hotair--2020-12-18--Report: Trump scraps campaign trip to Georgia because he's mad at Brian Kemp

You would think the fact that Kemp and his family are being threatened relentlessly would cheer him up enough to make him take the trip .
Let ’ s face it .
At best , Trump doesn ’ t care whether Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue win .
He won ’ t be blamed if they lose ; Kemp and Brad Raffensperger will .
In fact , seeing Loeffler and Perdue lose would be useful to the president .
He could cite it as evidence that , with him out of office , Republican voters are sufficiently demoralized that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
( That ’ ll be proved wrong in 2022 but it ’ s a good talking point for now . )
And of course he ’ ll insist that Loeffler and Perdue losing “ proves ” that Biden cheated to win on November 3 .
It just can ’ t be that Democrats could win three statewide races in Georgia , of all places , in the span of two months .
If Republicans lose the runoffs , that ’ ll be treated as the smoking gun that the state ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if Loeffler and Perdue win , only two conclusions are possible .
Either Kemp and Raffensperger somehow secured the voting system between November 3 and January 5 , making further cheating impossible , and concealed it from everyone .
Or … Trump lost fair and square on Election Day .
It wasn ’ t cheating .
It was a simple matter of right-leaning suburban voters strongly disliking him personally but having no real problem with Loeffler or Perdue .
Anyway , per the Times , he ’ s not showing up tomorrow .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this month .
Or maybe not .
Talk of counterprogramming Mr. Biden ’ s inauguration with a splashy event or an announcement of his own is currently on hold .
Mr. Trump had been tentatively planning to go to Georgia on Saturday , according to a senior Republican official , to support the two Republicans in Senate runoff races there .
But he is still angry at the state ’ s Republican governor and secretary of state for accepting the election result , and simply doesn ’ t want to make the trip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going after the Christmas holiday , but it ’ s not clear he will be in a more magnanimous mood by then… One person close to Mr. Trump said that he has sounded less certain about declaring he ’ s running in 2024 than he had just two weeks ago .
That uncertainty is causing anxiety for a number of advisers and aides to the president , some of whom might join other campaigns but are stuck in limbo until Mr. Trump makes up his mind .
Announcing for president would trigger tighter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spending and added financial disclosures , including of Mr. Trump ’ s personal finances , that simply operating a PAC would not .
That ’ s from a story about the phenomenal sums of money Trump has raised from MAGA fans for his new leadership PAC since Election Day .
He ’ s spamming supporters with texts and emails asking for donations to the “ Georgia Election Fund , ” but none of that money goes to Loeffler or Perdue .
A quarter of it goes to the RNC , which can spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other three-quarters goes to Trump ’ s PAC , which can spend it on … virtually anything .
Travel .
Staff .
Legal bills for prosecutions yet to come .
A 2024 campaign .
“ A leadership PAC is a slush fund , ” said one expert to the Times .
Probably won ’ t see much of that dough spent on Georgia , for the simple reason that he doesn ’ t care what happens there .
Why should he ?
What ’ s in it for him ?
Democrats are hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and seething contempt for Kemp and Raffensperger will drive down GOP turnout just enough to hand them a Senate majority : “ I think Trump wants Loeffler and Perdue to lose so he can blame Kemp .
It ’ s the craziest thing I ’ ve seen , ” said James Carville , a former adviser to President Bill Clinton .
“ If he keeps it up , it ’ s good for us.
” … “ Trump is helping our case , ” said Cliff Albright , co-founder and executive director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ If he had just taken the loss and just gone into a corner and just been quiet , then people would still just be celebrating the general election .
“ But because he ’ s still out there actively trying to steal the election — trying to steal Black votes or discount Black votes — it has basically allowed it to still be a referendum on Trump .
Because he hasn ’ t shut up.
” Some Democratic groups are putting up billboards aimed at discouraging GOP turnout by playing off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wood have voiced .
“ Perdue and Loeffler didn ’ t deliver for Trump .
Don ’ t deliver for them , ” reads one , referring to the failure of the two on November 3 to get to 50 percent and help Trump across the finish line against Biden .
Another billboard simply reproduces one of Trump ’ s own tweets : “ Why vote for Republicans if what you get is Ducey and Kemp ?
” Why indeed ?
This new poll result caught my eye this afternoon as a sign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shaping Republican opinion .
That ’ s a *big* shift in just a week after the Texas lawsuit : One might reasonably conclude that there ’ s similar demoralization happening among MAGA fans in Georgia about voting on January 5 .
But one would be wrong , it seems : “ One theory is that GOP infighting would depress turnout because people boycott the election , ” wrote Zaid Jilani in response to that tweet .
“ The second theory is that GOP infighting would keep GOP voters engaged while a lot of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data lately suggests that the second theory is winning out , which means maybe the party doesn ’ t need Trump to come back to Georgia after all .
Maybe , in fact , it ’ s better that he doesn ’ t and lets sleeping dogs lie .
Democrats got what they wanted when Biden won ; they ’ re putting Trump in their rearview mirrors and tuning out of the runoffs , possibly due to election fatigue .
Having Trump blow into town and piss them off with a new round @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wake them up .
In lieu of an exit question , read Georgia native Erick Erickson ’ s seven reasons why it appears Republicans are headed for victory on January 5 .
I think he ’ s right , especially given how hard-hitting the attacks on Warnock have been .

You would think the fact that Kemp and his family are being threatened relentlessly would cheer him up enough to make him take the trip.
Let’s face it. At best, Trump doesn’t care whether Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue win. He won’t be blamed if they lose; Kemp and Brad Raffensperger will. In fact, seeing Loeffler and Perdue lose would be useful to the president. He could cite it as evidence that, with him out of office, Republican voters are sufficiently demoralized that the party can’t win elections anymore. (That’ll be proved wrong in 2022 but it’s a good talking point for now.) And of course he’ll insist that Loeffler and Perdue losing “proves” that Biden cheated to win on November 3. It just can’t be that Democrats could win three statewide races in Georgia, of all places, in the span of two months. If Republicans lose the runoffs, that’ll be treated as the smoking gun that the state’s electoral process is hopelessly corrupt.
Whereas if Loeffler and Perdue win, only two conclusions are possible. Either Kemp and Raffensperger somehow secured the voting system between November 3 and January 5, making further cheating impossible, and concealed it from everyone. Or … Trump lost fair and square on Election Day. It wasn’t cheating. It was a simple matter of right-leaning suburban voters strongly disliking him personally but having no real problem with Loeffler or Perdue.
Anyway, per the Times, he’s not showing up tomorrow. Maybe he’ll show up later this month. Or maybe not.
Talk of counterprogramming Mr. Biden’s inauguration with a splashy event or an announcement of his own is currently on hold. Mr. Trump had been tentatively planning to go to Georgia on Saturday, according to a senior Republican official, to support the two Republicans in Senate runoff races there. But he is still angry at the state’s Republican governor and secretary of state for accepting the election result, and simply doesn’t want to make the trip. There is some discussion about him going after the Christmas holiday, but it’s not clear he will be in a more magnanimous mood by then… One person close to Mr. Trump said that he has sounded less certain about declaring he’s running in 2024 than he had just two weeks ago. That uncertainty is causing anxiety for a number of advisers and aides to the president, some of whom might join other campaigns but are stuck in limbo until Mr. Trump makes up his mind. Announcing for president would trigger tighter rules on Mr. Trump’s political spending and added financial disclosures, including of Mr. Trump’s personal finances, that simply operating a PAC would not.
That’s from a story about the phenomenal sums of money Trump has raised from MAGA fans for his new leadership PAC since Election Day. He’s spamming supporters with texts and emails asking for donations to the “Georgia Election Fund,” but none of that money goes to Loeffler or Perdue. A quarter of it goes to the RNC, which can spend it on the Georgia races. The other three-quarters goes to Trump’s PAC, which can spend it on … virtually anything. Travel. Staff. Legal bills for prosecutions yet to come. A 2024 campaign. “A leadership PAC is a slush fund,” said one expert to the Times.
Probably won’t see much of that dough spent on Georgia, for the simple reason that he doesn’t care what happens there. Why should he? What’s in it for him?
Democrats are hoping that his obvious disinterest in the outcome and seething contempt for Kemp and Raffensperger will drive down GOP turnout just enough to hand them a Senate majority:
“I think Trump wants Loeffler and Perdue to lose so he can blame Kemp. It’s the craziest thing I’ve seen,” said James Carville, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton. “If he keeps it up, it’s good for us.”… “Trump is helping our case,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of the voting rights group Black Voters Matter. “If he had just taken the loss and just gone into a corner and just been quiet, then people would still just be celebrating the general election. “But because he’s still out there actively trying to steal the election — trying to steal Black votes or discount Black votes — it has basically allowed it to still be a referendum on Trump. Because he hasn’t shut up.”
Some Democratic groups are putting up billboards aimed at discouraging GOP turnout by playing off of sentiments Trump or allies like Lin Wood have voiced. “Perdue and Loeffler didn’t deliver for Trump. Don’t deliver for them,” reads one, referring to the failure of the two on November 3 to get to 50 percent and help Trump across the finish line against Biden. Another billboard simply reproduces one of Trump’s own tweets: “Why vote for Republicans if what you get is Ducey and Kemp?” Why indeed?
This new poll result caught my eye this afternoon as a sign of how demoralization about the election is shaping Republican opinion. That’s a *big* shift in just a week after the Texas lawsuit:
Republican approval of how the Supreme Court is handling its job dropped 33-points in the last week. December 13-15:
Approve – 39%
Disapprove – 41% December 6-8:
Approve – 72%
Disapprove – 13%https://t.co/MYx7uW0TT7 pic.twitter.com/FG7Rr6qvX2 — YouGov America (@YouGovAmerica) December 18, 2020
One might reasonably conclude that there’s similar demoralization happening among MAGA fans in Georgia about voting on January 5. But one would be wrong, it seems:
In the Georgia Runoff ABEV data, so far there are some reasons for Rs to be cautiously optimistic: – R ballot return rates higher than Ds by 2.8% (trailed in General by 2.2%)
– R deficit lower than in General by 2.3%
– Under 35 voters make up smaller share
– 65+ larger share — Mark Stephenson (@markjstephenson) December 18, 2020
“One theory is that GOP infighting would depress turnout because people boycott the election,” wrote Zaid Jilani in response to that tweet. “The second theory is that GOP infighting would keep GOP voters engaged while a lot of Dem voters have checked out.” The data lately suggests that the second theory is winning out, which means maybe the party doesn’t need Trump to come back to Georgia after all. Maybe, in fact, it’s better that he doesn’t and lets sleeping dogs lie. Democrats got what they wanted when Biden won; they’re putting Trump in their rearview mirrors and tuning out of the runoffs, possibly due to election fatigue. Having Trump blow into town and piss them off with a new round of “Biden cheated” rhetoric might wake them up.
In lieu of an exit question, read Georgia native Erick Erickson’s seven reasons why it appears Republicans are headed for victory on January 5. I think he’s right, especially given how hard-hitting the attacks on Warnock have been.


