hotair--2020-02-12--Chris Matthews: How can we beat Trump by outsourcing our nomination to a socialist or a Republican?

A leftover from last night ’ s New Hampshire coverage via Newsbusters .
The “ socialist ” in the headline is Bernie , of course , of whom Matthews is not a fan .
The “ Republican ” is Mike Bloomberg , although I ’ m not sure that ’ s a fair description of him .
Yes , I know he switched to the GOP to run for mayor of New York in 2002 , but that ’ s because he concluded at the time that there was no path for him through the Democratic primary .
He was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to independent before migrating to the Democratic Party , where he seems more at home .
I mean , really .
Does “ Republican ” sound like the right word to describe , uh … an authoritarian Manhattan billionaire who ’ s crass towards women , spends money without limit , and looks dimly on civil liberties vis-a-vis law and order ?
You know what ?
Forget I brought it up .
Moving on .
The hard truth for Matthews is that Democrats are unlikely to beat Trump regardless .
New from Gallup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters ask themselves when they go in the booth , no ?
And Trump ’ s outpolling every incumbent of the past 30 years on it , all of whom won reelection but one .
And that one exception had to contend with the most formidable third-party candidate in decades .
Matthews has an effective line at the beginning of the clip below when he says that centrist liberals “ just want to be secure in their own economy , in their own lives and see their kids once in a while ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ system .
A lot of middle-class Democrats ( and Republicans ) fall into that category .
There was — and technically still is — a guy running this race who might have adopted that as his own credo .
But paradoxically , that guy may have inadvertently wrecked his party ’ s chances of nominating anyone who ’ d carry out that mission , forcing them ultimately to choose instead between a radical and a plutocrat .
Liberal Jonathan Chait knows who to blame for the terrible dilemma Democrats now find themselves in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stunted the growth of every other center-left alternative .
Cory Booker ran the Freaks and Geeks of campaigns — praised by critics , but never registering with the broader public .
Booker might well have attracted Biden ’ s constituency , before low polling forced him off the debate stage and out of the race… [ O ] nly now are Bloomberg and Klobuchar — along with Pete Buttigieg , who has won a sizable niche with well-educated white voters that he seems to have difficulty expanding — beginning to try to consolidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If not for Biden , a mainstream liberal Democrat might well have begun to consolidate support of a party Establishment that is not looking for a candidate who will embrace wildly unpopular policies and a wildly unpopular socialist label while emphasizing transformative economic change in the midst of the best economy in a generation .
For nine months , Biden sucked up all of the oxygen in the room that might have been used to sustain a more talented moderate retail politician .
By the time he was finally revealed to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the remainder were on the brink .
Even Bloomberg , for all his money , may find himself at an insurmountable disadvantage on Super Tuesday because the centrist vote is just too hopelessly divided even into March for any one person to gain traction against Sanders .
Bernie ’ s path to the nomination may have been impossible without Joe .
Bloomberg ’ s going to take a shot , though .
I was surprised this morning to see that he ’ s attending Stacey Abrams ’ s voting rights summit in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t surprise me ; obviously Bloomy ’ s trying to win over black voters in anticipation of Biden ’ s departure from the race soon .
Abrams ’ s invitation surprises me since Bloomberg ’ s been hit repeatedly with oppo research the past few days about his old comments on stop and frisk , with even Trump chiming in to call him a racist .
You ’ d think a progressive star like Abrams would be cautious about lending Bloomberg any lefty cred knowing how viciously the left will oppose him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But I suppose it ’ s nice to have one of the world ’ s richest men owe you and your nonprofit group a favor , especially if he has an outside shot at the presidency and might soon be in need of a VP .
He ’ s playing to win , however far-fetched that may seem .
Right now .

A leftover from last night’s New Hampshire coverage via Newsbusters. The “socialist” in the headline is Bernie, of course, of whom Matthews is not a fan. The “Republican” is Mike Bloomberg, although I’m not sure that’s a fair description of him. Yes, I know he switched to the GOP to run for mayor of New York in 2002, but that’s because he concluded at the time that there was no path for him through the Democratic primary. He was a Republican of opportunity who eventually switched to independent before migrating to the Democratic Party, where he seems more at home.
I mean, really. Does “Republican” sound like the right word to describe, uh … an authoritarian Manhattan billionaire who’s crass towards women, spends money without limit, and looks dimly on civil liberties vis-a-vis law and order?
You know what? Forget I brought it up. Moving on.
The hard truth for Matthews is that Democrats are unlikely to beat Trump regardless. New from Gallup:
That’s *the* question that voters ask themselves when they go in the booth, no? And Trump’s outpolling every incumbent of the past 30 years on it, all of whom won reelection but one. And that one exception had to contend with the most formidable third-party candidate in decades.
Matthews has an effective line at the beginning of the clip below when he says that centrist liberals “just want to be secure in their own economy, in their own lives and see their kids once in a while” instead of remaking America’s economic system. A lot of middle-class Democrats (and Republicans) fall into that category. There was — and technically still is — a guy running this race who might have adopted that as his own credo. But paradoxically, that guy may have inadvertently wrecked his party’s chances of nominating anyone who’d carry out that mission, forcing them ultimately to choose instead between a radical and a plutocrat. Liberal Jonathan Chait knows who to blame for the terrible dilemma Democrats now find themselves in:
Biden’s candidacy almost single-handedly stunted the growth of every other center-left alternative. Cory Booker ran the Freaks and Geeks of campaigns — praised by critics, but never registering with the broader public. Booker might well have attracted Biden’s constituency, before low polling forced him off the debate stage and out of the race… [O]nly now are Bloomberg and Klobuchar — along with Pete Buttigieg, who has won a sizable niche with well-educated white voters that he seems to have difficulty expanding — beginning to try to consolidate the party’s center-left vote. If not for Biden, a mainstream liberal Democrat might well have begun to consolidate support of a party Establishment that is not looking for a candidate who will embrace wildly unpopular policies and a wildly unpopular socialist label while emphasizing transformative economic change in the midst of the best economy in a generation.
For nine months, Biden sucked up all of the oxygen in the room that might have been used to sustain a more talented moderate retail politician. By the time he was finally revealed to be a paper tiger, some had already suffocated and the remainder were on the brink. Even Bloomberg, for all his money, may find himself at an insurmountable disadvantage on Super Tuesday because the centrist vote is just too hopelessly divided even into March for any one person to gain traction against Sanders. Bernie’s path to the nomination may have been impossible without Joe.
Bloomberg’s going to take a shot, though. I was surprised this morning to see that he’s attending Stacey Abrams’s voting rights summit in Georgia on Friday. The strategy doesn’t surprise me; obviously Bloomy’s trying to win over black voters in anticipation of Biden’s departure from the race soon. Abrams’s invitation surprises me since Bloomberg’s been hit repeatedly with oppo research the past few days about his old comments on stop and frisk, with even Trump chiming in to call him a racist. You’d think a progressive star like Abrams would be cautious about lending Bloomberg any lefty cred knowing how viciously the left will oppose him if he blocks Bernie’s path. But I suppose it’s nice to have one of the world’s richest men owe you and your nonprofit group a favor, especially if he has an outside shot at the presidency and might soon be in need of a VP. He’s playing to win, however far-fetched that may seem. Right now.


hotair--2020-02-12--Steyer goes all in with South Carolina, wife moves to the state

Guess who is in the number two spot in the Real Clear Politics averaging of polls right now in South Carolina ?
Tom Steyer .
Who saw that one coming ?
There hasn ’ t been much recent polling done and the primary election is still 17 days away but it is an interesting turn of events .
Joe Biden is depending on South Carolina to rescue his hopes of being a contender for the Democrat nomination – he bailed on his New Hampshire campaign staff before that state ’ s voting ended Tuesday .
Biden headed straight to South @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state to vote , and held a campaign event there Tuesday night .
Tom Steyer is a candidate who is easy to forget about until he shows up on a debate stage .
He ’ s been a one-trick pony about impeachment almost since President Trump was inaugurated into office , with a side issue of climate change .
With impeachment behind us – at least until House Democrats decide to launch a fresh effort – he ’ s down to climate change .
How did that work out for Jay Inslee ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Steyer at only 1.8 % .
So , to see him in second place behind Biden in South Carolina is a surprise .
It looks like all the effort the candidate and his campaign have been putting into the state is paying off .
The Steyer campaign is doubling down now and Steyer ’ s wife , Kat Taylor , has moved to Columbia , South Carolina .
The campaign is making South Carolina the base of operations for the East Coast .
Kat Taylor is renting a home in the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the weekend , the California billionaire ’ s campaign told The Associated Press on Tuesday .
She looks to become more involved in campaigning efforts there and have a base of operations on the East Coast .
“ I ’ ve always been in support of my husband , because of that I came to Columbia to show my full support , ” Taylor said in a statement .
She said it ’ s important to her to let people know that the couple stands for “ providing clean air and clean water @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creation , affordable housing , and investing in the future of our youth.
” Taylor has stepped down from her day job – CEO of Beneficial State Bank – and has joined the campaign to plan strategy and campaign for Steyer in South Carolina , as well as in Super Tuesday states .
Tom Steyer was the only Democrat candidate in South Carolina Sunday and Monday , as the others were in New Hampshire .
Tuesday he was in Nevada .
Steyer is going for Joe Biden ’ s biggest constituency – black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ events in South Carolina than any of the other candidates .
He ’ s flooding the airwaves with ads and building a staff .
The news Wednesday is that Steyer has hired one of the state ’ s most influential black lawmakers as an adviser to his campaign .
State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter , the longest-serving member of the South Carolina House and the current president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators , is a senior national adviser .
She has a history of not endorsing candidates in the primary but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now .
Cobb-Hunter has made a point in the past to note that she chooses not to endorse candidates during primaries .
In an announcement of her hire , Cobb-Hunter said climate activist Steyer had the broadest appeal to voters across the country .
“ Steyer is building the most racially diverse coalition of voters who look like America as it is today , ” Cobb-Hunter said .
“ He is the only candidate who walks the walk and talks the talk.
” The move is part of Steyer ’ s effort to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where rivals Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders already have gained the support of members of the legislative black caucus .
Steyer already had the support of Jerry Govan , chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus .
Both Govan and Cobb-Hunter represent parts of Orangeburg County , home to two HBCUs .
Steyer is counting on doing well in Nevada and South Carolina , the first two states where non-white voters have a prominent influence .
Two-thirds of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina are black voters .
In today ’ s RCP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nevada , behind Biden , Sanders , and Warren , and ahead of Buttigieg .
His campaign is no doubt watching as Biden ’ s support among black voters continues to drop .
Steyer placed sixth in New Hampshire ahead of Yang , who dropped out .
When asked if he planned to drop out , too , Steyer said no , he ’ s not going anywhere .
We ’ ll see .
He certainly has the financial resources to stay as long as he wants .
I ’ ll end with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jill Biden , playing the part of bouncer at an event with good old Joe Tuesday .
Check it out :

