with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it ?
Why not just ignore it ?
All I can think is that they were de facto prisoners of our woke media ’ s otherwise inexplicable interest in the petition and calculated that blowing it off — especially with a kid leading the charge — might antagonize them into digging in on it .
A polite but firm “ we trust our customers ” might be more likely to make the story go away than rolling their eyes and tuning it out would .
Either way , treating the press as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what it was in this case , is the only option .
Now that they have responded , they ’ re risking more people paying attention to the petition .
And if more people pay attention , it may become a bigger headache for them .
If it does , they ’ re stuck with their current position : Everyone cheering them right now for standing up to a ( feeble ) cancellation effort will be crushed if they end up bending the knee somehow .
We ’ ll see what happens .

Every progressive who signed the petition is reading this polite F-You from the company and thinking the same thing. “They must be boycotted…”
“…except for the cookie butter.”
This pretend controversy began a few weeks ago when a — deep breath — “rising high school senior and human rights activist” posted a petition at Change.org demanding that TJ change some of the names on its food labels. The company likes to have fun with its branding on certain items based on their country of origin or significance in ethnic cuisine. For instance, Trader Joe’s beer imported from Mexico is labeled as “Trader Jose’s.” Items traditionally used in Asian dishes might be branded “Trader Ming’s.” The petition from America’s wokest high-schooler accuses the company of “exoticism”:
The Trader Joe’s branding is racist because it exoticizes other cultures – it presents “Joe” as the default “normal” and the other characters falling outside of it – they are “Arabian Joe,” “Trader José,” and “Trader Joe San.” The book, White Shadows in the South Seas is racist because it perpetuates the myth of the “white god” and the “noble savage” stereotypes. It becomes even more racist in context because the founder of Trader Joe’s said that he was inspired by this book in some way when creating his company, a book which shows traders’ exotification of non-Western peoples turned into violent exploitation and destruction.
My theory for how the petition happened is that she needed a killer hook for the personal essay on her college applications and figured if she could raise a national stink about racist labeling she’d have her pick of the Ivies. Whatever the case, her petition got an … undue amount of media attention, with various national news outlets picking it up. (Karen noticed on July 20.) I almost wrote “surprising” there instead of “undue,” but “surprising” isn’t the right word to describe the American press salivating over a conflict about racism between corporate America and a plucky teen who just wants to make the world a better place.
Trader Joe’s claimed at the time that it already decided years ago to phase out its ethnic food packaging and rebrand everything under the company name. The petition’s author responded, naturally, not by saying “Great, thank you!” but by grumbling that they should “commit to a date in which the packaging changes will be completed. If a date cannot be established, we ask that Trader Joe’s immediately remove all products that the company recognizes have not been inclusive and have not cultivated a welcoming, rewarding customer experience.” Which makes me think she probably has her eye on Harvard.
The company responded in a statement on July 24, although for whatever weird reason the entirety of political Twitter (me included) seems to have missed it until this afternoon. But the delay doesn’t make it any less enjoyable:
A few weeks ago, an online petition was launched calling on us to “remove racist packaging from [our] products.” Following were inaccurate reports that the petition prompted us to take action. We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petitions. We make decisions based on what customers purchase, as well as the feedback we receive from our customers and Crew Members. If we feel there is need for change, we do not hesitate to take action. Decades ago, our Buying Team started using product names, like Trader Giotto’s, Trader José’s, Trader Ming’s, etc. We thought then—and still do—that this naming of products could be fun and show appreciation for other cultures. For example, we named our Mexican beer “Trader José Premium” and a couple guacamole products are called “Avocado’s Number” in a kitschy reference to a mathematical theory. These products have been really popular with our customers, including some budding mathematicians… Recently we have heard from many customers reaffirming that these name variations are largely viewed in exactly the way they were intended—as an attempt to have fun with our product marketing. We continue our ongoing evaluation, and those products that resonate with our customers and sell well will remain on our shelves.