hotair--2020-12-18--Is Biden seriously going to appoint the head of Disney to be our new ambassador to China?

I should rephrase .
Is Biden seriously going to try to appoint the head of Disney to be our new ambassador to China ?
The GOP is a party of China hawks now , after all .
It probably would have been a party of China hawks post-coronavirus even without Trump ’ s influence , but the dual realities of MAGA and COVID guarantee that the nomination of some Beijing bootlicker from America ’ s entertainment industry to be ambassador would be received by the Senate … coolly , let us say .
The idea of nominating Iger is so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s coming from his own camp , not Team Joe .
“ The Disney executive chairman , who once toyed with the idea of a 2020 presidential run , is at the top of President-elect Joe Biden ’ s wish list for a key ambassador post , namely China or the U.K. , ” sources recently told … The Hollywood Reporter , a newspaper not known for major political scoops .
Iger and his cronies are probably spreading this around in the media hoping that the idea will gain some buzz in Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That would explain why THR , rather than Politico , is hearing whispers about it first .
“ Robert Iger has told people close to the incoming Biden administration that he would be interested in serving as U.S. ambassador to China , according to people familiar with the matter , ” the Wall Street Journal noted today .
I ’ m sure he has .
And I bet he told those same people to make sure that the WSJ knows about it too .
What ’ s so stupid about this rumor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be seen as weak on China , and not just because of Republican opinion .
The two parties aren ’ t that far apart in their disdain for ChiCom totalitarianism , after all : That ’ s from a poll taken last March , as COVID descended on the United States , that found 66 percent of Americans view China unfavorably .
Another poll found Chinese unfavorability at 73 percent in the U.S. , in line with dimming views of China across the western world .
To put even more pressure on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trade war with Beijing and persistent rhetorical hawkishness has teed up the GOP to accuse Biden of being a weak-kneed appeaser by comparison .
Sleepy Joe will need to pick his spots in signaling toughness , and one obvious way to do that is not to nominate as ambassador some gladhanding fatcat from Hollywood USA who ’ s used to kissing Chinese ass to help his bottom line .
Even if Biden were willing to overlook all that and consider Iger as well suited to lead a tin-eared effort at rapprochement , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ atrocities in Xinjiang and suppression of Hong Kong would make it politically painful for him .
Democrats regard themselves as the party of human rights ; Obama joined a war in Libya to oust Qaddafi on the theory that western powers have a responsibility to protect minorities threatened with genocide .
Sending Iger to Beijing as the face of American resolve while China tightens the vise on Xinjiang ’ s Uighurs would be absurd in that context .
A noteworthy passage in the Journal : “ Mr .
Iger ’ s history in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he was introduced to high-ranking officials by his then-boss , CEO Michael Eisner , on a trip during which the company apologized for releasing a movie sympathetic to the Dalai Lama , Martin Scorsese ’ s ‘ Kundun . '
” His very first exposure to China , in other words , came in the course of apologizing to the regime for criticizing its subjugation of others .
For a fuller litany of Iger ’ s China-related sins , I highly recommend this Twitter thread from WaPo contributor Isaac Stone Fish .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CCP literally for decades , cooperating with them on the construction of Disney Shanghai and of course the distribution and production of various movies .
The most disgraceful was “ Mulan , ” which Fish wrote about earlier this year : It ’ d be like filming in and around the Warsaw ghetto in 1944 and then thanking Goebbels ’ s agency for their cooperation .
To make matters worse , Tiana Lowe reminds me that Iger was iffy about doing business in Georgia after that state passed a tough new anti-abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ d tsk-tsk about a pro-life measure in the U.S. while looking the other way at forced sterilization of undesirables by China ’ s leaders is a moral cretin who has no business representing the United States in anything .
Beyond all that , whether he could be trusted to confront the Chinese forthrightly knowing how Disney might be punished for it , even after he divested , is doubtful .
And as a purely symbolic matter , appointing a businessman of any stripe would be tone-deaf given the current posture of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could do is refrain from installing as our representative to China a man who has made his millions bowing and scraping to Xi at the behest of shareholders looking to squeeze every last yuan out of Chinese movie screens , ” writes Sonny Bunch .
The only reason Biden has to even consider doing so is that Iger and his movie buddies dropped big bucks on his campaign last year , but that ’ s a reason to consider giving him a cushy job like ambassador to the UK or France , not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which we ’ re increasingly at odds .
I think the whole idea is hype being pushed by Iger ’ s circle , as I said up top .
We ’ ll see if Biden proves me wrong .

I should rephrase. Is Biden seriously going to try to appoint the head of Disney to be our new ambassador to China?
The GOP is a party of China hawks now, after all. It probably would have been a party of China hawks post-coronavirus even without Trump’s influence, but the dual realities of MAGA and COVID guarantee that the nomination of some Beijing bootlicker from America’s entertainment industry to be ambassador would be received by the Senate … coolly, let us say.
The idea of nominating Iger is so glaringly terrible that I suspect it’s coming from his own camp, not Team Joe. “The Disney executive chairman, who once toyed with the idea of a 2020 presidential run, is at the top of President-elect Joe Biden’s wish list for a key ambassador post, namely China or the U.K.,” sources recently told … The Hollywood Reporter, a newspaper not known for major political scoops. Iger and his cronies are probably spreading this around in the media hoping that the idea will gain some buzz in Democratic circles and steer Biden towards considering it. That would explain why THR, rather than Politico, is hearing whispers about it first. “Robert Iger has told people close to the incoming Biden administration that he would be interested in serving as U.S. ambassador to China, according to people familiar with the matter,” the Wall Street Journal noted today. I’m sure he has. And I bet he told those same people to make sure that the WSJ knows about it too.
What’s so stupid about this rumor is that Biden can’t afford to be seen as weak on China, and not just because of Republican opinion. The two parties aren’t that far apart in their disdain for ChiCom totalitarianism, after all:
That’s from a poll taken last March, as COVID descended on the United States, that found 66 percent of Americans view China unfavorably. Another poll found Chinese unfavorability at 73 percent in the U.S., in line with dimming views of China across the western world. To put even more pressure on the incoming adminsitration, Trump’s trade war with Beijing and persistent rhetorical hawkishness has teed up the GOP to accuse Biden of being a weak-kneed appeaser by comparison. Sleepy Joe will need to pick his spots in signaling toughness, and one obvious way to do that is not to nominate as ambassador some gladhanding fatcat from Hollywood USA who’s used to kissing Chinese ass to help his bottom line.
Even if Biden were willing to overlook all that and consider Iger as well suited to lead a tin-eared effort at rapprochement, the growing public attention to China’s atrocities in Xinjiang and suppression of Hong Kong would make it politically painful for him. Democrats regard themselves as the party of human rights; Obama joined a war in Libya to oust Qaddafi on the theory that western powers have a responsibility to protect minorities threatened with genocide. Sending Iger to Beijing as the face of American resolve while China tightens the vise on Xinjiang’s Uighurs would be absurd in that context. A noteworthy passage in the Journal: “Mr. Iger’s history in China dates back to the 1990s, when he was introduced to high-ranking officials by his then-boss, CEO Michael Eisner, on a trip during which the company apologized for releasing a movie sympathetic to the Dalai Lama, Martin Scorsese’s ‘Kundun.'” His very first exposure to China, in other words, came in the course of apologizing to the regime for criticizing its subjugation of others.
For a fuller litany of Iger’s China-related sins, I highly recommend this Twitter thread from WaPo contributor Isaac Stone Fish. Iger’s been playing ball with the CCP literally for decades, cooperating with them on the construction of Disney Shanghai and of course the distribution and production of various movies. The most disgraceful was “Mulan,” which Fish wrote about earlier this year:
Disney filmed “Mulan” in regions across China (among other locations). In the credits, Disney offers a special thanks to more than a dozen Chinese institutions that helped with the film. These include four Chinese Communist Party propaganda departments in the region of Xinjiang as well as the Public Security Bureau of the city of Turpan in the same region — organizations that are facilitating crimes against humanity. It’s sufficiently astonishing that it bears repeating: Disney has thanked four propaganda departments and a public security bureau in Xinjiang, a region in northwest China that is the site of one of the world’s worst human rights abuses happening today.
It’d be like filming in and around the Warsaw ghetto in 1944 and then thanking Goebbels’s agency for their cooperation. To make matters worse, Tiana Lowe reminds me that Iger was iffy about doing business in Georgia after that state passed a tough new anti-abortion law last year. A guy who’d tsk-tsk about a pro-life measure in the U.S. while looking the other way at forced sterilization of undesirables by China’s leaders is a moral cretin who has no business representing the United States in anything.
Beyond all that, whether he could be trusted to confront the Chinese forthrightly knowing how Disney might be punished for it, even after he divested, is doubtful. And as a purely symbolic matter, appointing a businessman of any stripe would be tone-deaf given the current posture of the U.S.-China relationship:
It’s not just that Iger is particularly problematic. Appointing a businessman also sends the message that business, not politics, dominates the relationship. The CCP, an intensely political organization, like to pretend the relationship is apolitical. It’s not. — Isaac Stone Fish (@isaacstonefish) December 18, 2020
“The least Biden could do is refrain from installing as our representative to China a man who has made his millions bowing and scraping to Xi at the behest of shareholders looking to squeeze every last yuan out of Chinese movie screens,” writes Sonny Bunch. The only reason Biden has to even consider doing so is that Iger and his movie buddies dropped big bucks on his campaign last year, but that’s a reason to consider giving him a cushy job like ambassador to the UK or France, not a delicate slot with a superpower with which we’re increasingly at odds. I think the whole idea is hype being pushed by Iger’s circle, as I said up top. We’ll see if Biden proves me wrong.