Guess who is in the number two spot in the Real Clear Politics averaging of polls right now in South Carolina? Tom Steyer. Who saw that one coming?
There hasn’t been much recent polling done and the primary election is still 17 days away but it is an interesting turn of events. Joe Biden is depending on South Carolina to rescue his hopes of being a contender for the Democrat nomination – he bailed on his New Hampshire campaign staff before that state’s voting ended Tuesday. Biden headed straight to South Carolina, not Nevada, the next state to vote, and held a campaign event there Tuesday night.
Tom Steyer is a candidate who is easy to forget about until he shows up on a debate stage. He’s been a one-trick pony about impeachment almost since President Trump was inaugurated into office, with a side issue of climate change. With impeachment behind us – at least until House Democrats decide to launch a fresh effort – he’s down to climate change. How did that work out for Jay Inslee?
I often get asked what I am — a moderate or a progressive. While there may be policy differences within the Dem Party, those only matters if we win — and we HAVE to win. Let me be clear, I’m a PROGRESSIVE. I support a Green New Deal, reparations, and want to see term limits! — Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) February 11, 2020
The national average in RCP polling has Steyer at only 1.8%. So, to see him in second place behind Biden in South Carolina is a surprise. It looks like all the effort the candidate and his campaign have been putting into the state is paying off. The Steyer campaign is doubling down now and Steyer’s wife, Kat Taylor, has moved to Columbia, South Carolina. The campaign is making South Carolina the base of operations for the East Coast.
Kat Taylor is renting a home in the state’s capital city and moved in over the weekend, the California billionaire’s campaign told The Associated Press on Tuesday. She looks to become more involved in campaigning efforts there and have a base of operations on the East Coast. “I’ve always been in support of my husband, because of that I came to Columbia to show my full support,” Taylor said in a statement. She said it’s important to her to let people know that the couple stands for “providing clean air and clean water, access to affordable healthcare, job creation, affordable housing, and investing in the future of our youth.”
Taylor has stepped down from her day job – CEO of Beneficial State Bank – and has joined the campaign to plan strategy and campaign for Steyer in South Carolina, as well as in Super Tuesday states. Tom Steyer was the only Democrat candidate in South Carolina Sunday and Monday, as the others were in New Hampshire. Tuesday he was in Nevada. Steyer is going for Joe Biden’s biggest constituency – black voters.
Steyer has held more campaign events in South Carolina than any of the other candidates. He’s flooding the airwaves with ads and building a staff. The news Wednesday is that Steyer has hired one of the state’s most influential black lawmakers as an adviser to his campaign. State Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, the longest-serving member of the South Carolina House and the current president of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, is a senior national adviser. She has a history of not endorsing candidates in the primary but she is singing the praises of Steyer now.
Cobb-Hunter has made a point in the past to note that she chooses not to endorse candidates during primaries. In an announcement of her hire, Cobb-Hunter said climate activist Steyer had the broadest appeal to voters across the country. “Steyer is building the most racially diverse coalition of voters who look like America as it is today,” Cobb-Hunter said. “He is the only candidate who walks the walk and talks the talk.” The move is part of Steyer’s effort to build among black leaders in South Carolina, where rivals Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders already have gained the support of members of the legislative black caucus.
Steyer already had the support of Jerry Govan, chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus. Both Govan and Cobb-Hunter represent parts of Orangeburg County, home to two HBCUs. Steyer is counting on doing well in Nevada and South Carolina, the first two states where non-white voters have a prominent influence. Two-thirds of the Democratic electorate in South Carolina are black voters.
In today’s RCP poll averaging, Steyer is fourth in Nevada, behind Biden, Sanders, and Warren, and ahead of Buttigieg. His campaign is no doubt watching as Biden’s support among black voters continues to drop. Steyer placed sixth in New Hampshire ahead of Yang, who dropped out. When asked if he planned to drop out, too, Steyer said no, he’s not going anywhere. We’ll see. He certainly has the financial resources to stay as long as he wants.
I’ll end with this video showing another political wife, Jill Biden, playing the part of bouncer at an event with good old Joe Tuesday. Check it out:


hotair--2020-02-12--Cuomo to Trump: Let's make a deal on our DMV access ... maybe?

“ I ’ m calling their bluff , ” Andrew Cuomo told WAMC this morning , but who ’ s blinking first ?
Usually it ’ s the one seeking the negotiation , and the New York governor had to request the meeting after the Department of Homeland Security cut off the state ’ s residents from its trusted traveler programs .
DHS argued that a new law barring access to the state ’ s DMV records made it impossible to verify eligibility for New York residents , along with their decision to issue licenses and IDs to those already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reports that Cuomo remains defiant , saying that he will “ never give them access ” except on a case-by-case basis : Politico heard something a little different in the full interview .
It sounded more like a Monty Hall play than a defiant thumb-nosing : New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump plan to meet Thursday to discuss the federal government ’ s new ban on New Yorkers enrolling in expedited border crossing programs , and Cuomo says he ’ s willing to negotiate .
“ I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Cuomo said Wednesday on Long Island News Radio .
“ He offered a meeting , the earliest availability was tomorrow , and I took him up on it.
” … “ I ’ ll give you what I want — you want access to our database , our DMV database for trusted travelers ?
You can have it , ” he said in the radio interview .
Cuomo is not proposing “ unfettered access , ” his office clarified later — he would simply let DHS obtain the records for people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s a subset of people that presumably contains no undocumented immigrants , those the data sharing restrictions were designed to protect .
The difference between the two takes is probably ( although coincidentally ) the difference in the way Cuomo will approach this .
He ’ ll talk tough in public to bolster his reputation as a tough opponent of Trump , and then try to sweet-talk Trump in private to get a concession on this issue .
Regardless of how he presents this , Cuomo knows that New Yorkers who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get angrier every time they travel without the conveniences they afford .
They might get mad at Trump ; they ’ ll definitely blame Cuomo and New York Democrats for provoking the fight just to pander on illegal immigration .
That ’ s not Cuomo ’ s biggest problem here , though .
What leverage does he even have in these negotiations ?
If he thinks Trump has some incentive to compromise , Cuomo ’ s simply spending too much time in the bubble .
Trump lost New York by 23 points in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it by 30 this year ?
He ’ s not going to pull Cuomo ’ s chestnuts out of the fire just to lose by 18 instead of 23 .
Trump is putting these policies into place to shift political costs in the other direction , which is precisely the reason Cuomo ’ s asking for a meeting .
States and cities have adopted sanctuary-city policies with ease to pander to their progressive voters in large part because the federal government hasn ’ t imposed any consequences for their choices .
The only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imposing those consequences , and to stick to them .
So what will these negotiations look like ?
Probably a lot like this .
Hope Cuomo brings the license fee along with him .
( NSFW – Language warning )