Lotta high-fiving happening on social media during the past few hours among the enemies of “cancel culture” over that statement. The punchline, and what probably explains the company’s boldness in saying, “um, nope,” is that virtually no one actually signed the petition. It had all of 1,400 names on it when Karen wrote her post, which is peanuts compared to a standard viral Change.org complaint. As I write this today, 10 days later, it’s barely nudged past 5,000. There’s zero evidence of any sort of meaningful grassroots energy to get TJ to change its ways.
Which leaves us with an inescapable question: How the hell did this land on the media’s radar? Have we reached the point where news outlets are willing to promote any ol’ woke crusade as “news” irrespective of scale?
There’s a secondary question. Why would Trader Joe’s supply this wheezing cancellation effort with any oxygen by deigning to respond to it? Why not just ignore it? All I can think is that they were de facto prisoners of our woke media’s otherwise inexplicable interest in the petition and calculated that blowing it off — especially with a kid leading the charge — might antagonize them into digging in on it. A polite but firm “we trust our customers” might be more likely to make the story go away than rolling their eyes and tuning it out would. Either way, treating the press as a de facto activist class, which is what it was in this case, is the only option.
Now that they have responded, they’re risking more people paying attention to the petition. And if more people pay attention, it may become a bigger headache for them. If it does, they’re stuck with their current position: Everyone cheering them right now for standing up to a (feeble) cancellation effort will be crushed if they end up bending the knee somehow. We’ll see what happens.


hotair--2020-07-31--Paging Maxine Waters: Dan Calabrese wants you to stop blaming Tulsa rally for Herman Cain's death

Today , during a hearing of the House COVID-19 subcommittee , Rep. Maxine Waters pointed a finger at the Trump Tulsa rally and unequivocally said that it the reason that Herman Cain died of the coronavirus .
That is a timely bit of partisan criticism given the fact that just this morning I read comments from Dan Calabrese that there is no reason to assume Cain was infected during the Tulsa rally .
Waters was making a point that because Herman Cain didn ’ t wear a face mask during the rally , he died .
When Cain ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a friend , and colleague , he mentioned that Cain was relatively healthy though he did have a history of surviving cancer .
At age 74 , though , he was in the high-risk category .
In his post yesterday , Allahpundit mentioned that Cain was Calabrese ’ s boss at the time of his death .
There is no denying that Cain was someone who didn ’ t appear to be a regular wearer of face masks .
He obviously accepted the risks , he wasn ’ t a stupid man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was made on Cain ’ s website that he tested positive for the coronavirus .
As we now know , he was hospitalized and sadly , did not survive .
When his death was announced , the ugly left went nuts with blasting him , disrespectfully mocking him , for not wearing a mask , and then dying of the virus .
Perhaps to the left , personal decisions about one ’ s health and medical decisions only pertain to abortion .
Cain ’ s Twitter feed has many references to the coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as well as supporting the Trump administration .
Cain was the co-chair of Black Voices for Trump .
He was an active man and Calabrese points out in the interview published Friday in People magazine that he traveled frequently .
Calabrese pushed back on what he calls the overconfident assumption by some that Cain got sick while attending President Donald Trump ’ s Oklahoma rally last month while not wearing a mask , at an event officials believe is linked to other new infections .
Cain had traveled widely before he got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want people to know he did a lot of traveling that week , he traveled to Vegas , he was gon na go to Arizona and I think his flight got redirected .
He was on several flights , ” Calabrese says .
“ The whole conclusion that people are jumping to that he got it at the Tulsa rally — I think that a lot of people are jumping to that conclusion because they want to , but we have no reason to think he got it there as opposed to some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on.
” “ There ’ s people that are running around on Twitter … going , ‘ Oh wasn ’ t he a COVID denier ?
’ No , ” says Calabrese .
As far back as April , Cain spoke approvingly of wearing masks .
Calabrese says that Cain understood the threat posed by the virus and sometimes he did wear a face mask .
He advocated for mitigation of the coronavirus by using face masks and hand-washing .
He was not a coronavirus denier .
Calabrese pointed to these partisan times @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reason that so many took the opportunity to take personal shots at Cain upon learning of his death .