hotair--2020-12-18--Vogue magazine: These two "impartial journalists" credited with winning the 2020 election coverage

Vogue magazine published a swooning piece Thursday about NBC News anchors Savannah Guthrie and Kristen Welker .
The publication names the two women as the winners of the 2020 election press coverage .
From the best that I can tell , the decision was made because of Guthrie ’ s town hall with President Trump in October and Welker ’ s performance as the moderator of the second presidential debate .
Let ’ s think back to those two political events .
In the town hall with President Trump , Guthrie ’ s performance as moderator was almost cartoonish .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was a one-on-one interview when the purpose of a town hall is to allow audience members to ask questions .
It is supposed to allow time for personal exchanges between the public official , in this case , the president , and voters with questions .
Guthrie hogged the time and resorted to constant interruptions and finger jabbing in the direction of Trump when she didn ’ t like his answers .
She looked to be over-served on caffeinated coffee .
At the time of the town hall , many of her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ network agreed to do a town hall with Trump when he decided to skip the second scheduled debate .
You may remember that the Biden team wanted a virtual event after Trump ’ s bout with COVID-19 .
Trump refused so NBC scheduled a town hall with him .
It was also the same night as a town hall with Biden on another network .
Naturally , the Democrats wanted the night to go to Biden .
The Vogue writer swooned over Guthrie ’ s handling of the town hall “ in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t last .
With a delicate mix of authority and relatability , Guthrie salvaged the town hall with sharp , straightforward questions and unrelenting follow-ups .
In the Florida heat , she asked an evasive Trump no fewer than three times whether he tested negative for COVID-19 before the first presidential debate .
“ It reminds me of being in high school , coming home after my curfew , and my mom saying , ‘ Did you buy cigarettes ?
’ and she wouldn ’ t let me get out of it until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Guthrie said with a smile .
( Before the town hall , Guthrie and NBC received their own assurances that Trump was not contagious , including a test independently conducted by the National Institutes of Health . )
When the president defended retweeting QAnon conspiracy theories about Biden , Guthrie memorably quipped , “ You ’ re the president , not , like , someone ’ s crazy uncle.
” Joe Biden didn ’ t show up to debate Trump but Savannah Guthrie did that night .
The writer describes Guthrie as “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” , which is good since she didn ’ t “ slay ” the president , she just conducted herself unprofessionally .
Many consider Trump to be a notoriously tricky subject—not Guthrie.
“ I ’ ve interviewed a lot of people who are hard to interview , ” she said , shrugging .
“ In point of fact , I thought the president was very respectful.
” ( She declined to mention that after the town hall , Trump called her “ totally crazy ” at a rally in Fort Myers , Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grilling : “ It was like somebody putting a roadblock right in front of the bs , ” Salon television critic Melanie McFarland told me .
But as an impartial journalist , Guthrie is loath to be hailed as a Trump-slayer : “ It ’ s more important than ever that journalists recognize that we are on no one ’ s side , ” she asserted , her usually chipper tone intensifying .
She aims to challenge subjects of both parties , prodding Biden last year in Iowa , asking him about his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Ukraine .
“ He did not enjoy that question , ” she noted .
Objectivity , in this moment , can seem like a dying art .
“ I don ’ t see a lot of people looking for neutrality and straight reporting , ” she said .
“ I do see a lot of people and politicians wanting press coverage that reflects their worldview.
” Moving on to Kristen Welker , remember that she frequently covers the White House for NBC News .
She once asked President Trump if he worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Russia , Russia , Russia hoax as the rest of the reporters hyping the phony story .
I look forward to hearing her ask Joe Biden if he works for China .
In the mind of the Vogue reporter , though , Welker is on the level of Murrow and Cronkite .
Sure , they , too were liberals but , really ?
And , the color of her skin is super-important .
With the gravitas of Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite and poise all her own , Welker coolly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first debate moderated by Fox News ’ s Chris Wallace .
“ There ’ s no doubt I was dealt a different deck of cards , ” she said .
But her purposeful energy and firm direction made all the difference .
( Even Wallace later admitted , “ I ’ m jealous.
” ) Welker barely blinked when Trump paused to praise her : “ I respect very much the way you ’ re handling this.
” The president wasn ’ t alone .
Welker won plaudits for asking Trump and Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of climate change on communities of color and the more than 500 migrant children still separated from their parents due to the Trump administration ’ s policy .
But the most striking moment came when Welker asked Biden and Trump about “ the talk ” : that Black and brown families often “ feel they have no choice but to prepare their children for the chance that they could be targeted , including by the police , for no reason other than the color of their skin , ” Welker explained during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these parents fear for their children ?
” It was the first question Welker wrote after being chosen by the debate commission , and one that immediately conveyed what she called “ the core of the pain that so many families are feeling.
” Welker told me , “ It ’ s impossible to separate myself from the substance of that question .
It was just within me.
” Identity politics is important to Joe Biden and to the press that will be covering his administration .
I use the word “ covering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prepare for a four-year nap from the White Houe press corps and their cohorts in network news .
These two ladies are being given the star treatment for trashing Trump when almost every other journalist does it on a daily basis .
They are described as “ pillars of the fourth estate ” and fighting against Trump ’ s attacks on the media .
No mention , though , of Biden ’ s attacks on individual reporters bold enough to ask him something tougher than which flavor of ice cream he chose for @ @ @