“I’m calling their bluff,” Andrew Cuomo told WAMC this morning, but who’s blinking first? Usually it’s the one seeking the negotiation, and the New York governor had to request the meeting after the Department of Homeland Security cut off the state’s residents from its trusted traveler programs. DHS argued that a new law barring access to the state’s DMV records made it impossible to verify eligibility for New York residents, along with their decision to issue licenses and IDs to those already illegally in the US.
CBS News reports that Cuomo remains defiant, saying that he will “never give them access” except on a case-by-case basis:
Politico heard something a little different in the full interview. It sounded more like a Monty Hall play than a defiant thumb-nosing:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and President Donald Trump plan to meet Thursday to discuss the federal government’s new ban on New Yorkers enrolling in expedited border crossing programs, and Cuomo says he’s willing to negotiate. “I’m going to meet with the president tomorrow,” Cuomo said Wednesday on Long Island News Radio. “He offered a meeting, the earliest availability was tomorrow, and I took him up on it.” … “I’ll give you what I want — you want access to our database, our DMV database for trusted travelers? You can have it,” he said in the radio interview. Cuomo is not proposing “unfettered access,” his office clarified later — he would simply let DHS obtain the records for people applying for the trusted traveler programs. That’s a subset of people that presumably contains no undocumented immigrants, those the data sharing restrictions were designed to protect.
The difference between the two takes is probably (although coincidentally) the difference in the way Cuomo will approach this. He’ll talk tough in public to bolster his reputation as a tough opponent of Trump, and then try to sweet-talk Trump in private to get a concession on this issue. Regardless of how he presents this, Cuomo knows that New Yorkers who get locked out of these programs will get angrier every time they travel without the conveniences they afford. They might get mad at Trump; they’ll definitely blame Cuomo and New York Democrats for provoking the fight just to pander on illegal immigration.
That’s not Cuomo’s biggest problem here, though. What leverage does he even have in these negotiations? If he thinks Trump has some incentive to compromise, Cuomo’s simply spending too much time in the bubble. Trump lost New York by 23 points in 2016; so what if he loses it by 30 this year? He’s not going to pull Cuomo’s chestnuts out of the fire just to lose by 18 instead of 23.
Trump is putting these policies into place to shift political costs in the other direction, which is precisely the reason Cuomo’s asking for a meeting. States and cities have adopted sanctuary-city policies with ease to pander to their progressive voters in large part because the federal government hasn’t imposed any consequences for their choices. The only way to curtail that is to start imposing those consequences, and to stick to them.
So what will these negotiations look like? Probably a lot like this. Hope Cuomo brings the license fee along with him. (NSFW – Language warning)


hotair--2020-02-12--Trouble in utopia? Team Bernie reportedly unhappy with some of AOC's campaign shtick in Iowa

Probably overblown , but a little schadenfreude at the thought of two pinkos fighting is good for the soul .
I mean , look at the mileage we got out of Warren confronting Bernie on a hot mic at the debate a few weeks ago .
Personally , I ’ m shocked at the notion that AOC might be a little more me-focused than Bernie-focused on the trail .
Following Ocasio-Cortez ’ s three-day stint , Sanders ’ s campaign manager , Faiz Shakir , texted AOC ’ s campaign manager to express his dissatisfaction with aspects of her performance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the exchange .
Specifically , the Sanders campaign was miffed that Ocasio-Cortez didn ’ t mention Sanders by name when she closed out a campaign event at the University of Iowa on a Friday night at the end of last month—a fact that Fox News picked up on… Ocasio-Cortez ’ s comments about the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol were also seen by some within the Sanders campaign as going too far , straying from Sanders ’ s stance on the issues in encouraging people not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to this source .
During an event in Ames , Iowa , Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd , “ Organizing is about tipping people off if you start to see that ICE and CBP are in communities to try and keep people safe.
” … Ocasio-Cortez and her team , after all they ’ d done for Sanders , were said to be annoyed at being called on the carpet .
And AOC ’ s team is also said to have had concerns about radio host Joe Rogan ’ s controversial unofficial endorsement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if anything critical was said it was “ good-natured ribbing.
” In fairness it ’ s hard to imagine them being confrontational with her about it , for various reasons .
Bernie ’ s not confrontational personally ; he ’ s an ideologue , not the sort of guy who ’ d get hung up on his name not being mentioned .
He arguably owes his campaign resurgence to her too , as her endorsement after he had a heart attack last fall was a key vote of confidence in his ability to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also been received rapturously on the trail by lefties and Sanders needs all the excitement he can get given how tepid the turnout numbers have been in Iowa and New Hampshire .
Plus , notes John McCormack , she seems be trying to address their concerns : “ It is hard to stand up and fight for someone you don ’ t know when it is not popular , and he has done it his whole damn life !
” Ocasio-Cortez exclaimed .
“ Who stood up for women and gender-non-conforming people ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 90s when it was unpopular ?
Senator Bernie Sanders !
” she continued .
“ Fast-forward to this campaign .
Who is the only candidate to call to break up ICE and CBP ?
Senator Bernie Sanders !
That matters.
” She said that at his rally in New Hampshire two nights ago , proof that the rift has healed if in fact there ever was a rift .
Bernie seems like a forgive-and-forget kind of guy to me .
He and Warren are already back on friendlyish terms , no ?
AOC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — for now .
If he wins the nomination , he and his team are going to huddle and figure out how to deploy her and where , knowing that Trump will use “ AOC plus three ” this summer as an attack line to emphasize Democrats ’ radicalism .
Bernie ’ s arguably invulnerable to that : He ’ s plenty radical enough in his own right that Trump doesn ’ t need to make a boogeyman of anyone else .
But maybe Ocasio-Cortez is scarier to swing voters than a frumpy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll need to lie low while he makes the case .
It may depend on how he seems to be doing in registering and turning out young voters , the chief selling point of his alleged “ electability.
” Sanders can lose suburbanites , we ’ re told , because he ’ ll replace them with young adults and disaffected older blue-collar Americans who ’ ve never felt stirred before to vote but will feel the Bern soon , supposedly .
If he ’ s getting that done without AOC ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her on vacation .
If not , he ’ ll turn her loose and hope that Trump ’ s attacks on her don ’ t matter .
She ’ s sort of the lefty Palin .
No one in her party ’ s going to get a populist crowd going like she can .
It ’ s just that sometimes her words … aren ’ t the best words .
An interesting soundbite from her today : It stands to reason that she ’ d be skeptical of that , at least publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Burisma insinuations wrecked Biden then Joe ’ s implosion feels like dirty pool .
It ’ d be an asterisk on Bernie winning the nomination , reducing socialism ’ s grand victory to a lucky break caused by Republican ratf***ing .
I tend to agree with her that Biden ’ s decline is more of a “ past his prime ” reaction by Democratic voters than a reaction to Burisma , but not everyone feels that way .
Supposedly some of Biden ’ s 2020 rivals included a question about Burisma in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a real vulnerability , everyone knows that , ” said a Dem operative . )
Said David Axelrod of Biden ’ s Iowa meltdown , “ I wonder if the Hunter Biden stuff spooked some voters .
They ’ re worried he is going to be Benghazi-ed.
” In lieu of an exit question , here ’ s a preview of Bernie ’ s message next month from an attendee at a Mike Bloomberg rally today .

Probably overblown, but a little schadenfreude at the thought of two pinkos fighting is good for the soul.
I mean, look at the mileage we got out of Warren confronting Bernie on a hot mic at the debate a few weeks ago.
Personally, I’m shocked at the notion that AOC might be a little more me-focused than Bernie-focused on the trail.
Following Ocasio-Cortez’s three-day stint, Sanders’s campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, texted AOC’s campaign manager to express his dissatisfaction with aspects of her performance, according to a source familiar with the exchange. Specifically, the Sanders campaign was miffed that Ocasio-Cortez didn’t mention Sanders by name when she closed out a campaign event at the University of Iowa on a Friday night at the end of last month—a fact that Fox News picked up on… Ocasio-Cortez’s comments about the abolition of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol were also seen by some within the Sanders campaign as going too far, straying from Sanders’s stance on the issues in encouraging people not to cooperate with law enforcement agencies, according to this source. During an event in Ames, Iowa, Ocasio-Cortez told the crowd, “Organizing is about tipping people off if you start to see that ICE and CBP are in communities to try and keep people safe.”… Ocasio-Cortez and her team, after all they’d done for Sanders, were said to be annoyed at being called on the carpet. And AOC’s team is also said to have had concerns about radio host Joe Rogan’s controversial unofficial endorsement of Sanders.
Team Bernie insists that if anything critical was said it was “good-natured ribbing.” In fairness it’s hard to imagine them being confrontational with her about it, for various reasons. Bernie’s not confrontational personally; he’s an ideologue, not the sort of guy who’d get hung up on his name not being mentioned. He arguably owes his campaign resurgence to her too, as her endorsement after he had a heart attack last fall was a key vote of confidence in his ability to go on and win. Ocasio-Cortez has also been received rapturously on the trail by lefties and Sanders needs all the excitement he can get given how tepid the turnout numbers have been in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Plus, notes John McCormack, she seems be trying to address their concerns:
“It is hard to stand up and fight for someone you don’t know when it is not popular, and he has done it his whole damn life!” Ocasio-Cortez exclaimed. “Who stood up for women and gender-non-conforming people’s right to choose in the ’90s when it was unpopular? Senator Bernie Sanders!” she continued. “Fast-forward to this campaign. Who is the only candidate to call to break up ICE and CBP? Senator Bernie Sanders! That matters.”
She said that at his rally in New Hampshire two nights ago, proof that the rift has healed if in fact there ever was a rift. Bernie seems like a forgive-and-forget kind of guy to me. He and Warren are already back on friendlyish terms, no?
AOC’s clearly an asset to him — for now. If he wins the nomination, he and his team are going to huddle and figure out how to deploy her and where, knowing that Trump will use “AOC plus three” this summer as an attack line to emphasize Democrats’ radicalism. Bernie’s arguably invulnerable to that: He’s plenty radical enough in his own right that Trump doesn’t need to make a boogeyman of anyone else. But maybe Ocasio-Cortez is scarier to swing voters than a frumpy white socialist grandpa is and so she’ll need to lie low while he makes the case.
It may depend on how he seems to be doing in registering and turning out young voters, the chief selling point of his alleged “electability.” Sanders can lose suburbanites, we’re told, because he’ll replace them with young adults and disaffected older blue-collar Americans who’ve never felt stirred before to vote but will feel the Bern soon, supposedly. If he’s getting that done without AOC’s help, maybe he’ll send her on vacation. If not, he’ll turn her loose and hope that Trump’s attacks on her don’t matter.
She’s sort of the lefty Palin. No one in her party’s going to get a populist crowd going like she can. It’s just that sometimes her words … aren’t the best words.
An interesting soundbite from her today:
Ocasio-Cortez on if discussion about Burisma/Bidens in impeachment hearings/trial imperiled Joe Biden’s candidacy:
I’m not entirely sure of that…I very, very rarely hear that brought up..Joe Biden has struggled in primaries before. — Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) February 12, 2020
It stands to reason that she’d be skeptical of that, at least publicly. If she concedes that Trump’s Burisma insinuations wrecked Biden then Joe’s implosion feels like dirty pool. It’d be an asterisk on Bernie winning the nomination, reducing socialism’s grand victory to a lucky break caused by Republican ratf***ing. I tend to agree with her that Biden’s decline is more of a “past his prime” reaction by Democratic voters than a reaction to Burisma, but not everyone feels that way. Supposedly some of Biden’s 2020 rivals included a question about Burisma in their internal polling. (“It’s a real vulnerability, everyone knows that,” said a Dem operative.) Said David Axelrod of Biden’s Iowa meltdown, “I wonder if the Hunter Biden stuff spooked some voters. They’re worried he is going to be Benghazi-ed.”
In lieu of an exit question, here’s a preview of Bernie’s message next month from an attendee at a Mike Bloomberg rally today.