“ To me , where he got it , it ’ s kind of neither here nor there .
But I wish people would stop trying to turn it into a political angle in that way , ” Calabrese , the editor of Cain ’ s website , tells PEOPLE .
“ This is such a partisan age and people get defined by where they stood on the political spectrum and I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ define Herman in that way , ” Calabrese says .
“ That was so much not who he was .
His favorite thing to do was to help people see a way forward in their lives.
” I couldn ’ t help but notice the difference in how the left and some others reacted yesterday .
There was the televised funeral of Rep. John Lewis .
It was a large gathering without social distancing in place .
People were seated elbow to elbow .
I did see many masks on those in attendance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves .
I also couldn ’ t help but think about all the people who have lost a loved one or a friend to this plague .
They were denied the opportunity to tell their loved one goodbye and/or attend that person ’ s funeral because of the coronavirus .
Such a large public display as seen yesterday – part of a six-day celebration of the life of John Lewis – seemed grossly out of place and tone-deaf .
The show had to go on , though , because obviously the intention was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign rally .
The political references and opinions were frequent and aggressive but none so much as the words delivered by former President Barack Obama .
I was having flashbacks of the Paul Wellstone funeral .
Herman Cain and John Lewis led exceptional lives .
Both were active in the civil rights movement .
Both men were from very humble beginnings and rose to live the American dream .
They both served as excellent role models and mentors for young people .
However , Cain ’ s death was treated very differently than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The over-politicization of absolutely everything in 2020 is not productive .
And , in the case of a successful , decent human being who happened to be both African-American and conservative , it is just disrespectful and destructive .
Hyper-partisan politicians like Maxine Waters try to dehumanize men like Herman Cain by implying he is less than intelligent when it comes to making personal decisions .
The only response to that is to question her humanity and how she shows respect for the deceased .

Today, during a hearing of the House COVID-19 subcommittee, Rep. Maxine Waters pointed a finger at the Trump Tulsa rally and unequivocally said that it the reason that Herman Cain died of the coronavirus. That is a timely bit of partisan criticism given the fact that just this morning I read comments from Dan Calabrese that there is no reason to assume Cain was infected during the Tulsa rally.
Waters was making a point that because Herman Cain didn’t wear a face mask during the rally, he died. When Cain’s death was announced on Thursday by Calabrese, a friend, and colleague, he mentioned that Cain was relatively healthy though he did have a history of surviving cancer. At age 74, though, he was in the high-risk category. In his post yesterday, Allahpundit mentioned that Cain was Calabrese’s boss at the time of his death.
You're never ready for the kind of news we are grappling with this morning. But we have no choice but to seek and find God's strength and comfort to deal… #HermanCain https://t.co/BtOgoLVqKz — The Cain Gang (@THEHermanCain) July 30, 2020
There is no denying that Cain was someone who didn’t appear to be a regular wearer of face masks. He obviously accepted the risks, he wasn’t a stupid man. So be it. An announcement was made on Cain’s website that he tested positive for the coronavirus.
We are sorry to announce that Herman Cain has tested positive for COVID-19, and is currently receiving treatment in an Atlanta-area hospital. Please keep him, and all who are battling this virus, in your prayers. Our full statement appears below. Updates to follow. pic.twitter.com/lDRW7Rla4e — The Cain Gang (@THEHermanCain) July 2, 2020
As we now know, he was hospitalized and sadly, did not survive. When his death was announced, the ugly left went nuts with blasting him, disrespectfully mocking him, for not wearing a mask, and then dying of the virus. Perhaps to the left, personal decisions about one’s health and medical decisions only pertain to abortion. Cain’s Twitter feed has many references to the coronavirus and of breakthroughs in developing a vaccine, as well as supporting the Trump administration. Cain was the co-chair of Black Voices for Trump. He was an active man and Calabrese points out in the interview published Friday in People magazine that he traveled frequently.