Vogue magazine published a swooning piece Thursday about NBC News anchors Savannah Guthrie and Kristen Welker. The publication names the two women as the winners of the 2020 election press coverage. From the best that I can tell, the decision was made because of Guthrie’s town hall with President Trump in October and Welker’s performance as the moderator of the second presidential debate.
Let’s think back to those two political events. In the town hall with President Trump, Guthrie’s performance as moderator was almost cartoonish. She aggressively came at Trump as though it was a one-on-one interview when the purpose of a town hall is to allow audience members to ask questions. It is supposed to allow time for personal exchanges between the public official, in this case, the president, and voters with questions. Guthrie hogged the time and resorted to constant interruptions and finger jabbing in the direction of Trump when she didn’t like his answers. She looked to be over-served on caffeinated coffee.
At the time of the town hall, many of her viewers on NBC were angry that the network agreed to do a town hall with Trump when he decided to skip the second scheduled debate. You may remember that the Biden team wanted a virtual event after Trump’s bout with COVID-19. Trump refused so NBC scheduled a town hall with him. It was also the same night as a town hall with Biden on another network. Naturally, the Democrats wanted the night to go to Biden. The Vogue writer swooned over Guthrie’s handling of the town hall “in the Florida heat.’
The backlash wouldn’t last. With a delicate mix of authority and relatability, Guthrie salvaged the town hall with sharp, straightforward questions and unrelenting follow-ups. In the Florida heat, she asked an evasive Trump no fewer than three times whether he tested negative for COVID-19 before the first presidential debate. “It reminds me of being in high school, coming home after my curfew, and my mom saying, ‘Did you buy cigarettes?’ and she wouldn’t let me get out of it until I gave her the answer,” Guthrie said with a smile. (Before the town hall, Guthrie and NBC received their own assurances that Trump was not contagious, including a test independently conducted by the National Institutes of Health.) When the president defended retweeting QAnon conspiracy theories about Biden, Guthrie memorably quipped, “You’re the president, not, like, someone’s crazy uncle.”
Joe Biden didn’t show up to debate Trump but Savannah Guthrie did that night. The writer describes Guthrie as “loath to be hailed as a Trump-slayer”, which is good since she didn’t “slay” the president, she just conducted herself unprofessionally.
Many consider Trump to be a notoriously tricky subject—not Guthrie.“I’ve interviewed a lot of people who are hard to interview,” she said, shrugging. “In point of fact, I thought the president was very respectful.” (She declined to mention that after the town hall, Trump called her “totally crazy” at a rally in Fort Myers, Florida.) Critics applauded Guthrie’s grilling: “It was like somebody putting a roadblock right in front of the bs,” Salon television critic Melanie McFarland told me. But as an impartial journalist, Guthrie is loath to be hailed as a Trump-slayer: “It’s more important than ever that journalists recognize that we are on no one’s side,” she asserted, her usually chipper tone intensifying. She aims to challenge subjects of both parties, prodding Biden last year in Iowa, asking him about his son Hunter Biden’s business dealing with Ukraine. “He did not enjoy that question,” she noted. Objectivity, in this moment, can seem like a dying art. “I don’t see a lot of people looking for neutrality and straight reporting,” she said. “I do see a lot of people and politicians wanting press coverage that reflects their worldview.”
Moving on to Kristen Welker, remember that she frequently covers the White House for NBC News. She once asked President Trump if he worked for Russia. She was as immersed in the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax as the rest of the reporters hyping the phony story. I look forward to hearing her ask Joe Biden if he works for China. In the mind of the Vogue reporter, though, Welker is on the level of Murrow and Cronkite. Sure, they, too were liberals but, really? And, the color of her skin is super-important.
With the gravitas of Edward R. Murrow or Walter Cronkite and poise all her own, Welker coolly restored order and civility after the disastrous first debate moderated by Fox News’s Chris Wallace. “There’s no doubt I was dealt a different deck of cards,” she said. But her purposeful energy and firm direction made all the difference. (Even Wallace later admitted, “I’m jealous.”) Welker barely blinked when Trump paused to praise her: “I respect very much the way you’re handling this.” The president wasn’t alone. Welker won plaudits for asking Trump and Biden about oft-overlooked topics like the disproportionate impact of climate change on communities of color and the more than 500 migrant children still separated from their parents due to the Trump administration’s policy. But the most striking moment came when Welker asked Biden and Trump about “the talk”: that Black and brown families often “feel they have no choice but to prepare their children for the chance that they could be targeted, including by the police, for no reason other than the color of their skin,” Welker explained during the debate. “Do you understand why these parents fear for their children?” It was the first question Welker wrote after being chosen by the debate commission, and one that immediately conveyed what she called “the core of the pain that so many families are feeling.” Welker told me, “It’s impossible to separate myself from the substance of that question. It was just within me.”
Identity politics is important to Joe Biden and to the press that will be covering his administration. I use the word “covering” lightly. We all know to prepare for a four-year nap from the White Houe press corps and their cohorts in network news. These two ladies are being given the star treatment for trashing Trump when almost every other journalist does it on a daily basis. They are described as “pillars of the fourth estate” and fighting against Trump’s attacks on the media. No mention, though, of Biden’s attacks on individual reporters bold enough to ask him something tougher than which flavor of ice cream he chose for his cone.


hotair--2020-12-18--Ron Johnson blocks Josh Hawley's attempt to add $1,200 stimulus checks to COVID relief bill

A neat clash here between the old GOP and the new GOP — although I ’ m old enough to remember when Johnson himself was the “ new GOP.
” He was elected during the tea-party wave of 2010 , sent to Washington to show the big-spending RINOs that we can ’ t continue to rob younger generations blind by borrowing to pay for programs we can ’ t afford .
Ten years later , long after the tea-party movement deteriorated into MAGA , he finds himself at odds with a young , aspiring presidential candidate from his party in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s conservative populism has given way to Hawley ’ s nationalist populism : Of course we should spend to help working families .
The country ’ s mired in a devastating economic crisis that ’ s about to turn catastrophic as juiced-up federal unemployment benefits run out and the eviction moratorium expires .
Millions of people are behind on their rent , and not a little behind either .
They desperately , desperately need one more round of help from Uncle Sam to weather this storm until the vaccine returns the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Hawley on the merits even though I disdain his grandstanding style in the clip below , partly because of the urgency of the crisis and partly because it ’ s absurd for Johnson to draw a line in the sand on spending at the eleventh hour of the pandemic .
Congress has spent trillions to help people get this through nightmare ; they also spent trillions *before COVID arrived* , running unfathomable deficits during the first three years of Trump ’ s term despite gangbusters economic growth .
Now RonJohn wants to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ checks , already .
By trying to signal his seriousness of purpose in standing up to Hawley , Johnson ’ s actually signaling how unserious he is .
The time for big speeches about the deficit was before the pandemic .
If he and the rest of the GOP had nothing to say to Trump then , only to regain their fiscal-hawk bearings the moment a Democrat was en route to the White House , then clearly they were never committed to smaller government on the merits .
They cared about it only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That ’ s disgraceful in isolation , but in the context of blocking aid to millions who dearly need it , it ’ s repulsive .
It led RonJohn into a very bad soundbite too : He ended up calling for “ lower regulation ” and a “ competitive tax system ” to help solve the unemployment crisis .
Which is fine tea-party dogma , but feels vaguely like calling for improvements to skyscraper structural integrity upon hearing that hijacked jets are inbound towards the World Trade Center .
There ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the immediate problem .
According to WaPo , Trump nearly put out a statement yesterday one-upping Hawley by demanding $ 2,000 stimulus checks .
That ’ s a fine idea but it would have been much finer six months ago , not when the parties are in the final hours of a delicate negotiation that could fall apart at any moment if either side makes a sudden move .
His aides convinced him to hold off for precisely that reason .
Although it may not matter : the Times says that another sticking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this afternoon .
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. pushed back on Friday on a Republican effort to use an emerging stimulus deal to bar the Federal Reserve from restarting a series of pandemic relief programs , weighing in on a last-minute dispute that was hampering final agreement on the $ 900 billion package .
The proposal , which would bar the central bank from reviving emergency lending efforts that expire at year ’ s end and potentially limit its ability to fight future financial crises , emerged on Friday as perhaps the thorniest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agreement .
It could take away some of the Fed ’ s power as a “ lender of last resort , ” and curtail Mr. Biden ’ s latitude in dealing with the continuing economic fallout from the pandemic… A senior Democratic aide said that an agreement had been in sight before Senator Patrick Toomey , Republican of Pennsylvania , moved to insert a measure to bar a future Treasury secretary from restarting Fed emergency loan programs .
The programs have kept credit flowing to medium-sized businesses , state and local governments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the breadth of Mr. Toomey ’ s proposal : It would prohibit both those programs and any “ similar ” one , which could curb the Fed ’ s future ability to keep credit flowing to states and businesses .
Fiscal hawks want to reel in the Fed ’ s lending powers before Biden takes office , fearing that the emergency authority it ’ s enjoyed during the COVID crisis will be exploited by Democrats and end up becoming a permanent feature of how the Fed operates .
Biden and the Dems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to give them flexibility in stimulating the economy during the first half of next year in case the new COVID relief package — which is much smaller than what Democrats initially sought — doesn ’ t quite do the job .
While Hawley and Johnson are wrangling over checks , the entire deal may run off the rails because of the Fed .
There ’ s also the small matter of a looming shutdown this weekend .
House and Senate leaders are talking about passing another stopgap spending measure to get them through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hashing out a deal before Christmas .
But Hawley is irritated about the resistance to his demand for stimulus checks and even more irritated about the fact that it ’ s Friday and he has yet to even see a draft bill of the government funding deal that the House and Senate are working on .
“ I ’ m not willing to just sit by and be told nothing and be given no information and just be asked to do as you ’ re told , ” he told reporters .
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or threaten to force one , as leverage to get Republicans to play ball on direct stimulus payments ?
Exit question : Are there 12 Republican votes in the Senate for Hawley ’ s proposal ?
If he can ’ t beat a filibuster in pushing for COVID checks then all he ’ s really doing here is cutting a 2024 campaign commercial .