hotair--2020-02-13--House Democrats nervous about Sanders as the nominee

Earlier today CNN ’ s Manu Raju asked Rep. Dean Phillips what he thought about the possibility of Bernie Sanders winning the Democratic nomination .
Phillips is a freshman Democrat from Minnesota who defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018 .
CNN ’ s Chris Cillizza pointed out that Rep. Joe Cunningham , another freshman House Democrat , made similar comments yesterday : “ South Carolinians don ’ t want socialism , ” Cunningham said .
“ We want to know how you are going to get things done and how you are going to pay for them .
Bernie ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone is not something the Lowcountry wants and not something I ’ d ever support.
” Asked if he would support Sanders if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee , Cunningham rejected the question ’ s premise .
“ Bernie Sanders will not be the nominee , ” he said .
And just yesterday the Associated Press reported on the same concerns from more freshmen Democrats : “ I ’ m a proud capitalist , ” said freshman Rep. Ben McAdams , D-Utah , in pointed contrast with Sanders .
McAdams , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michael Bloomberg and whose Salt Lake City district will be among the toughest for Democrats to defend , said having a liberal like Sanders atop his party ’ s ticket “ would probably give me more opportunities to show my independence ” from the party .
Another freshman from a competitive district , Rep. Tom Malinowski , D-N.J. , said Democrats need a presidential nominee who “ doesn ’ t scare all those future former Republicans more than Trump scares them.
” And while acknowledging that Republicans plan to tar all Democrats with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s one candidate for whom that would not be a lie.
” Rep. Dina Titus , D-Nev. , who backs the candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden , warned a group of Democratic voters this week in Carson City , Nevada , that with Sanders atop the ticket , “ you ’ re not going to take back the Senate .
There ’ s not any way , because everybody ’ s going to be tarred with the same brush .
We will probably lose seats in the House.
” In private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
One House Democrat said colleagues from swing districts are scared by the prospects of a Sanders nomination , while another said moderates are increasingly concerned that a Sanders candidacy would devastate their prospects for winning the White House and retaining the House .
The lawmakers insisted on anonymity to describe private conversations .
Here ’ s Cillizza ’ s take on why Democrats are right to be nervous : Cunningham is one of 31 House Democrats who hold seats in districts that Trump carried in the 2016 election , seats that Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they try to win back the majority they lost in the last midterm election .
( Republicans need to net 18 seats to regain the majority . )
That these majority-maker Democrats are already willing to speak publicly about their belief that Sanders could cost the party the House speaks to the level of concern his ongoing rise is creating among those who would have to share the ballot with the senator from Vermont .
It ’ s not just the White House that Sanders is likely to lose .
Having him at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely that some freshman Democrats in red districts will lose their seats .
And if we see a blowout of the kind Jeremy Corbyn suffered last December in the UK , Republicans could retake the House .
According to Roll Call , it has been 30 years since Republicans gained 20 seats in a presidential election year , but I think a Sanders nomination would change the dynamic .
And clearly , that ’ s what a lot of House Democrats think too .

Earlier today CNN’s Manu Raju asked Rep. Dean Phillips what he thought about the possibility of Bernie Sanders winning the Democratic nomination. Phillips is a freshman Democrat from Minnesota who defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018.
Asked Rep. Dean Phillips, a freshman from a swing MN district and Klobuchar backer, if he thinks Bernie Sanders atop the ticket could have a disastrous impact on down-ballot races. “To be forthright, yes, I do. I think it would have some significant down-ballot effects.” — Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2020
“There are probably 25-30 seats that absolutely would be impacted directly by having a self-avowed socialist at the top of the ticket. And I say that…you know….he's not a Democrat, you know, and that's something that I wish was better understood,” Phillips added — Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 13, 2020
CNN’s Chris Cillizza pointed out that Rep. Joe Cunningham, another freshman House Democrat, made similar comments yesterday:
“South Carolinians don’t want socialism,” Cunningham said. “We want to know how you are going to get things done and how you are going to pay for them. Bernie’s proposals to raise taxes on almost everyone is not something the Lowcountry wants and not something I’d ever support.” Asked if he would support Sanders if he becomes the Democratic presidential nominee, Cunningham rejected the question’s premise. “Bernie Sanders will not be the nominee,” he said.
And just yesterday the Associated Press reported on the same concerns from more freshmen Democrats:
“I’m a proud capitalist,” said freshman Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, in pointed contrast with Sanders. McAdams, who is supporting former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and whose Salt Lake City district will be among the toughest for Democrats to defend, said having a liberal like Sanders atop his party’s ticket “would probably give me more opportunities to show my independence” from the party. Another freshman from a competitive district, Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., said Democrats need a presidential nominee who “doesn’t scare all those future former Republicans more than Trump scares them.” And while acknowledging that Republicans plan to tar all Democrats with the socialist label, ”There’s one candidate for whom that would not be a lie.” Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., who backs the candidacy of former Vice President Joe Biden, warned a group of Democratic voters this week in Carson City, Nevada, that with Sanders atop the ticket, “you’re not going to take back the Senate. There’s not any way, because everybody’s going to be tarred with the same brush. We will probably lose seats in the House.” In private conversations, other Democrats are more succinct. One House Democrat said colleagues from swing districts are scared by the prospects of a Sanders nomination, while another said moderates are increasingly concerned that a Sanders candidacy would devastate their prospects for winning the White House and retaining the House. The lawmakers insisted on anonymity to describe private conversations.
Here’s Cillizza’s take on why Democrats are right to be nervous:
Cunningham is one of 31 House Democrats who hold seats in districts that Trump carried in the 2016 election, seats that Republicans are planning to spend heavily on as they try to win back the majority they lost in the last midterm election. (Republicans need to net 18 seats to regain the majority.) That these majority-maker Democrats are already willing to speak publicly about their belief that Sanders could cost the party the House speaks to the level of concern his ongoing rise is creating among those who would have to share the ballot with the senator from Vermont.
It’s not just the White House that Sanders is likely to lose. Having him at the top of the ticket makes it likely that some freshman Democrats in red districts will lose their seats. And if we see a blowout of the kind Jeremy Corbyn suffered last December in the UK, Republicans could retake the House.
According to Roll Call, it has been 30 years since Republicans gained 20 seats in a presidential election year, but I think a Sanders nomination would change the dynamic. And clearly, that’s what a lot of House Democrats think too.


hotair--2020-02-13--Barr on the Roger Stone sentencing fiasco: Trump's tweets are making it impossible for me to do my j

Barr on the Roger Stone sentencing fiasco: Trump's tweets are making it impossible for me to do my job