Calabrese pushed back on what he calls the overconfident assumption by some that Cain got sick while attending President Donald Trump’s Oklahoma rally last month while not wearing a mask, at an event officials believe is linked to other new infections. Cain had traveled widely before he got sick, Calabrese says. “I want people to know he did a lot of traveling that week, he traveled to Vegas, he was gonna go to Arizona and I think his flight got redirected. He was on several flights,” Calabrese says. “The whole conclusion that people are jumping to that he got it at the Tulsa rally — I think that a lot of people are jumping to that conclusion because they want to, but we have no reason to think he got it there as opposed to some of the airplanes he might have been on.” “There’s people that are running around on Twitter … going, ‘Oh wasn’t he a COVID denier?’ No,” says Calabrese.
As far back as April, Cain spoke approvingly of wearing masks. Calabrese says that Cain understood the threat posed by the virus and sometimes he did wear a face mask. He advocated for mitigation of the coronavirus by using face masks and hand-washing. He was not a coronavirus denier. Calabrese pointed to these partisan times and the politicization of the coronavirus as the reason that so many took the opportunity to take personal shots at Cain upon learning of his death.
“To me, where he got it, it’s kind of neither here nor there. But I wish people would stop trying to turn it into a political angle in that way,” Calabrese, the editor of Cain’s website, tells PEOPLE. “This is such a partisan age and people get defined by where they stood on the political spectrum and I’m sure a lot of people will define Herman in that way,” Calabrese says. “That was so much not who he was. His favorite thing to do was to help people see a way forward in their lives.”
I couldn’t help but notice the difference in how the left and some others reacted yesterday. There was the televised funeral of Rep. John Lewis. It was a large gathering without social distancing in place. People were seated elbow to elbow. I did see many masks on those in attendance but the virtue-signaling leftists are not perfect themselves. I also couldn’t help but think about all the people who have lost a loved one or a friend to this plague. They were denied the opportunity to tell their loved one goodbye and/or attend that person’s funeral because of the coronavirus. Such a large public display as seen yesterday – part of a six-day celebration of the life of John Lewis – seemed grossly out of place and tone-deaf. The show had to go on, though, because obviously the intention was for it to turn into a Democrat campaign rally. The political references and opinions were frequent and aggressive but none so much as the words delivered by former President Barack Obama. I was having flashbacks of the Paul Wellstone funeral.
Herman Cain and John Lewis led exceptional lives. Both were active in the civil rights movement. Both men were from very humble beginnings and rose to live the American dream. They both served as excellent role models and mentors for young people. However, Cain’s death was treated very differently than that of Lewis. Calabrese is right. The over-politicization of absolutely everything in 2020 is not productive. And, in the case of a successful, decent human being who happened to be both African-American and conservative, it is just disrespectful and destructive.
Hyper-partisan politicians like Maxine Waters try to dehumanize men like Herman Cain by implying he is less than intelligent when it comes to making personal decisions. The only response to that is to question her humanity and how she shows respect for the deceased.


hotair--2020-07-31--Hmmm: Trump campaign pauses all TV ads while it reworks its messaging strategy

We can only guess what the next batch of advertising from TrumpWorld will look like but I know what my money ’ s on .
Three words : Hydroxy , hydroxy , hydroxy .
Whatever problem you have — coronavirus , unemployment , riots , you name it — just take the hydroxy and hope for the best .
The interesting thing about this ad “ pause , ” made in the wake of Bill Stepien replacing Brad Parscale as campaign manager , is that lately their ads had focused on hammering Biden for the left ’ s “ defund @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like a potentially fruitful line of attack , especially with violence ticking up in some cities last weekend .
Did Stepien see data that suggests it ’ s not paying off ?
I suppose that data would be “ the polls , ” but I meant private data .
Anyway , per NBC : President Donald Trump ’ s campaign has virtually disappeared from the airwaves as it undertakes “ a review and fine-tuning of the campaign ’ s strategy ” as an official put it after the replacement of campaign manager Brad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ until Election Day , the Trump campaign spent virtually nothing on television or radio ads on Wednesday and Thursday , according to data from Advertising Analytics .