A neat clash here between the old GOP and the new GOP — although I’m old enough to remember when Johnson himself was the “new GOP.” He was elected during the tea-party wave of 2010, sent to Washington to show the big-spending RINOs that we can’t continue to rob younger generations blind by borrowing to pay for programs we can’t afford.
Ten years later, long after the tea-party movement deteriorated into MAGA, he finds himself at odds with a young, aspiring presidential candidate from his party in the person of Josh Hawley. Johnson’s conservative populism has given way to Hawley’s nationalist populism: Of course we should spend to help working families. The country’s mired in a devastating economic crisis that’s about to turn catastrophic as juiced-up federal unemployment benefits run out and the eviction moratorium expires. Millions of people are behind on their rent, and not a little behind either. They desperately, desperately need one more round of help from Uncle Sam to weather this storm until the vaccine returns the country to something resembling normalcy.
I side with Hawley on the merits even though I disdain his grandstanding style in the clip below, partly because of the urgency of the crisis and partly because it’s absurd for Johnson to draw a line in the sand on spending at the eleventh hour of the pandemic. Congress has spent trillions to help people get this through nightmare; they also spent trillions *before COVID arrived*, running unfathomable deficits during the first three years of Trump’s term despite gangbusters economic growth. Now RonJohn wants to tighten his belt?
Cut the frigging checks, already. By trying to signal his seriousness of purpose in standing up to Hawley, Johnson’s actually signaling how unserious he is. The time for big speeches about the deficit was before the pandemic. If he and the rest of the GOP had nothing to say to Trump then, only to regain their fiscal-hawk bearings the moment a Democrat was en route to the White House, then clearly they were never committed to smaller government on the merits. They cared about it only as a political cudgel against the left. That’s disgraceful in isolation, but in the context of blocking aid to millions who dearly need it, it’s repulsive.
It led RonJohn into a very bad soundbite too:
He ended up calling for “lower regulation” and a “competitive tax system” to help solve the unemployment crisis. Which is fine tea-party dogma, but feels vaguely like calling for improvements to skyscraper structural integrity upon hearing that hijacked jets are inbound towards the World Trade Center. There’s no time for long-term solutions. Address the immediate problem.
According to WaPo, Trump nearly put out a statement yesterday one-upping Hawley by demanding $2,000 stimulus checks. That’s a fine idea but it would have been much finer six months ago, not when the parties are in the final hours of a delicate negotiation that could fall apart at any moment if either side makes a sudden move. His aides convinced him to hold off for precisely that reason. Although it may not matter: the Times says that another sticking point is threatening to sink the deal this afternoon.
President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. pushed back on Friday on a Republican effort to use an emerging stimulus deal to bar the Federal Reserve from restarting a series of pandemic relief programs, weighing in on a last-minute dispute that was hampering final agreement on the $900 billion package. The proposal, which would bar the central bank from reviving emergency lending efforts that expire at year’s end and potentially limit its ability to fight future financial crises, emerged on Friday as perhaps the thorniest point of contention holding up the stimulus agreement. It could take away some of the Fed’s power as a “lender of last resort,” and curtail Mr. Biden’s latitude in dealing with the continuing economic fallout from the pandemic… A senior Democratic aide said that an agreement had been in sight before Senator Patrick Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania, moved to insert a measure to bar a future Treasury secretary from restarting Fed emergency loan programs. The programs have kept credit flowing to medium-sized businesses, state and local governments and corporations amid the pandemic. Concern centered on the breadth of Mr. Toomey’s proposal: It would prohibit both those programs and any “similar” one, which could curb the Fed’s future ability to keep credit flowing to states and businesses.
Fiscal hawks want to reel in the Fed’s lending powers before Biden takes office, fearing that the emergency authority it’s enjoyed during the COVID crisis will be exploited by Democrats and end up becoming a permanent feature of how the Fed operates. Biden and the Dems say they need those emergency powers intact to give them flexibility in stimulating the economy during the first half of next year in case the new COVID relief package — which is much smaller than what Democrats initially sought — doesn’t quite do the job. While Hawley and Johnson are wrangling over checks, the entire deal may run off the rails because of the Fed.
There’s also the small matter of a looming shutdown this weekend. House and Senate leaders are talking about passing another stopgap spending measure to get them through the next week, in hopes of hashing out a deal before Christmas. But Hawley is irritated about the resistance to his demand for stimulus checks and even more irritated about the fact that it’s Friday and he has yet to even see a draft bill of the government funding deal that the House and Senate are working on. “I’m not willing to just sit by and be told nothing and be given no information and just be asked to do as you’re told,” he told reporters. Is he going to force a shutdown, or threaten to force one, as leverage to get Republicans to play ball on direct stimulus payments?
Exit question: Are there 12 Republican votes in the Senate for Hawley’s proposal? If he can’t beat a filibuster in pushing for COVID checks then all he’s really doing here is cutting a 2024 campaign commercial.


hotair--2020-12-18--Seattle police sweep Cal Anderson Park as anarchists take over an empty house across the street

Seattle police were scheduled to sweep through Cal Anderson Park Wednesday morning .
Instead , they city put the sweep on hold because a homeless person who has been living in the park filed a request for a restraining order .
The city wanted to wait for the judge to issue his decision before moving forward .
Yesterday the judge did issue his decision , refusing to issue a restraining order .
The judge ’ s order is here .
He completely rejected her argument that the tents in the park constituted political speech and were being singled out because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decision states , “ …there is no evidence that the intended evictions are based on the content of Ms. Yeager ’ s supposed expressive speech.
” He also dismisses her arguments under the 4th , 8th and 14th Amendments .
KOMO News reports Yeager has since moved to a tiny house village elsewhere in the city so the sweep won ’ t affect her anyway .
With that decision , police showed up at the park this morning and began by issuing a dispersal order : Police quickly made their way inside the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making arrests : Having quickly lost the battle the people inside the park resorted to dragging tents out of the park and whining about the police : People who stayed in the park were arrested and literally dragged out .
This reporter for NPR says the police “ explode [ d ] into violence ” but of course this video doesn ’ t show what the anarchists were doing that prompted these arrests .
Finally , there ’ s video of a backhoe cleaning up the garbage left behind .
Police reported a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Notice the pile of bricks which were probably intended to be used as weapons .
But it seems police have a special super power they can use against anarchists : They show up early .
Police are now stationed around the park and being heckled by stragglers : So Cal Anderson Park has now been cleared .
Unfortunately , yesterday some of the anarchists from the park took over a nearby unoccupied house that is just down the street .
A neighbor called the police but they can ’ t act without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then they held a press conference threatening that more occupations like this would continue to happen unless their demands were met .
Naturally , the occupiers are stans for socialist city council member Kshama Sawant .
It ’ s probably safe to assume Sawant supports this squatting on private property .
Maybe someone will ask her .
So the bottom line is that after six months the city has cleared Cal Anderson Park and started a multi-day cleanup effort .
Unfortunately , there is now a new anarchist occupation just down the street @

Seattle police were scheduled to sweep through Cal Anderson Park Wednesday morning. Instead, they city put the sweep on hold because a homeless person who has been living in the park filed a request for a restraining order. The city wanted to wait for the judge to issue his decision before moving forward. Yesterday the judge did issue his decision, refusing to issue a restraining order.
The judge’s order is here. He completely rejected her argument that the tents in the park constituted political speech and were being singled out because the city opposed that speech. The decision states, “…there is no evidence that the intended evictions are based on the content of Ms. Yeager’s supposed expressive speech.” He also dismisses her arguments under the 4th, 8th and 14th Amendments. KOMO News reports Yeager has since moved to a tiny house village elsewhere in the city so the sweep won’t affect her anyway.
With that decision, police showed up at the park this morning and began by issuing a dispersal order:
Police have begun providing dispersal orders so that @SeattleParks can clean and conduct maintenance inside Cal Anderson park. Please leave the area. pic.twitter.com/Pb3jIqq231 — Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) December 18, 2020
Police quickly made their way inside the barrier set up by anarchists and started making arrests:
Police have broken through the barrier and are inside the camp. Already a small skirmish and at least 1 arrest. #CalAndersonPark pic.twitter.com/YUjzLOUOWU — Casey Martin (@caseyworks) December 18, 2020
Having quickly lost the battle the people inside the park resorted to dragging tents out of the park and whining about the police:
"Get out of the park or get arrested," says one @SeattlePD officer. A person in the distance is walking their golden retriever. pic.twitter.com/zFXnBfcRkU — Casey Martin (@caseyworks) December 18, 2020
People who stayed in the park were arrested and literally dragged out.
Another person is arrested and carried away. Crowd is very tense with police pointing weapons. pic.twitter.com/tPKG8tyizU — Casey Martin (@caseyworks) December 18, 2020
This reporter for NPR says the police “explode[d] into violence” but of course this video doesn’t show what the anarchists were doing that prompted these arrests. Finally, there’s video of a backhoe cleaning up the garbage left behind.
Crews are demolishing the encampment. The city said they would store leftover belongings for 70 days. pic.twitter.com/FA7I0MlivQ — Casey Martin (@caseyworks) December 18, 2020
Police reported a total of 10 arrests had been made. Notice the pile of bricks which were probably intended to be used as weapons. But it seems police have a special super power they can use against anarchists: They show up early.
Some more photos of property left behind in the park. 10 arrests have been made for various offenses. pic.twitter.com/dnchr3mtGF — Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) December 18, 2020
Police are now stationed around the park and being heckled by stragglers:
SWEEP CONTINUES: All major access points to Cal Anderson Park blocked off but vehicle traffic being allowed through. @komonews#seattle #CalAndersonSweep #seattleprotest #homeless pic.twitter.com/Mo0qHY3aL0 — Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) December 18, 2020
So Cal Anderson Park has now been cleared. Unfortunately, yesterday some of the anarchists from the park took over a nearby unoccupied house that is just down the street.
HERE WE GO: Squatters claiming to be standing in solidarity with the homeless at Cal Anderson Park have just taken over this yellow house at 1106 E. Denny Way in Seattle. They’re laying out demands at 4pm during a press conference. @komonews pic.twitter.com/Ja02WKdJBt — Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) December 17, 2020
MAKING THEMSELVES RIGHT AT HOME: People dressed in all black are now walking back and forth from Cal Anderson Park into this house on Denny Way. It is turning into another staging area. Neighbors say a developer now owns the house and it’s been sitting empty for months.@komonews pic.twitter.com/wFWZKfS796 — Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) December 17, 2020
PERSONAL MESSAGE: Came back to see how things are going at the “occupied” house on E. Denny Way. This guy left me some nice chalk work. #SEATTLE #CalAndersonSweep #CalAndersonPark #CapitolHill pic.twitter.com/BKtxWcemxY — Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) December 17, 2020
A neighbor called the police but they can’t act without a request from the owner:
NEIGHBORS SCARED OR FRUSTRATED: One neighbor says he called @SeattlePD but was told officers can’t go in and do anything about it unless the developer asks them to get the squatters out. We are trying to reach developer now. @komonews pic.twitter.com/aWLKn0UnuR — Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) December 17, 2020
The group quickly issued a list of demands:
Activists occupying of a house at the north end of Cal Anderson Park have put out a list of demands and plan to talk about it publicly at 4p #KOMONews pic.twitter.com/mjfCiwtNMU — Matt Markovich (@mattmarkovich) December 17, 2020
And then they held a press conference threatening that more occupations like this would continue to happen unless their demands were met.
DENNY WAY PRESSER: Folks occupying this empty house say they aren’t leaving and could target other empty houses in #Seattle unless demands are met. I tried to ask questions on behalf of concerned neighbors and biz owners. Here’s a medley of their responses.#CalAndersonSweep pic.twitter.com/1GbEe8LVXZ — Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) December 18, 2020
Naturally, the occupiers are stans for socialist city council member Kshama Sawant. It’s probably safe to assume Sawant supports this squatting on private property. Maybe someone will ask her.
WHERE ARE SEATTLE’S ELECTED OFFICIALS? This group taking over the house near Cal Anderson Park is pro @cmkshama who reps Capitol Hill. She did not get back to us when we asked about the impending Cal Anderson sweep. But the group says @MayorJenny has also been MIA. #Seattle pic.twitter.com/XO83EJ0cW2 — Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) December 18, 2020
So the bottom line is that after six months the city has cleared Cal Anderson Park and started a multi-day cleanup effort. Unfortunately, there is now a new anarchist occupation just down the street.