Cynical , even by the standards of a cynical era .
Wouldn ’ t surprise me if he and Trump gamed out this message together in order to lower the political heat on the Stone mess .
Watch , then read on .
The headlines will be “ BARR REBUKES TRUMP FOR MEDDLING IN STONE CASE , ” which is what Barr intended .
The headlines should be “ BARR TAKES FALL FOR CHANGE TO STONE ’ S RECOMMENDED SENTENCE , INSISTS IT WAS ON THE MERITS.
” To refresh your memory , not one but two different Trump cronies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caught a break recently from the DOJ when the Department took the highly unusual step of amending its sentence recommendations in their cases to ask for leniency .
Coincidentally , those amended recommendations came after the regular U.S. Attorney in charge , Jessie Liu , was removed from her post by Barr and replaced by one of his close advisors , Timothy Shea .
Liu had been nominated to a position in the Treasury Department and was awaiting her confirmation hearing but could have continued to serve as U.S. Attorney until she took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barr wanted her out sooner .
On Tuesday night news broke that Liu ’ s Treasury nomination had been withdrawn by Trump , two days before she was set to face questions from the Senate .
Why ?
“ The problem wasn ’ t that she necessarily did anything wrong ” as U.S. Attorney , CNN reported , citing a source , “ but that she didn ’ t do more to get involved in those cases ” like Flynn ’ s and Stone ’ s and Andrew McCabe ’ s — Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in other words .
It appears that Barr swapped in someone who would get more “ involved ” on the AG ’ s behalf .
Which smells a lot like Rudy Giuliani deciding that Marie Yovanovitch had to go because she would have been an obstacle to the scheme he wanted to run on the Ukrainian government .
Liu finally gave up on the Treasury nomination this morning , by the way withdrawing from consideration .
I ’ m guessing she won ’ t get her old job back in the D.C. office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appearances , Barr is playing political “ fixer ” with the D.C. office behind the scenes , corruptly cutting special breaks for Trump ’ s buddies and probably preparing to crack down hard on his antagonists like McCabe .
Trump being Trump , instead of just letting Barr go about his business quietly and preserve some degree of plausible deniability that that ’ s what ’ s going on , he had to open his big mouth about it : Barr wants to be able to present the otherwise unheard-of sentencing revisions for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the merits , not something done to reward the president ’ s political toadies .
Trump made that charade harder for him to maintain , which brought us to today ’ s ABC interview .
This analogy made me laugh : When you ’ ve just done something shady , you don ’ t advertise it .
You put your phone away and lay off Twitter for awhile .
Still , it ’ s unusual to find Trump being rebuked publicly for tweeting by a deputy , even if they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their mutual benefit politically .
I think Barr felt obliged to say something because even otherwise Trump-friendly lawyers like Jack Goldsmith and Andy McCarthy were grossed out by the optics of DOJ leaders racing in to save Roger Stone from a stiff sentence at the last second , over the objections of their own prosecutors .
The papers are full of stories today quoting former U.S .
Attorneys lambasting the Department for having humiliated their own personnel in the name of protecting the president ’ s pals , both of whom have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a jury . )
“ Prosecutors across the United States , who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals , said this week that they had already been wary of working on any case that might catch Mr. Trump ’ s attention and that the Stone episode only deepened their concern , ” said the Times today .
“ They also said that they were worried that Mr. Barr might not support them in politically charged cases.
” Barr may have been facing more resignations internally after the four prosecutors on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He had to say something that would restore some plausibility to his and Trump ’ s denial that politics was being played in the Stone matter .
Goldsmith remembered how dubious it was in 2016 when Obama spoke up to say he was confident that Hillary Clinton had never endangered national security with her email practices even while the investigation was ongoing .
That was bad , Goldsmith said , but what Trump did in commenting this week — and in previous cases , as this is part of a pattern — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s part of the pattern too : As for Attorney General Barr : He has contributed to the perception of politicized law enforcement by giving interviews and speeches that appear to prejudge the investigation of the origins of the 2016 FBI investigation into President Trump , and that , more broadly , indicate that he sees many law enforcement and law-compliance issues through a left-right political lens .
But now he has acted in a manner consistent with the president ’ s overt and highly political wishes to minimize Stone ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him for it .
Whatever the reality of Barr ’ s decison-making process , it definitely appears that he bowed to the president ’ s politically self-serving wishes .
Barr has a large conception of the president ’ s power to control investigations .
But he is also , I still believe , a man of principle who loves the Justice Department .
For his sake , and for the department ’ s , he needs to make the president stop barking politicized commands to the Department .
Or he needs to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and provocations .
Or , if he can not do one of those two things , he should quit .
In other words , whether or not Barr ’ s motives were corrupt in demanding leniency for Stone , they looked corrupt .
Barr ’ s formal on-camera scolding of the president this afternoon is essentially a response to that point : Yes , okay , my motives might have looked corrupt but they weren ’ t corrupt .
Until I see a wave of revised DOJ sentencing recommendations supporting leniency for Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s golf buddies , I don ’ t buy it .
But maybe this fig leaf of good intentions will avert more resignations at the Department .
Barr can ’ t do everything himself there , after all .
He needs subordinates to at least be able to pretend their agency isn ’ t corrupt and that it ’ s doing meaningful work on cases involving the president ’ s friends before Trump inevitably hands Flynn and Stone their “ get out of jail free because you ’ re my boys ” cards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump throws a Twitter fit over Barr ’ s remarks or if he uncharacteristically declines comment .
A presidential tantrum won ’ t prove that Barr was sincere in the ABC interview but it ’ d be circumstantial evidence of it , just as presidential silence would be circumstantial evidence that this really is kabuki .
Meanwhile , I ’ m interested in hearing from Jessie Liu about all this .
Now that she ’ s not in government , presumably the executive-privilege grounds to prevent her from testifying are a little weaker @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she ’ s been treated and how humiliated her former D.C. deputies have been by all this , she may even be eager to talk .
Update : We ’ ll see .
But I wouldn ’ t be a bit surprised if it ’ s true .

Cynical, even by the standards of a cynical era. Wouldn’t surprise me if he and Trump gamed out this message together in order to lower the political heat on the Stone mess. Watch, then read on.
“I’m not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody….whether it’s Congress, newspaper editorial boards, or the president," Bill Barr tells @ABC News. "I cannot do my job here at the department with a constant background commentary that undercuts me.” https://t.co/14rnEMD65c pic.twitter.com/QuoTgpUVHp — ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 13, 2020
The headlines will be “BARR REBUKES TRUMP FOR MEDDLING IN STONE CASE,” which is what Barr intended. The headlines should be “BARR TAKES FALL FOR CHANGE TO STONE’S RECOMMENDED SENTENCE, INSISTS IT WAS ON THE MERITS.” To refresh your memory, not one but two different Trump cronies — Mike Flynn and Roger Stone — caught a break recently from the DOJ when the Department took the highly unusual step of amending its sentence recommendations in their cases to ask for leniency. Coincidentally, those amended recommendations came after the regular U.S. Attorney in charge, Jessie Liu, was removed from her post by Barr and replaced by one of his close advisors, Timothy Shea. Liu had been nominated to a position in the Treasury Department and was awaiting her confirmation hearing but could have continued to serve as U.S. Attorney until she took that position. For some reason, Barr wanted her out sooner.
On Tuesday night news broke that Liu’s Treasury nomination had been withdrawn by Trump, two days before she was set to face questions from the Senate. Why? “The problem wasn’t that she necessarily did anything wrong” as U.S. Attorney, CNN reported, citing a source, “but that she didn’t do more to get involved in those cases” like Flynn’s and Stone’s and Andrew McCabe’s — Trump’s political friends and enemies, in other words. It appears that Barr swapped in someone who would get more “involved” on the AG’s behalf. Which smells a lot like Rudy Giuliani deciding that Marie Yovanovitch had to go because she would have been an obstacle to the scheme he wanted to run on the Ukrainian government.
Liu finally gave up on the Treasury nomination this morning, by the way withdrawing from consideration. I’m guessing she won’t get her old job back in the D.C. office.
In other words, to all appearances, Barr is playing political “fixer” with the D.C. office behind the scenes, corruptly cutting special breaks for Trump’s buddies and probably preparing to crack down hard on his antagonists like McCabe. Trump being Trump, instead of just letting Barr go about his business quietly and preserve some degree of plausible deniability that that’s what’s going on, he had to open his big mouth about it:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227561237782855680
Barr wants to be able to present the otherwise unheard-of sentencing revisions for Flynn and Stone as something he did on the merits, not something done to reward the president’s political toadies. Trump made that charade harder for him to maintain, which brought us to today’s ABC interview. This analogy made me laugh:
This Barr interview is DeNiro in Goodfellas yelling at Johnny Roastbeef for buying his wife a Cadillac after the Lufthansa heist. — Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) February 13, 2020
When you’ve just done something shady, you don’t advertise it. You put your phone away and lay off Twitter for awhile.
Still, it’s unusual to find Trump being rebuked publicly for tweeting by a deputy, even if they’re coordinating on it and it’s to their mutual benefit politically. I think Barr felt obliged to say something because even otherwise Trump-friendly lawyers like Jack Goldsmith and Andy McCarthy were grossed out by the optics of DOJ leaders racing in to save Roger Stone from a stiff sentence at the last second, over the objections of their own prosecutors. The papers are full of stories today quoting former U.S. Attorneys lambasting the Department for having humiliated their own personnel in the name of protecting the president’s pals, both of whom have already been convicted. (Stone by a jury.) “Prosecutors across the United States, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals, said this week that they had already been wary of working on any case that might catch Mr. Trump’s attention and that the Stone episode only deepened their concern,” said the Times today. “They also said that they were worried that Mr. Barr might not support them in politically charged cases.” Barr may have been facing more resignations internally after the four prosecutors on the Stone case all withdrew in protest. He had to say something that would restore some plausibility to his and Trump’s denial that politics was being played in the Stone matter.
Goldsmith remembered how dubious it was in 2016 when Obama spoke up to say he was confident that Hillary Clinton had never endangered national security with her email practices even while the investigation was ongoing. That was bad, Goldsmith said, but what Trump did in commenting this week — and in previous cases, as this is part of a pattern — was much, much worse. Barr’s part of the pattern too:
As for Attorney General Barr: He has contributed to the perception of politicized law enforcement by giving interviews and speeches that appear to prejudge the investigation of the origins of the 2016 FBI investigation into President Trump, and that, more broadly, indicate that he sees many law enforcement and law-compliance issues through a left-right political lens. But now he has acted in a manner consistent with the president’s overt and highly political wishes to minimize Stone’s sentence, and the president has praised him for it. Whatever the reality of Barr’s decison-making process, it definitely appears that he bowed to the president’s politically self-serving wishes. Barr has a large conception of the president’s power to control investigations. But he is also, I still believe, a man of principle who loves the Justice Department. For his sake, and for the department’s, he needs to make the president stop barking politicized commands to the Department. Or he needs to stop acting in ways consistent with those orders and provocations. Or, if he cannot do one of those two things, he should quit.
In other words, whether or not Barr’s motives were corrupt in demanding leniency for Stone, they looked corrupt. Barr’s formal on-camera scolding of the president this afternoon is essentially a response to that point: Yes, okay, my motives might have looked corrupt but they weren’t corrupt. Until I see a wave of revised DOJ sentencing recommendations supporting leniency for Joe Schmo defendants instead of the president’s golf buddies, I don’t buy it. But maybe this fig leaf of good intentions will avert more resignations at the Department. Barr can’t do everything himself there, after all. He needs subordinates to at least be able to pretend their agency isn’t corrupt and that it’s doing meaningful work on cases involving the president’s friends before Trump inevitably hands Flynn and Stone their “get out of jail free because you’re my boys” cards.
Now we wait to see whether Trump throws a Twitter fit over Barr’s remarks or if he uncharacteristically declines comment. A presidential tantrum won’t prove that Barr was sincere in the ABC interview but it’d be circumstantial evidence of it, just as presidential silence would be circumstantial evidence that this really is kabuki. Meanwhile, I’m interested in hearing from Jessie Liu about all this. Now that she’s not in government, presumably the executive-privilege grounds to prevent her from testifying are a little weaker than they were yesterday. Given how she’s been treated and how humiliated her former D.C. deputies have been by all this, she may even be eager to talk.
Update: We’ll see. But I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it’s true.