And it has effectively nothing booked through August .
Meanwhile , Joe Biden ’ s campaign has spent $ 3.9 million over those two days and has another almost $ 6 million booked through the end of August .
One obvious pivot they could make in their advertising would be to go negative on Biden ’ s record .
We ’ re more than halfway through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the election and Trump has said scarcely anything about policies supported by a guy who spent 35 years in the Senate and eight more as VP .
The White House invested more energy in trying to prove that Hunter Biden was up to something shady in Ukraine than it has in reminding voters that there ’ s reason to think they won ’ t like what they get from a Biden presidency , starting with foreign-policy decisions like supporting the Iraq war .
Biden ’ s rivals in the primary used the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as proof that he doesn ’ t share the left ’ s priorities on reforming a broken justice system .
That would be a … complicated attack for President Law And Order to echo , but Trump has some cover to do so from his own support for criminal justice reform .
If nothing else , ads about Biden ’ s record might remind progressives that they ’ re not required to vote for him after all .
Another pivot would be to start running ads about COVID-19 .
One of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a HuffPost story reporting that , between July 1 and July 26 , not a single dollar of the $ 38 million spent by Team Trump on advertising went to an ad about the pandemic .
It simply hasn ’ t figured at all in the president ’ s campaign message .
Anti-Trumpers will read that and think , “ What are they supposed to say ?
‘ 150,000 dead ain ’ t bad under the circumstances ’ ?
” But they have to say something .
Ceding the field to Biden on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is electoral suicide .
Run some ads touting the number of tests that have been conducted , the number of ventilators that were built , progress on vaccines under Operation Warp Speed , and so forth .
America ’ s response is a sh*tshow , but the point of PR is to make sh*tshows seem less bad .
Ads might boost public support for Trump ’ s handling of the crisis somewhat , which would be crucially important to getting him back in the race .
His COVID polling is what ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Stepien ’ s the guy who reportedly championed the ( brief ) change in “ tone ” that Trump ’ s had lately on the virus .
There are enough clips of him from the last two weeks touting masks , canceling the GOP convention , and holding COVID briefings to put together a “ no , really , he cares a lot ” ad .
Maybe that was the point of pivot in the first place — just to get Trump on message for a week or two , enough time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him go back to grumbling about reopening and hydroxychloroquine .
Stepien got what he needed .
The last possibility is outside the box : Maybe they ’ ll launch a campaign of meta-ads about how Democrats are going to rig the vote .
To listen to Trump lately , most notably in his tweet about delaying the election , you would think he ’ s resigned to defeat and has moved on to grasping for ways to spin it or to stop the election from happening at all .
If he had his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lead and start focusing in ads on the “ cheating ” that ’ s about to be perpetrated to deny him a second term .
Here he was today raising the possibility of China and Russia forging mail-in ballots , which is bizarre even for him .
Why would countries with teams of professional hackers resort to manufacturing hard evidence which can be scrutinized and debunked as counterfeit when they could focus on trying to hack the computerized vote totals instead ?
The top U.S. intelligence official on election security gave a closed-door @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked about foreign enemies forging ballots .
Nope , not worried about it , he said .
So why is Trump worried ?
Probably because he ’ s begun trying to pre-spin a loss and knows that raising doubts about the integrity of ballots now sets him up to claim later that he was cheated .
Coincidentally or not , it also primes the pump for Russian and Chinese propaganda mischief .
They don ’ t have to lift a finger to try to change the actual vote totals in November .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ evidence online that ballots were tampered with to encourage the belief that only foreign chicanery can explain his defeat : Trump ’ s consigliere , Bill Barr , also raised the possibility of forged ballots recently even though he had no evidence that it ’ s happening and the head of DHS ’ s voting-security unit has been publicly skeptical of it .
The upshot of Trump ’ s many weeks of disparaging mail-in voting is , well , this : He ’ s also begun tweeting that we “ Must know Election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” which is convenient for him since Democrats are likely to massively outnumber Republicans on mail-in voting this year .