hotair--2020-12-18--Revenge of the moderates: AOC loses coveted Energy and Commerce committee seat

Behind the scenes , House Democrats have been quietly lobbying their colleagues to support their bids for key committee assignments .
One of the key assignments up for grabs was a seat on the Energy and Commerce committee which overseas both health care and climate change .
The first person to announce she would try to get support from other members for the assignment was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez .
After all , if your priorities are the Green New Deal and Medicare for All , this is the perfect assignment from which to push both of those .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of the NY delegation , Rep. Kathleen Rice .
Both Rice and AOC have spent the last couple of weeks arguing their case for why they deserve the assignment in preparation for a vote this week .
When Democrats got together to vote , Speaker Pelosi announced her preferred assignments for four of the five available assignments .
There was some pushback but eventually Pelosi got her way and Democrats decided not to even vote on those four .
But Pelosi didn ’ t select anyone for the 5th committee assignment , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York member .
That set up a showdown between Rep. Rice and AOC , with moderate House members arguing the assignment should go to someone who paid their party dues and who hadn ’ t tried to primary incumbent members .
In other words , they argued that it shouldn ’ t go to AOC .
Rice and Ocasio-Cortez have been battling behind the scenes for weeks to secure one of the few open seats on the exclusive committee , which oversees everything from health care policy to climate issues .
Tensions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private meeting of the Steering and Policy Committee , where Democrats were forced to choose between the two members in a tense — and awkward — secret ballot vote… The panel launched into an intense round of speeches on each candidate , with several Democrats speaking up to lobby against Ocasio-Cortez , a freshman member and social media star who is seen as a political threat by many of the caucus ’ s moderates for her far-left policies .
On the video call , several Democrats called out Ocasio-Cortez ’ s efforts to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ incumbents , as well as her refusal to pay party campaign dues .
“ I ’ m taking into account who works against other members in primaries and who doesn ’ t , ” Rep. Henry Cuellar ( D-Texas ) said on the call , according to multiple sources .
Cuellar successfully fended off a primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros , who Ocasio-Cortez supported .
The backstory here is that AOC backed a primary opponent against Rep. Cuellar , so he ’ s speaking from personal experience .
In the end , Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 46-13 .
A lopsided victory that suggests a lot of House Democrats aren ’ t fans of her take-no-prisoners approach toward more moderate members .
Rice ’ s win was somewhat surprising because she had previously refused to support Pelosi for Speaker and been denied a committee assignment because of it .
Pelosi apparently got over that .
Or maybe she looked at her reduced majority in the House and decided AOC was a bigger threat to her continuing as Speaker than Rep. Rice .
The American Prospect reports AOC wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing : A similar situation existed with the Energy and Commerce Committee seat vacated by incoming New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan .
That seat was expected to go to progressive Texan Sylvia Garcia , but was contested by her moderate colleague from Texas , Lizzie Fletcher .
Garcia , the other priority for progressives in Energy and Commerce , was left off the slate without even a vote .
Fletcher , who has a troubling track record on unions , got endorsed by Pelosi… The result is both a resounding and surprising @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ago had no reason to believe both Ocasio-Cortez and Garcia would be left off the committee , or even that this would be settled this week .
None of this is terrible surprising if you ’ ve been paying attention to the intra-party squabbles since the election .
Moderates have been saying openly that some of AOC ’ s priorities ( especially “ defund the police “ ) cost them seats this year .
Democrats had been expecting to pick up 10-15 seats and instead it looks like they lost a dozen .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ could lose control of the House in 2022 unless they take a different approach and this assignment vote suggests they are clearly aware of that .
Most people in this situation would take a hint and maybe try to moderate their approach a bit but not AOC .
Just like Bernie Sanders , her whole brand is being the crusading socialist .
And like Bernie Sanders that probably means she won ’ t get much done during her tenure in Congress .
But , let ’ s face it , lots of people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run for president and she has left the door open to running for Senate so she may not have to put up with these House moderates much longer .

Behind the scenes, House Democrats have been quietly lobbying their colleagues to support their bids for key committee assignments. One of the key assignments up for grabs was a seat on the Energy and Commerce committee which overseas both health care and climate change. The first person to announce she would try to get support from other members for the assignment was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. After all, if your priorities are the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, this is the perfect assignment from which to push both of those.
However, AOC had some competition from a moderate member of the NY delegation, Rep. Kathleen Rice. Both Rice and AOC have spent the last couple of weeks arguing their case for why they deserve the assignment in preparation for a vote this week.
When Democrats got together to vote, Speaker Pelosi announced her preferred assignments for four of the five available assignments. There was some pushback but eventually Pelosi got her way and Democrats decided not to even vote on those four. But Pelosi didn’t select anyone for the 5th committee assignment, the one to be filled by a New York member. That set up a showdown between Rep. Rice and AOC, with moderate House members arguing the assignment should go to someone who paid their party dues and who hadn’t tried to primary incumbent members. In other words, they argued that it shouldn’t go to AOC.
Rice and Ocasio-Cortez have been battling behind the scenes for weeks to secure one of the few open seats on the exclusive committee, which oversees everything from health care policy to climate issues. Tensions spilled into the open Thursday in a private meeting of the Steering and Policy Committee, where Democrats were forced to choose between the two members in a tense — and awkward — secret ballot vote… The panel launched into an intense round of speeches on each candidate, with several Democrats speaking up to lobby against Ocasio-Cortez, a freshman member and social media star who is seen as a political threat by many of the caucus’s moderates for her far-left policies. On the video call, several Democrats called out Ocasio-Cortez’s efforts to help liberal challengers take out their own incumbents, as well as her refusal to pay party campaign dues. “I’m taking into account who works against other members in primaries and who doesn’t,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) said on the call, according to multiple sources. Cuellar successfully fended off a primary challenge from Jessica Cisneros, who Ocasio-Cortez supported.
The backstory here is that AOC backed a primary opponent against Rep. Cuellar, so he’s speaking from personal experience.
In the end, Rep. Rice crushed AOC. The vote was 46-13. A lopsided victory that suggests a lot of House Democrats aren’t fans of her take-no-prisoners approach toward more moderate members.
Rice’s win was somewhat surprising because she had previously refused to support Pelosi for Speaker and been denied a committee assignment because of it. Pelosi apparently got over that. Or maybe she looked at her reduced majority in the House and decided AOC was a bigger threat to her continuing as Speaker than Rep. Rice.
The American Prospect reports AOC wasn’t the only progressive who came away with nothing:
A similar situation existed with the Energy and Commerce Committee seat vacated by incoming New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan. That seat was expected to go to progressive Texan Sylvia Garcia, but was contested by her moderate colleague from Texas, Lizzie Fletcher. Garcia, the other priority for progressives in Energy and Commerce, was left off the slate without even a vote. Fletcher, who has a troubling track record on unions, got endorsed by Pelosi… The result is both a resounding and surprising defeat for progressives, who just days ago had no reason to believe both Ocasio-Cortez and Garcia would be left off the committee, or even that this would be settled this week.
None of this is terrible surprising if you’ve been paying attention to the intra-party squabbles since the election. Moderates have been saying openly that some of AOC’s priorities (especially “defund the police“) cost them seats this year. Democrats had been expecting to pick up 10-15 seats and instead it looks like they lost a dozen. There’s a real chance Democrats could lose control of the House in 2022 unless they take a different approach and this assignment vote suggests they are clearly aware of that.
Most people in this situation would take a hint and maybe try to moderate their approach a bit but not AOC. Just like Bernie Sanders, her whole brand is being the crusading socialist. And like Bernie Sanders that probably means she won’t get much done during her tenure in Congress. But, let’s face it, lots of people on the left already want her to run for president and she has left the door open to running for Senate so she may not have to put up with these House moderates much longer.