hotair--2020-02-13--Jordan Peterson is recovering from addiction after nearly dying in a Russian detox hospital

Jordan Peterson ’ s daughter Mikhaila posted a video online last week offering an update on her father ’ s health .
The video outlines his growing addiction to benzodiazepine , a tranquilizer which is sold under dozens of different names including Xanax and Valium .
Mikhaila said Peterson was initially prescribed the medication for anxiety several years ago but when his wife was diagnosed with cancer last year , his use increased and he became addicted .
That eventually led to a medical crisis which Peterson barely survived : For the last 8 months he ’ s been in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worse when trying to remove it , because of the addition of withdrawal symptoms , stemming from physical dependence .
He experienced terrible akathisia , which is a condition where the person feels an incredible , endless , irresistible restlessness , bordering on panic , and an inability to sit still .
The reaction made him suicidal .
After several failed treatment attempts in North American hospitals , including attempts at tapering and micro-tapering , we had to seek an emergency medical benzodiazepine detox , which we were only able to find in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was further complicated by severe pneumonia which we ’ ve been told he developed in one of the previous hospitals .
He ’ s had to spend 4 weeks in the ICU in terrible shape , but , with the help of some extremely competent and courageous doctors , he survived .
The decision to bring him to Russia was made in extreme desperation , when we couldn ’ t find any better option .
The uncertainty around his recovery has been one of the most difficult and scary experiences we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Post that Peterson , “ nearly died several times.
” She also said he had been placed in a medically induced coma in order to detox from the drug .
There is some good news which is that he is now recovering and has regained his sense of humor , but she also said he is currently unable to type or walk without assistance .
Given the degree to which people on the left hated Peterson before all of this happened , you won ’ t be surprised to learn there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over his near death experience .
Fox News has cataloged some of those reactions .
A writer for the National Post published a piece blasting the reaction of Peterson ’ s critics : Ironically , the anti-Petersonians now seem far more fanatical than Peterson ’ s most faithful fans .
This became clear in recent days , when some of Peterson ’ s critics — including , amazingly , a professor at the University of Ottawa — went online to express satisfaction that Peterson is being treated for dependence on benzodiazepine , an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ghoulish response .
It was also comically hypocritical , given that these are the same people who typically spend much of their waking lives boasting publicly of their commitment to social justice , and who insist on using the language of genocide to describe acts of misgendering or cultural appropriation .
All cults dehumanize their critics and perceived enemies .
And the self-described social-justice proponents who regard Peterson as a secular demon are no different… If you ’ re looking for demons , which fits the role more perfectly : the troubled academic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wife ’ s cancer and the strains of life in the public spotlight — or the social-justice hashtag sadists who revel in his misery ?
His opponents were frustrated that he was repeatedly able to win arguments on television with people spouting their views .
Now they are taking this chance to dance on his ( almost ) grave knowing he ’ s in no condition to respond .
What lovely people .
Here ’ s Peterson ’ s daughter describing what happened .
She ends this by saying the next update will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hoping he ’ s able to make a full recovery .

Jordan Peterson’s daughter Mikhaila posted a video online last week offering an update on her father’s health. The video outlines his growing addiction to benzodiazepine, a tranquilizer which is sold under dozens of different names including Xanax and Valium. Mikhaila said Peterson was initially prescribed the medication for anxiety several years ago but when his wife was diagnosed with cancer last year, his use increased and he became addicted. That eventually led to a medical crisis which Peterson barely survived:
For the last 8 months he’s been in unbearable discomfort from this drug, made worse when trying to remove it, because of the addition of withdrawal symptoms, stemming from physical dependence. He experienced terrible akathisia, which is a condition where the person feels an incredible, endless, irresistible restlessness, bordering on panic, and an inability to sit still. The reaction made him suicidal. After several failed treatment attempts in North American hospitals, including attempts at tapering and micro-tapering, we had to seek an emergency medical benzodiazepine detox, which we were only able to find in Russia. It was incredibly grueling, and was further complicated by severe pneumonia which we’ve been told he developed in one of the previous hospitals. He’s had to spend 4 weeks in the ICU in terrible shape, but, with the help of some extremely competent and courageous doctors, he survived. The decision to bring him to Russia was made in extreme desperation, when we couldn’t find any better option. The uncertainty around his recovery has been one of the most difficult and scary experiences we’ve ever had.
Mikhaila told the National Post that Peterson, “nearly died several times.” She also said he had been placed in a medically induced coma in order to detox from the drug. There is some good news which is that he is now recovering and has regained his sense of humor, but she also said he is currently unable to type or walk without assistance.
Given the degree to which people on the left hated Peterson before all of this happened, you won’t be surprised to learn there are people feeling glee or at least schadenfreude over his near death experience. Fox News has cataloged some of those reactions. A writer for the National Post published a piece blasting the reaction of Peterson’s critics:
Ironically, the anti-Petersonians now seem far more fanatical than Peterson’s most faithful fans. This became clear in recent days, when some of Peterson’s critics — including, amazingly, a professor at the University of Ottawa — went online to express satisfaction that Peterson is being treated for dependence on benzodiazepine, an anti-anxiety medication. It was a shockingly ghoulish response. It was also comically hypocritical, given that these are the same people who typically spend much of their waking lives boasting publicly of their commitment to social justice, and who insist on using the language of genocide to describe acts of misgendering or cultural appropriation. All cults dehumanize their critics and perceived enemies. And the self-described social-justice proponents who regard Peterson as a secular demon are no different… If you’re looking for demons, which fits the role more perfectly: the troubled academic who took medication to deal with his wife’s cancer and the strains of life in the public spotlight — or the social-justice hashtag sadists who revel in his misery?
His opponents were frustrated that he was repeatedly able to win arguments on television with people spouting their views. Now they are taking this chance to dance on his (almost) grave knowing he’s in no condition to respond. What lovely people.
Here’s Peterson’s daughter describing what happened. She ends this by saying the next update will come from him. Here’s hoping he’s able to make a full recovery.


hotair--2020-02-13--New national poll: Bloomberg now just one point behind Biden for second place, ahead of Biden on ele

New national poll: Bloomberg now just one point behind Biden for second place, ahead of Biden on electability

Trump ’ s on the phone right now with Zelensky , like , “ By any chance , has Mike Bloomberg ever leaned on any of your prosecutors ?
” And then , before he can answer : “ Because I ’ ve got the next shipment of military aid right here and I just want to know how soon I should send it out.
” The sudden decline of Joe Biden and the sudden rise of Mike Bloomberg still hasn ’ t quite reached the point where Bloomy has been able to pass him in any national polls .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ taken after Iowa and before New Hampshire , finishing with 15 percent versus Biden ’ s 17 percent .
( Bernie led with 25 percent . )
Today ’ s new one from Morning Consult pushes him a tiny bit closer , just one thin point behind Joe .
And remember that Bloomberg has nothing on the line next week in Nevada whereas Biden ’ s likely to suffer another dismal defeat .
There ’ s every reason to believe Biden will slip to third nationally after that state votes .
If not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ highest number Bloomberg ’ s recorded in any national poll since entering the race .
And contrary to expectations , the moderate lane hasn ’ t gotten more crowded for him since New Hampshire , despite the strong second-place finish by Pete Buttigieg and the strong third-place finish by Amy Klobuchar .
Mayor Pete was steady in Morning Consult ’ s at 11 percent before and after NH while Klobuchar rose just two points , from three to five percent .
Bloomberg ’ s still five points back of Biden in the RCP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But in the FiveThirtyEight polling average , he ’ s only slightly more than a point behind , at 15.3 percent versus Biden ’ s 16.5 .
Sanders is the unquestioned national leader at an underwhelming 23 percent .
This is where I remind you that next Wednesday night will bring us a *hugely* consequential pre-Nevada debate , not just because it may affect the outcome in that state ( remember how important Klobuchar ’ s last debate performance was to her surge in New Hampshire ) but because it ’ s the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The DNC bent the rules to include him in it , dispensing with the requirements that candidates meet a certain threshold of donations in order to qualify .
Lefties were understandably irate at that , especially since Bloomberg ’ s not even on the ballot in Nevada .
But we are where we are , and every candidate onstage will have strong reasons to go nuclear on him .
Biden , Buttigieg , and Klobuchar need to blow him up to clear the moderate lane on Super Tuesday .
Bernie needs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the nomination .
And Warren — well , Warren ’ s done , but she can at least get her money ’ s worth from her remaining time as a candidate by slaughtering a billionaire who ’ s bidding to buy his way to the nomination .
Who knows ?
If she stands out in unloading on him , she might even get a last-minute second look from progressives .
If I were Bloomy , I ’ d take it all in stride .
“ I ’ ll defend my record but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fellow Democrat when together we ’ re facing a threat as grave as Donald Trump.
” That ’ s been Bloomberg ’ s strategy all along with his colossal advertising binge : He ’ s used it to introduce himself to voters but also to attack Trump , not the rest of the field , which is a smart way to bolster his dubious Democratic cred , to elevate himself beyond the petty squabbling of the primary race , and to appeal to the id of America ’ s anti-Trump majority .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too .
And Trump , for whatever strange reason , continues to indulge him in it : Trump should be giving Sanders free press right now , not Bloomberg .
Bloomberg ’ s pitch , fundamentally , is “ I ’ ll punch the bully in the face and then use my campaign Death Star to turn him into Alderaan.
” It ’ s a message that ’ ll work on a lot of voters who dislike the president , especially those towards the center : The more Democrats become convinced that Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a special way , the more interested in him they ’ ll be .
Back to the Morning Consult poll , though .
Here ’ s what happened when they asked the fateful electability question , “ Who do you think has the best chance of beating Trump in November ?
” Catastrophic for Biden , especially since he ’ s also down among his base of black voters .
Black Dems are now more likely to say Bernie has the best chance of beating Trump than Biden , 32/21 , a number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And no , New Hampshire didn ’ t do much to help Buttigieg or Klobuchar on this score either .
Mayor Pete rose two points on electability , to eight percent , while Klobuchar also rose two points , to just three percent .
If you ’ re looking for reasons to be bullish on Bloomberg , this data is it .
The other three candidates in the center are either dropping like a rock in terms of electability or gaining no altitude .
If this perception of Bloomy ’ s viability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if , given the debates to come — I ’ d expect him to stand out in his “ lane.
” In lieu of an exit question , go read this thread about how Bloomberg shrewdly and cynically deploys his unlimited financial resources to buy friends and allies , endorsements and flattering media coverage , and God knows what else in politics .
If he doesn ’ t win the nomination it really will be proof that elections can ’ t be bought .
If it can ’ t be done with his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done , period .