If day-of voting is the only trustworthy voting in Trump ’ s telling , that positions him up to claim on election night that he ’ s the “ real winner ” even as tens of millions of votes for Biden flow in on the ensuing days .
“ If Trump were really concerned that the election will be rigged , he and Republicans would be , y ’ know , taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gabe Malor earlier this afternoon .
“ They ’ re not.
” With any other presidential campaign we ’ d say , “ Of course they ’ re not going to waste money on ads that pre-spin an impending defeat as fraudulent .
They ’ re trying to win !
Ads like that would achieve nothing except to soothe the candidate ’ s ego.
” But this isn ’ t any other presidential campaign .
The candidate ’ s ego is a top priority , so much so that the campaign has already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D.C. market for the sole purpose of cheering Trump up .
I don ’ t think they ’ ll waste campaign resources on “ rigged !
” ads right now , when there ’ s still a lot of campaign ball still to be played , but if we start getting deep into September and the numbers continue to look grim , I can imagine them switching to a “ burn it all down ” messaging effort to delegitimize a likely Biden victory .
It would be horrendous , designed to make the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would also make Trump feel good .
And that ’ s what ’ s important .
Here ’ s what the Lincoln Project is up to lately .
They must be raking it in to be cranking out six-minute ads .

We can only guess what the next batch of advertising from TrumpWorld will look like but I know what my money’s on. Three words: Hydroxy, hydroxy, hydroxy.
Whatever problem you have — coronavirus, unemployment, riots, you name it — just take the hydroxy and hope for the best.
The interesting thing about this ad “pause,” made in the wake of Bill Stepien replacing Brad Parscale as campaign manager, is that lately their ads had focused on hammering Biden for the left’s “defund the police” push. That seemed like a potentially fruitful line of attack, especially with violence ticking up in some cities last weekend. Did Stepien see data that suggests it’s not paying off?
I suppose that data would be “the polls,” but I meant private data. Anyway, per NBC:
President Donald Trump’s campaign has virtually disappeared from the airwaves as it undertakes “a review and fine-tuning of the campaign’s strategy” as an official put it after the replacement of campaign manager Brad Parscale. With less than 100 days until Election Day, the Trump campaign spent virtually nothing on television or radio ads on Wednesday and Thursday, according to data from Advertising Analytics. And it has effectively nothing booked through August. Meanwhile, Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $3.9 million over those two days and has another almost $6 million booked through the end of August.
One obvious pivot they could make in their advertising would be to go negative on Biden’s record. We’re more than halfway through the year and less than 100 days from the election and Trump has said scarcely anything about policies supported by a guy who spent 35 years in the Senate and eight more as VP. The White House invested more energy in trying to prove that Hunter Biden was up to something shady in Ukraine than it has in reminding voters that there’s reason to think they won’t like what they get from a Biden presidency, starting with foreign-policy decisions like supporting the Iraq war. Biden’s rivals in the primary used the crime bill he spearheaded in the mid-90s as proof that he doesn’t share the left’s priorities on reforming a broken justice system. That would be a … complicated attack for President Law And Order to echo, but Trump has some cover to do so from his own support for criminal justice reform. If nothing else, ads about Biden’s record might remind progressives that they’re not required to vote for him after all.
Another pivot would be to start running ads about COVID-19. One of the most shocking things I read this week was a HuffPost story reporting that, between July 1 and July 26, not a single dollar of the $38 million spent by Team Trump on advertising went to an ad about the pandemic. It simply hasn’t figured at all in the president’s campaign message. Anti-Trumpers will read that and think, “What are they supposed to say? ‘150,000 dead ain’t bad under the circumstances’?” But they have to say something. Ceding the field to Biden on the most important issue of the campaign is electoral suicide. Run some ads touting the number of tests that have been conducted, the number of ventilators that were built, progress on vaccines under Operation Warp Speed, and so forth. America’s response is a sh*tshow, but the point of PR is to make sh*tshows seem less bad. Ads might boost public support for Trump’s handling of the crisis somewhat, which would be crucially important to getting him back in the race. His COVID polling is what’s killing him right now.