hotair--2020-12-18--Rich people pulling strings, offering cash to try to get early access to the COVID vaccine, of cours

Rich people pulling strings, offering cash to try to get early access to the COVID vaccine, of course

There ’ s no evidence in this LA Times piece that any of them have succeeded but why would there be ?
No one has an incentive to admit to it .
The Times interviewed doctors , who obviously won ’ t cop to letting VIPs cut the line .
And black-market activity , even of the high-end variety in which some bigwig dials up a pal at Pfizer or some hospital to gain access , necessarily happens under the radar .
The silver lining on stories like this , per John McCormack , is that they ’ ll operate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine .
If celebrities are angling to get first crack , that ’ s a major selling point in a celebrity-obsessed culture .
But public awareness that line-cutting is being attempted is also an opportunity for the likes of Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed , both of whom are in political trouble after bending their own social-distancing rules to socialize with friends last month .
If Newsom wants to slow down the recall effort against him and win back some fans among voters , he should find some rich @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine early and make an example of him .
If there ’ s no law yet prohibiting vaccine line-cutting and no disciplinary sanction for doctors who facilitate it , that can be remedied easily enough .
A country that sent Aunt Becky from “ Full House ” to prison for a few months for trying to bribe her dumb kids ’ way into USC can find some jail time for someone who bribed their way past senior citizens to get immunized before he was supposed to .
Aunt Becky didn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after all .
There are legal and less legal ways of making sure you ’ re at the front of the line .
The less legal way is through simple string-pulling , the favored M.O .
of the rich and important since the beginning of the time .
The more legal way , the Times notes , is to join a medical concierge practice , which doesn ’ t — or shouldn ’ t — mean you get the vaccine before medical workers and senior citizens but ensures that you ’ ll get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s no crime in that , although you ’ re left to wonder whether someone who can afford $ 25,000 a year for concierge privileges wouldn ’ t also happily offer another $ 25,000 under the table for a shot of the good stuff from Pfizer ASAP .
“ People are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars ” for the vaccine , said one doctor to the paper .
[ G ] etting earlier access to the shot may not even require much backroom deal-making .
Some wealthy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the average person because they ’ re members of exclusive healthcare groups that offer the kind of high-quality , primary care most Americans can ’ t afford… Doctors in boutique practices say they ’ ll adhere to public health guidelines in determining who gets priority .
But being on a waiting list at a practice that has special freezers and other high-quality resources means you ’ re already near the front of the line once the supply opens up… Taryn Vian , a health sector anti-corruption expert who teaches at the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gain early access to the vaccine not by using bribery or coercion , but through more subtle means , like making requests to similarly powerful friends .
A friend of the leader of a pharmaceutical company , medical distributor , hospital or nursing home could ask if there are any extra doses available , and the leader could ask their assistant to see if they could help .
The assistant might then interpret the request as a demand to misappropriate a dose , Vian explained .
One doctor claims that a patient offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital he ’ s attached to in return for the vaccine , which does sound an awful lot like what Lori Loughlin did .
A bribe dressed up as a “ donation ” presumably might create criminal jeopardy , but fortunately for line-cutters there ’ s a safer way to gain dubious early access .
California has designated “ essential workers ” and people with underlying health conditions for early vaccination once medical workers and nursing-home residents are done , but the definitions of those terms are conveniently vague .
There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” across the U.S. , with two-thirds of California ’ s work force qualifying as “ essential ” per the Times .
And a gigantic number of Americans have some sort of underlying health condition .
If you ’ ve got the bread , it ’ d be easy enough to lawyer your way into arguing that you too are “ essential ” or have a meaningful health problem , thereby ensuring vaccine access before poorer , less healthy people .
That ’ s another thing that Newsom and California ’ s legislature @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equitable distribution of the vaccine — tighten the definitions of the terms to make sure that VIPs can ’ t sneak through .
The surest way to weaken the black market for the vaccine , of course , is to make sure that the legal supply keeps rolling out to states in a timely way .
The less anxious Americans are about scarcity , the more willing they may be to wait their turn in the expectation that they won ’ t need to wait long .
Which is just one reason why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in multiple states said they were alerted late Wednesday that their second shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech ’ s vaccine had been drastically cut for next week , sparking widespread confusion and conflicting statements from Pfizer and federal officials about who was at fault… “ We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but , as of now , we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses , ” [ Pfizer ’ s ] statement read… Another person involved in the planning , who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , said Pfizer executives were baffled that the administration was not immediately distributing all of its vaccine , instead leaving much of it on the shelves .
A source in the administration told WaPo that the smaller shipments are due to some sort of timing snafu in which states were placing orders earlier in the week , at a moment when Pfizer ’ s stockpile was smaller than it was later in the week .
But as you ’ ve just seen , the company itself disputes that .
This smells like good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with the feds ’ distribution planning a step behind state demand and Pfizer ’ s supply .
One possibility unmentioned in the article is that they ’ re worried that states simply don ’ t have the capacity to manage the glut of vaccine doses they ’ re expecting next week .
Remember that Moderna ’ s vaccine is set to be approved any day now ( possibly today ) , with millions of doses to be shipped next week along with the new shipment from Pfizer .
Given the logistics of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feds are worried about overwhelming state governments with a supply that ’ s too large to administer in full over the course of a week and which may therefore end up going partly to waste because the remainder can ’ t be warehoused properly .
Not a great sign , if true .
That ’ s what Scott Gottlieb , a Pfizer board member , seems to think is happening .
I ’ ll leave you with this .

There’s no evidence in this LA Times piece that any of them have succeeded but why would there be? No one has an incentive to admit to it. The Times interviewed doctors, who obviously won’t cop to letting VIPs cut the line. And black-market activity, even of the high-end variety in which some bigwig dials up a pal at Pfizer or some hospital to gain access, necessarily happens under the radar.
The silver lining on stories like this, per John McCormack, is that they’ll operate as a de facto PR campaign for the vaccine. If celebrities are angling to get first crack, that’s a major selling point in a celebrity-obsessed culture.
But public awareness that line-cutting is being attempted is also an opportunity for the likes of Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, both of whom are in political trouble after bending their own social-distancing rules to socialize with friends last month. If Newsom wants to slow down the recall effort against him and win back some fans among voters, he should find some rich bastard who bought his way into getting the vaccine early and make an example of him. If there’s no law yet prohibiting vaccine line-cutting and no disciplinary sanction for doctors who facilitate it, that can be remedied easily enough. A country that sent Aunt Becky from “Full House” to prison for a few months for trying to bribe her dumb kids’ way into USC can find some jail time for someone who bribed their way past senior citizens to get immunized before he was supposed to. Aunt Becky didn’t put anyone at risk of dying, after all.
There are legal and less legal ways of making sure you’re at the front of the line. The less legal way is through simple string-pulling, the favored M.O. of the rich and important since the beginning of the time. The more legal way, the Times notes, is to join a medical concierge practice, which doesn’t — or shouldn’t — mean you get the vaccine before medical workers and senior citizens but ensures that you’ll get it basically the moment you become eligible. There’s no crime in that, although you’re left to wonder whether someone who can afford $25,000 a year for concierge privileges wouldn’t also happily offer another $25,000 under the table for a shot of the good stuff from Pfizer ASAP. “People are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars” for the vaccine, said one doctor to the paper.
[G]etting earlier access to the shot may not even require much backroom deal-making. Some wealthy patients may get the shots sooner than the average person because they’re members of exclusive healthcare groups that offer the kind of high-quality, primary care most Americans can’t afford… Doctors in boutique practices say they’ll adhere to public health guidelines in determining who gets priority. But being on a waiting list at a practice that has special freezers and other high-quality resources means you’re already near the front of the line once the supply opens up… Taryn Vian, a health sector anti-corruption expert who teaches at the University of San Francisco, said powerful people could gain early access to the vaccine not by using bribery or coercion, but through more subtle means, like making requests to similarly powerful friends. A friend of the leader of a pharmaceutical company, medical distributor, hospital or nursing home could ask if there are any extra doses available, and the leader could ask their assistant to see if they could help. The assistant might then interpret the request as a demand to misappropriate a dose, Vian explained.
One doctor claims that a patient offered to “donate” $25,000 to the hospital he’s attached to in return for the vaccine, which does sound an awful lot like what Lori Loughlin did.
A bribe dressed up as a “donation” presumably might create criminal jeopardy, but fortunately for line-cutters there’s a safer way to gain dubious early access. California has designated “essential workers” and people with underlying health conditions for early vaccination once medical workers and nursing-home residents are done, but the definitions of those terms are conveniently vague. There are tens of millions of “essential workers” across the U.S., with two-thirds of California’s work force qualifying as “essential” per the Times. And a gigantic number of Americans have some sort of underlying health condition. If you’ve got the bread, it’d be easy enough to lawyer your way into arguing that you too are “essential” or have a meaningful health problem, thereby ensuring vaccine access before poorer, less healthy people. That’s another thing that Newsom and California’s legislature could do right now to ensure more equitable distribution of the vaccine — tighten the definitions of the terms to make sure that VIPs can’t sneak through.
There’s going to be a **lot** of this happening if you define a very broad set of preexisting conditions as deserving higher priority for vaccines. It’s a huge, avoidable mistake.https://t.co/vWE5xTTKGK pic.twitter.com/sZesgR1I2n — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) December 18, 2020
The surest way to weaken the black market for the vaccine, of course, is to make sure that the legal supply keeps rolling out to states in a timely way. The less anxious Americans are about scarcity, the more willing they may be to wait their turn in the expectation that they won’t need to wait long. Which is just one reason why this story is bad news:
Officials in multiple states said they were alerted late Wednesday that their second shipments of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine had been drastically cut for next week, sparking widespread confusion and conflicting statements from Pfizer and federal officials about who was at fault… “We have millions more doses sitting in our warehouse but, as of now, we have not received any shipment instructions for additional doses,” [Pfizer’s] statement read… Another person involved in the planning, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation, said Pfizer executives were baffled that the administration was not immediately distributing all of its vaccine, instead leaving much of it on the shelves.
A source in the administration told WaPo that the smaller shipments are due to some sort of timing snafu in which states were placing orders earlier in the week, at a moment when Pfizer’s stockpile was smaller than it was later in the week. But as you’ve just seen, the company itself disputes that. This smells like good ol’ government bureaucratic inefficiency at work, with the feds’ distribution planning a step behind state demand and Pfizer’s supply.
One possibility unmentioned in the article is that they’re worried that states simply don’t have the capacity to manage the glut of vaccine doses they’re expecting next week. Remember that Moderna’s vaccine is set to be approved any day now (possibly today), with millions of doses to be shipped next week along with the new shipment from Pfizer. Given the logistics of storing the two vaccines, conceivably the feds are worried about overwhelming state governments with a supply that’s too large to administer in full over the course of a week and which may therefore end up going partly to waste because the remainder can’t be warehoused properly. Not a great sign, if true.
That’s what Scott Gottlieb, a Pfizer board member, seems to think is happening. I’ll leave you with this.