Trump’s on the phone right now with Zelensky, like, “By any chance, has Mike Bloomberg ever leaned on any of your prosecutors?”
And then, before he can answer: “Because I’ve got the next shipment of military aid right here and I just want to know how soon I should send it out.”
The sudden decline of Joe Biden and the sudden rise of Mike Bloomberg still hasn’t quite reached the point where Bloomy has been able to pass him in any national polls. He got close in a Quinnipiac poll taken after Iowa and before New Hampshire, finishing with 15 percent versus Biden’s 17 percent. (Bernie led with 25 percent.) Today’s new one from Morning Consult pushes him a tiny bit closer, just one thin point behind Joe. And remember that Bloomberg has nothing on the line next week in Nevada whereas Biden’s likely to suffer another dismal defeat.
There’s every reason to believe Biden will slip to third nationally after that state votes. If not before.
That 18 percent is the highest number Bloomberg’s recorded in any national poll since entering the race. And contrary to expectations, the moderate lane hasn’t gotten more crowded for him since New Hampshire, despite the strong second-place finish by Pete Buttigieg and the strong third-place finish by Amy Klobuchar. Mayor Pete was steady in Morning Consult’s at 11 percent before and after NH while Klobuchar rose just two points, from three to five percent.
Bloomberg’s still five points back of Biden in the RCP polling average as I write this. But in the FiveThirtyEight polling average, he’s only slightly more than a point behind, at 15.3 percent versus Biden’s 16.5. Sanders is the unquestioned national leader at an underwhelming 23 percent.
This is where I remind you that next Wednesday night will bring us a *hugely* consequential pre-Nevada debate, not just because it may affect the outcome in that state (remember how important Klobuchar’s last debate performance was to her surge in New Hampshire) but because it’s the first one in which Bloomberg will participate. The DNC bent the rules to include him in it, dispensing with the requirements that candidates meet a certain threshold of donations in order to qualify. Lefties were understandably irate at that, especially since Bloomberg’s not even on the ballot in Nevada. But we are where we are, and every candidate onstage will have strong reasons to go nuclear on him. Biden, Buttigieg, and Klobuchar need to blow him up to clear the moderate lane on Super Tuesday. Bernie needs to blow him up to clear his path to the nomination. And Warren — well, Warren’s done, but she can at least get her money’s worth from her remaining time as a candidate by slaughtering a billionaire who’s bidding to buy his way to the nomination.
Who knows? If she stands out in unloading on him, she might even get a last-minute second look from progressives.
If I were Bloomy, I’d take it all in stride. “I’ll defend my record but I refuse to hit back at a fellow Democrat when together we’re facing a threat as grave as Donald Trump.” That’s been Bloomberg’s strategy all along with his colossal advertising binge: He’s used it to introduce himself to voters but also to attack Trump, not the rest of the field, which is a smart way to bolster his dubious Democratic cred, to elevate himself beyond the petty squabbling of the primary race, and to appeal to the id of America’s anti-Trump majority. He’s doing it on social media too. And Trump, for whatever strange reason, continues to indulge him in it:
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227943796681400320
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1227946304057364481
To which Bloomberg replied:
.@realDonaldTrump – we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence. I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will. https://t.co/fO4azmZaUg — Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 13, 2020
Trump should be giving Sanders free press right now, not Bloomberg. Bloomberg’s pitch, fundamentally, is “I’ll punch the bully in the face and then use my campaign Death Star to turn him into Alderaan.” It’s a message that’ll work on a lot of voters who dislike the president, especially those towards the center:
I have no opinion on my preferred candidate at the moment…but Bloomberg has *nailed* Trump's existential fear and is taking aim like a missile. It's glorious 🔥😂 https://t.co/Kmln4ynsCF — Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) February 13, 2020
The more Democrats become convinced that Bloomberg gets under Trump’s skin in a special way, the more interested in him they’ll be. Back to the Morning Consult poll, though. Here’s what happened when they asked the fateful electability question, “Who do you think has the best chance of beating Trump in November?”
Catastrophic for Biden, especially since he’s also down among his base of black voters. Black Dems are now more likely to say Bernie has the best chance of beating Trump than Biden, 32/21, a number that may mean doomsday in South Carolina. And no, New Hampshire didn’t do much to help Buttigieg or Klobuchar on this score either. Mayor Pete rose two points on electability, to eight percent, while Klobuchar also rose two points, to just three percent. If you’re looking for reasons to be bullish on Bloomberg, this data is it. The other three candidates in the center are either dropping like a rock in terms of electability or gaining no altitude. If this perception of Bloomy’s viability holds on Super Tuesday — a big if, given the debates to come — I’d expect him to stand out in his “lane.”
In lieu of an exit question, go read this thread about how Bloomberg shrewdly and cynically deploys his unlimited financial resources to buy friends and allies, endorsements and flattering media coverage, and God knows what else in politics. If he doesn’t win the nomination it really will be proof that elections can’t be bought. If it can’t be done with his scratch then it can’t be done, period.


hotair--2020-02-13--Today's hot topics on #TEMS: Open season on Bloomy, Biden: All's groovy, Warren gloomy,  budget loon

Today's hot topics on #TEMS: Open season on Bloomy, Biden: All's groovy, Warren gloomy,  budget looney, and more!

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show ( 4 pm ET ) , we have another great lineup for the news of the day !
The show will be streamed on Hot Air ’ s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook .
Join us as we welcome : • Duane “ Generalissimo ” Patterson brings us up to date on the week ’ s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow ’ s Hugh Hewitt show .
We ’ ll talk about the massive and ongoing carpet bombing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s new Oral Roberts pitch , Joe Biden ’ s Last Stand , and the new “ reduction in violence ” deal in Afghanistan .
• Should we take the president ’ s budget proposal literally , seriously , or neither ?
Taylor Millard joins us to discuss it , his new website , plus the rest of the day ’ s news !
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page .
Be sure to join us , and don ’ t forget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my Facebook page , too !
How can Republicans and conservatives keep winning after 2016 ?
Find out in GOING RED , published in April from Crown Forum !

Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (4 pm ET), we have another great lineup for the news of the day! The show will be streamed on Hot Air’s Facebook page and embedded here and on the show page for those who are not on Facebook.
Join us as we welcome:
Duane “Generalissimo” Patterson brings us up to date on the week’s top stories and gives us a preview of tomorrow’s Hugh Hewitt show. We’ll talk about the massive and ongoing carpet bombing in Operation Bloomy Storm, Elizabeth Warren’s new Oral Roberts pitch, Joe Biden’s Last Stand, and the new “reduction in violence” deal in Afghanistan.
Should we take the president’s budget proposal literally, seriously, or neither? Taylor Millard joins us to discuss it, his new website, plus the rest of the day’s news!
The Ed Morrissey Show and its dynamic chatroom can be seen on the permanent TEMS page. Be sure to join us, and don’t forget to keep up with the debate on my Facebook page, too!
How can Republicans and conservatives keep winning after 2016? Find out in GOING RED, published in April from Crown Forum!


hotair--2020-02-13--Warren, AOC: Let's not forget that Bloomberg's a racist

It ’ s still early , but two leading Democrats rolled out the heavy artillery today against Michael Bloomberg — usually reserved for Republicans .
Both Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and primary competitor Elizabeth Warren accused Bloomberg of racism over two separate issues springboarded off of some eeeenteresting oppo-research eruptions .
The former NYC mayor tried yesterday to “ move past a controversy ” over his earlier implementation of “ stop and frisk ” policies , with his eponymous news organization offering a helpful The Boss Wants To Explain feature : Michael Bloomberg sought Wednesday to move past a controversy about comments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority communities justified stop-and-frisk policing when he was New York mayor .
He predicted black voters will still support him .
“ Those words don ’ t reflect the way that I ’ ve governed , or the way that I run my company or the way that I live , ” Bloomberg told reporters after a campaign stop Wednesday in Chattanooga , Tennessee .
He said he was re-elected twice in one of the most diverse U.S. cities .
“ I think we ’ re going to do very well in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audio was posted on Twitter , his campaign held a conference call with the Black Economic Alliance , which garnered an apology from Bloomberg , and a meeting with 20 African-American faith leaders who backed him .
On Wednesday , his campaign announced endorsements by three members of the Congressional Black Caucus : Representative Gregory Meeks of New York , who was named a co-chairman of Bloomberg ’ s Black America National Leadership Council ; Representative Lucy McBath of Georgia , who became a gun-control activist after her 17 year-old son was shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands .
Just as an aside , let ’ s not forget that Bloomberg News is still taking its marching orders from Bloomberg himself , and that those orders include not criticizing the boss .
That ’ s bad enough without having to issue his self-serving PR releases as “ news ” under its Politics brand .
At any rate , Bloomberg Politics might be impressed with its boss ’ efforts to “ move past ” his stop-and-frisk history and comments , but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broke the R-word out from its Use Only in Case of GOP Emergency case to use on Bloomberg : AOC ’ s not the only leading Democratic figure to smash the emergency case , either .
Elizabeth Warren was only slightly more nuanced in using it after the Associated Press reported on Bloomberg comments in 2008 about the financial crisis , which he blamed in part on anti-redlining initiatives : Like his public comments on stop-and-frisk , Bloomberg brought this on himself : “ It all started back when there was a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to everyone , ” Bloomberg , now a Democratic presidential candidate , said at a forum that was hosted by Georgetown University in September 2008 .
“ Redlining , if you remember , was the term where banks took whole neighborhoods and said , ‘ People in these neighborhoods are poor , they ’ re not going to be able to pay off their mortgages , tell your salesmen don ’ t go into those areas.
’ ” He continued : “ And then Congress got involved — local elected officials , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ’ s not fair , these people should be able to get credit.
’ And once you started pushing in that direction , banks started making more and more loans where the credit of the person buying the house wasn ’ t as good as you would like.
” Bloomberg , a billionaire who built a media and financial services empire before turning to electoral politics , was correct that the financial crisis was triggered in part by banks extending loans to borrowers who were ill-suited to repay them .
But by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ redlining , a practice used by banks to discriminate against minority borrowers , Bloomberg appears to be blaming policies intended to bring equality to the housing market .
This is a bungled explanation of an actual problem in pre-collapse policies , because the larger issue wasn ’ t just limited to poor borrowers .
The Community Reinvestment Act and other such policies , along with pressure brought by regulators under both the Clinton and Bush administrations to lend much more freely , got combined up with loan guarantees by Fannie Mae and Freddie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both administrations had just stuck to anti-redlining policies , the scale of the problem would have been far more modest .
Instead , those policies got applied widely , which allowed many more people to buy more than they could afford , leveraging against the bubble-driven rapid escalation of home valuations and equity .
Lots of people — not just the poor — then used that equity as either ATM machines to fuel their consumerism or to flip houses and extend themselves further .
It ’ s a dumb explanation , although Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Given that the very term “ redlining ” has always had connotations of racism , it was particularly stupid of Bloomberg to explicitly attempt to rehabilitate the practice .
What makes this interesting is that Bloomberg ’ s own party is now willing to brand him with the Scarlet Letter R as these earlier comments arise rather than leave themselves room in case he actually wins the nomination .
This makes it clear that Warren , AOC , and others fear he might actually do just that — beat them or another progressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After years of reserving this attack to those outside the Democratic tent , it ’ s an attack that ’ s now being launched inwardly .
Eeeenteresting .
Speaking of tents , will this convince Bloomberg to fold his in 2020 ?
Earlier he pledged to spend vast sums of money all the way to November to defeat Donald Trump regardless of whether he won the nomination or not .
At this point , any rational multi-billionaire must wonder why he ’ d spend hundreds of millions of dollars more while his own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefactor .

It’s still early, but two leading Democrats rolled out the heavy artillery today against Michael Bloomberg — usually reserved for Republicans. Both Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and primary competitor Elizabeth Warren accused Bloomberg of racism over two separate issues springboarded off of some eeeenteresting oppo-research eruptions.
The former NYC mayor tried yesterday to “move past a controversy” over his earlier implementation of “stop and frisk” policies, with his eponymous news organization offering a helpful The Boss Wants To Explain feature:
Michael Bloomberg sought Wednesday to move past a controversy about comments he made in 2015 that crime in minority communities justified stop-and-frisk policing when he was New York mayor. He predicted black voters will still support him. “Those words don’t reflect the way that I’ve governed, or the way that I run my company or the way that I live,” Bloomberg told reporters after a campaign stop Wednesday in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He said he was re-elected twice in one of the most diverse U.S. cities. “I think we’re going to do very well in the African-American community.” … Hours after the audio was posted on Twitter, his campaign held a conference call with the Black Economic Alliance, which garnered an apology from Bloomberg, and a meeting with 20 African-American faith leaders who backed him. On Wednesday, his campaign announced endorsements by three members of the Congressional Black Caucus: Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, who was named a co-chairman of Bloomberg’s Black America National Leadership Council; Representative Lucy McBath of Georgia, who became a gun-control activist after her 17 year-old son was shot and killed in 2012; and Representative Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Just as an aside, let’s not forget that Bloomberg News is still taking its marching orders from Bloomberg himself, and that those orders include not criticizing the boss. That’s bad enough without having to issue his self-serving PR releases as “news” under its Politics brand.
At any rate, Bloomberg Politics might be impressed with its boss’ efforts to “move past” his stop-and-frisk history and comments, but Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is most decidedly not. Earlier today, she broke the R-word out from its Use Only in Case of GOP Emergency case to use on Bloomberg:
New York City is about 60% people of color. Stop and Frisk was an unconstitutional, devastating practice for the entire city that intentionally exempted White people from harm. It was one of the most racist policies I’ve ever lived through that deeply impacted the entire city. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 13, 2020
AOC’s not the only leading Democratic figure to smash the emergency case, either. Elizabeth Warren was only slightly more nuanced in using it after the Associated Press reported on Bloomberg comments in 2008 about the financial crisis, which he blamed in part on anti-redlining initiatives:
I'm surprised that someone running for the Democratic nomination thinks the economy would be better off if we just let banks be more overtly racist. We need to confront the shameful legacy of discrimination, not lie about it like Mike Bloomberg has done. https://t.co/Lzavpie7Iy — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 13, 2020
Like his public comments on stop-and-frisk, Bloomberg brought this on himself:
“It all started back when there was a lot of pressure on banks to make loans to everyone,” Bloomberg, now a Democratic presidential candidate, said at a forum that was hosted by Georgetown University in September 2008. “Redlining, if you remember, was the term where banks took whole neighborhoods and said, ‘People in these neighborhoods are poor, they’re not going to be able to pay off their mortgages, tell your salesmen don’t go into those areas.’” He continued: “And then Congress got involved — local elected officials, as well — and said, ‘Oh that’s not fair, these people should be able to get credit.’ And once you started pushing in that direction, banks started making more and more loans where the credit of the person buying the house wasn’t as good as you would like.” Bloomberg, a billionaire who built a media and financial services empire before turning to electoral politics, was correct that the financial crisis was triggered in part by banks extending loans to borrowers who were ill-suited to repay them. But by attributing the meltdown to the elimination of redlining, a practice used by banks to discriminate against minority borrowers, Bloomberg appears to be blaming policies intended to bring equality to the housing market.
This is a bungled explanation of an actual problem in pre-collapse policies, because the larger issue wasn’t just limited to poor borrowers. The Community Reinvestment Act and other such policies, along with pressure brought by regulators under both the Clinton and Bush administrations to lend much more freely, got combined up with loan guarantees by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to create this disaster. If both administrations had just stuck to anti-redlining policies, the scale of the problem would have been far more modest. Instead, those policies got applied widely, which allowed many more people to buy more than they could afford, leveraging against the bubble-driven rapid escalation of home valuations and equity. Lots of people — not just the poor — then used that equity as either ATM machines to fuel their consumerism or to flip houses and extend themselves further. It’s a dumb explanation, although Bloomberg was hardly alone in advancing it. Given that the very term “redlining” has always had connotations of racism, it was particularly stupid of Bloomberg to explicitly attempt to rehabilitate the practice.
What makes this interesting is that Bloomberg’s own party is now willing to brand him with the Scarlet Letter R as these earlier comments arise rather than leave themselves room in case he actually wins the nomination. This makes it clear that Warren, AOC, and others fear he might actually do just that — beat them or another progressive to the top of the ticket. After years of reserving this attack to those outside the Democratic tent, it’s an attack that’s now being launched inwardly. Eeeenteresting.
Speaking of tents, will this convince Bloomberg to fold his in 2020? Earlier he pledged to spend vast sums of money all the way to November to defeat Donald Trump regardless of whether he won the nomination or not. At this point, any rational multi-billionaire must wonder why he’d spend hundreds of millions of dollars more while his own party conducts a character assassination on its benefactor.