And remember, Stepien’s the guy who reportedly championed the (brief) change in “tone” that Trump’s had lately on the virus. There are enough clips of him from the last two weeks touting masks, canceling the GOP convention, and holding COVID briefings to put together a “no, really, he cares a lot” ad. Maybe that was the point of pivot in the first place — just to get Trump on message for a week or two, enough time to generate ad material, then let him go back to grumbling about reopening and hydroxychloroquine. Stepien got what he needed.
The last possibility is outside the box: Maybe they’ll launch a campaign of meta-ads about how Democrats are going to rig the vote. To listen to Trump lately, most notably in his tweet about delaying the election, you would think he’s resigned to defeat and has moved on to grasping for ways to spin it or to stop the election from happening at all. If he had his way, the campaign might follow his lead and start focusing in ads on the “cheating” that’s about to be perpetrated to deny him a second term. Here he was today raising the possibility of China and Russia forging mail-in ballots, which is bizarre even for him. Why would countries with teams of professional hackers resort to manufacturing hard evidence which can be scrutinized and debunked as counterfeit when they could focus on trying to hack the computerized vote totals instead?
Trump saying he wants the presidential election to be moved up: "I wish we would move it up, okay? Move it up." pic.twitter.com/GlpOYeXsMn — TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) July 31, 2020
The top U.S. intelligence official on election security gave a closed-door briefing to the House today and was asked about foreign enemies forging ballots. Nope, not worried about it, he said. So why is Trump worried? Probably because he’s begun trying to pre-spin a loss and knows that raising doubts about the integrity of ballots now sets him up to claim later that he was cheated. Coincidentally or not, it also primes the pump for Russian and Chinese propaganda mischief. They don’t have to lift a finger to try to change the actual vote totals in November. All they have to do is plant false evidence online that ballots were tampered with to encourage the belief that only foreign chicanery can explain his defeat:
The President is so vocal in his distrust of voting by mail that there are concerns among intelligence and law enforcement officials that he is laying the groundwork for the exact sort of foreign disinformation campaigns they warn about. “They can’t physically do anything about (mail-in ballots) but (they can) create social media narratives to create levels of doubt and play into the debate,” a law enforcement official said. “We are alert for the fact they may take doubts about mail-in ballots and exploit that online.”
Trump’s consigliere, Bill Barr, also raised the possibility of forged ballots recently even though he had no evidence that it’s happening and the head of DHS’s voting-security unit has been publicly skeptical of it. The upshot of Trump’s many weeks of disparaging mail-in voting is, well, this:
He’s also begun tweeting that we “Must know Election results on the night of the Election,” which is convenient for him since Democrats are likely to massively outnumber Republicans on mail-in voting this year. If day-of voting is the only trustworthy voting in Trump’s telling, that positions him up to claim on election night that he’s the “real winner” even as tens of millions of votes for Biden flow in on the ensuing days. “If Trump were really concerned that the election will be rigged, he and Republicans would be, y’know, taking steps to correct that,” tweeted Gabe Malor earlier this afternoon. “They’re not.”
With any other presidential campaign we’d say, “Of course they’re not going to waste money on ads that pre-spin an impending defeat as fraudulent. They’re trying to win! Ads like that would achieve nothing except to soothe the candidate’s ego.” But this isn’t any other presidential campaign. The candidate’s ego is a top priority, so much so that the campaign has already run ads in the uniformly Democratic Washington D.C. market for the sole purpose of cheering Trump up. I don’t think they’ll waste campaign resources on “rigged!” ads right now, when there’s still a lot of campaign ball still to be played, but if we start getting deep into September and the numbers continue to look grim, I can imagine them switching to a “burn it all down” messaging effort to delegitimize a likely Biden victory. It would be horrendous, designed to make the country more embittered and ungovernable, but it would also make Trump feel good. And that’s what’s important.
Here’s what the Lincoln Project is up to lately. They must be raking it in to be cranking out six-minute ads.