hotair--2020-12-18--Fox News: Did Warnock invite Jeremiah Wright to preach in 2014 ... on 9/11 anniversary eve?

The failure of Democrats to vet their Senate runoff nominee continues to pay dividends … to the Georgia GOP .
Earlier oppo-research drops on Raphael Warnock included praise for and a defense of Rev .
Jeremiah Wright after his infamous “ God damn America ” speech following the 9/11 attacks .
Any invite to Wright after that , and especially after the speech emerged in the 2008 presidential campaign , would be fodder for political attack .
But , er … scheduling Wright to speak on the anniversary eve of the 9/11 attacks six years after Barack Obama tossed Wright @ @ @ @ @ @ @ *chef ’ s kiss* perfection in oppo research : Georgia Democrat Rev .
Raphael Warnock , who in 2008 defended former President Obama ’ s inflammatory one-time pastor , appears to have hosted him as a guest preacher at his Atlanta church in 2014 .
A flyer for the event found on Facebook advertised the Rev .
Jeremiah Wright as a guest preacher at Warnock ’ s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church .
A campaign spokesman for Warnock ’ s election rival , incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler , blasted the move .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wright ’ s ‘ God Damn America ’ sermon , he thought it was so great that he invited him to Ebenezer Baptist to deliver it , ” Loeffler ’ s communications director , Stephen Lawson , told Fox News Thursday night .
“ Does Georgia really want a U.S. senator who thinks God should damn America ?
” Warnock ’ s campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment .
Here ’ s the flyer listing a series of three events .
Note the date on which Warnock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this just a coincidence ?
If Warnock never ran for public office , no one would have paid much attention to any of this .
However , Warnock ’ s attempt to run as a moderate Democrat for a US Senate seat in Georgia makes this record very much fair game .
After all , this is Warnock ’ s public record — his ministry and his alliances — on which he ’ s now running for office .
By the way , it ’ s not just Wright ’ s 9/11 sermon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and by extension Jon Ossoff .
Earlier this week , Ossoff accused Republicans of “ anti-Semitism ” in attacking Warnock , which considering Warnock ’ s embrace of Louis Farrakhan seems a case of projection-by-proxy .
Wright has his own embrace of Farrakhan to explain in terms of anti-Semitism , but also his own statements .
Remember when Wright complained that “ them Jews ” were blocking his access to Obama ?
Or , for that matter , when Wright claimed that America had “ started the HIV virus ” in order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ His voice rising , Mr. Wright said , “ We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic .
.
.
.
We care nothing about human life if the end justifies the means .
.
.
.
” Concluding , Mr. Wright said : “ We started the AIDS virus .
.
.
We are only able to maintain our level of living by making sure that Third World people live in grinding poverty .
.
.
.
” Considering this view @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprising that in December Mr. Wright ’ s church gave an award to Louis Farrakhan for lifetime achievement .
In the church magazine , Trumpet , Mr. Wright spoke glowingly of the Nation of Islam leader .
“ His depth on analysis [ sic ] when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is astounding and eye-opening , ” Mr. Wright said of Mr. Farrakhan .
“ He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest.
” That sounds a lot like Warnock ’ s defense of Farrakhan several years later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t sound like is “ moderate.
” Wright ’ s a nut , a radical from which Obama wisely distanced himself in 2008 .
Six years after that , Warnock still embraced Wright and Farrakhan .
There are many ways to describe someone who does that , but “ moderate ” is not among them .

The failure of Democrats to vet their Senate runoff nominee continues to pay dividends … to the Georgia GOP. Earlier oppo-research drops on Raphael Warnock included praise for and a defense of Rev. Jeremiah Wright after his infamous “God damn America” speech following the 9/11 attacks. Any invite to Wright after that, and especially after the speech emerged in the 2008 presidential campaign, would be fodder for political attack.
But, er … scheduling Wright to speak on the anniversary eve of the 9/11 attacks six years after Barack Obama tossed Wright under the bus? That’s *chef’s kiss* perfection in oppo research:
Georgia Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock, who in 2008 defended former President Obama’s inflammatory one-time pastor, appears to have hosted him as a guest preacher at his Atlanta church in 2014. A flyer for the event found on Facebook advertised the Rev. Jeremiah Wright as a guest preacher at Warnock’s historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. A campaign spokesman for Warnock’s election rival, incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler, blasted the move. “Not only did Raphael Warnock praise Jeremiah Wright’s ‘God Damn America’ sermon, he thought it was so great that he invited him to Ebenezer Baptist to deliver it,” Loeffler’s communications director, Stephen Lawson, told Fox News Thursday night. “Does Georgia really want a U.S. senator who thinks God should damn America?” Warnock’s campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.
Here’s the flyer listing a series of three events. Note the date on which Warnock scheduled Jeremiah Wright to speak. Is this just a coincidence?
If Warnock never ran for public office, no one would have paid much attention to any of this. However, Warnock’s attempt to run as a moderate Democrat for a US Senate seat in Georgia makes this record very much fair game. After all, this is Warnock’s public record — his ministry and his alliances — on which he’s now running for office.
By the way, it’s not just Wright’s 9/11 sermon that presents a problem for Warnock, and by extension Jon Ossoff. Earlier this week, Ossoff accused Republicans of “anti-Semitism” in attacking Warnock, which considering Warnock’s embrace of Louis Farrakhan seems a case of projection-by-proxy. Wright has his own embrace of Farrakhan to explain in terms of anti-Semitism, but also his own statements. Remember when Wright complained that “them Jews” were blocking his access to Obama? Or, for that matter, when Wright claimed that America had “started the HIV virus” in order to keep the Third World in poverty?
His voice rising, Mr. Wright said, “We supported Zionism shamelessly while ignoring the Palestinians and branding anybody who spoke out against it as being anti-Semitic. . . . We care nothing about human life if the end justifies the means. . . .” Concluding, Mr. Wright said: “We started the AIDS virus . . . We are only able to maintain our level of living by making sure that Third World people live in grinding poverty. . . .” Considering this view of America, it’s not surprising that in December Mr. Wright’s church gave an award to Louis Farrakhan for lifetime achievement. In the church magazine, Trumpet, Mr. Wright spoke glowingly of the Nation of Islam leader. “His depth on analysis [sic] when it comes to the racial ills of this nation is astounding and eye-opening,” Mr. Wright said of Mr. Farrakhan. “He brings a perspective that is helpful and honest.”
That sounds a lot like Warnock’s defense of Farrakhan several years later, no? What it doesn’t sound like is “moderate.” Wright’s a nut, a radical from which Obama wisely distanced himself in 2008. Six years after that, Warnock still embraced Wright and Farrakhan. There are many ways to describe someone who does that, but “moderate” is not among them.