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babylonsister
babylonsister's Journal
babylonsister's Journal
October 29, 2019
Voters Over the Age of 65 Remember Nixon—and Want to Impeach Donald Trump
By Nicole Goodkind
October 28, 2019
Two new polls show that President Donald Trump is losing the support of the key demographic groups that propelled him to the White House in 2016: suburban woman, white Americans without college degrees, and now voters over the age of 65.
A new Quinnipiac poll found the majority of older voters support impeaching and removing Trump from office, the highest support of any age group. The results indicate that the president may be losing the backing of a group that has long been essential to the success of the Republican party.
According to the survey, 51% of voters over the age of 65 believe that Trump should be “impeached and removed from office,” compared with 47% of 18 to 34 year-olds. Nearly six in ten voters over the age of 65 support the ongoing impeachment inquiry in general.
“Americans over 65 were all around when Nixon got impeached. They know what the process is. It’s not unfamiliar to them,” said Robert Shrum, Director of the Center for the Political Future and the Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California.
A New York Times/Siena College poll out last week found that Americans above the age of 65 were the most likely age group to say they were following the discussion around impeachment very closely. They were also the most likely demographic, at 36%, to say they strongly support impeaching and removing the president from office.
Evan Siegfried, a Republican strategist, agreed that older voters have an institutional memory of the Nixon and Clinton impeachment inquiries and therefore have more trouble buying the president’s “witch hunt” defense. But he also sees a larger trend away from the Republican party.
more...
https://fortune.com/2019/10/28/donald-trump-impeachment-demographics-seniors-voters-over-65-polls/?fbclid=IwAR2oW9mIG8sm0ABM30ori5JqBNiGAIZi-B4NCHVlwtPzhimgtf1tExQvEJ0
Voters Over the Age of 65 Remember Nixon--and Want to Impeach Donald Trump
Voters Over the Age of 65 Remember Nixon—and Want to Impeach Donald Trump
By Nicole Goodkind
October 28, 2019
Donald Trump Responds to Impeachment Inquiry
“It’s all a hoax, folks.”
“It’s all a hoax, folks.”
Two new polls show that President Donald Trump is losing the support of the key demographic groups that propelled him to the White House in 2016: suburban woman, white Americans without college degrees, and now voters over the age of 65.
A new Quinnipiac poll found the majority of older voters support impeaching and removing Trump from office, the highest support of any age group. The results indicate that the president may be losing the backing of a group that has long been essential to the success of the Republican party.
According to the survey, 51% of voters over the age of 65 believe that Trump should be “impeached and removed from office,” compared with 47% of 18 to 34 year-olds. Nearly six in ten voters over the age of 65 support the ongoing impeachment inquiry in general.
“Americans over 65 were all around when Nixon got impeached. They know what the process is. It’s not unfamiliar to them,” said Robert Shrum, Director of the Center for the Political Future and the Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California.
A New York Times/Siena College poll out last week found that Americans above the age of 65 were the most likely age group to say they were following the discussion around impeachment very closely. They were also the most likely demographic, at 36%, to say they strongly support impeaching and removing the president from office.
“These are a group of people who predominantly lived through Watergate and the Clinton impeachment. They’ve seen this before and they have a more historic view,” said Joe Trippi, a political strategist who ran campaigns for Alabama Senator Doug Jones and 2004 presidential hopeful Howard Dean. “They have more of a sense of history.”
Evan Siegfried, a Republican strategist, agreed that older voters have an institutional memory of the Nixon and Clinton impeachment inquiries and therefore have more trouble buying the president’s “witch hunt” defense. But he also sees a larger trend away from the Republican party.
more...
https://fortune.com/2019/10/28/donald-trump-impeachment-demographics-seniors-voters-over-65-polls/?fbclid=IwAR2oW9mIG8sm0ABM30ori5JqBNiGAIZi-B4NCHVlwtPzhimgtf1tExQvEJ0
October 29, 2019
Dear Senate Republicans…
October 29, 2019 at 5:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Dear Senate Republicans...
https://politicalwire.com/2019/10/29/dear-senate-republicans/Dear Senate Republicans…
October 29, 2019 at 5:50 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Charles Sykes: “By now it should have dawned on you that there is no escape. You are going to have to render a verdict not just on Donald’s Trump’s policies, but on his personal conduct. For just the third time in U.S. history, the Senate will hold a trial on the impeachment and removal of a president.”
“You’ll have to vote up or down and your decision will have consequences that will linger long past this election cycle. The situation is already grim.”
“But it is all about to get worse: the evidence, the venue and the president’s conduct. There may be more smoking guns, the trial will be televised, and based on the past few weeks, Trump is likely to be more unhinged than ever.”
“You’ll have to vote up or down and your decision will have consequences that will linger long past this election cycle. The situation is already grim.”
“But it is all about to get worse: the evidence, the venue and the president’s conduct. There may be more smoking guns, the trial will be televised, and based on the past few weeks, Trump is likely to be more unhinged than ever.”
October 29, 2019
Top Bush Adviser Leaves the Republican Party
October 29, 2019 at 5:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Top Bush Adviser Leaves the Republican Party
https://politicalwire.com/2019/10/29/top-bush-adviser-leaves-the-republican-party/Top Bush Adviser Leaves the Republican Party
October 29, 2019 at 5:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Greg Mankiw, former economic adviser to President George W. Bush, writes that he’s no longer a Republican.
“First, the Republican Party has largely become the Party of Trump. Too many Republicans in Congress are willing, in the interest of protecting their jobs, to overlook Trump’s misdeeds (just as too many Democrats were for Clinton during his impeachment). I have no interest in associating myself with that behavior. Maybe someday, the party will return to having honorable leaders like Bush, McCain, and Romney. Until then, count me out.”
“Second, in Massachusetts, unenrolled voters can vote in either primary. The Democratic Party is at a crossroads, where it has to choose either a center-left candidate (Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Yang) or a far-left populist (Warren, Sanders) as their nominee for president. I intend to help them choose the former.”
“First, the Republican Party has largely become the Party of Trump. Too many Republicans in Congress are willing, in the interest of protecting their jobs, to overlook Trump’s misdeeds (just as too many Democrats were for Clinton during his impeachment). I have no interest in associating myself with that behavior. Maybe someday, the party will return to having honorable leaders like Bush, McCain, and Romney. Until then, count me out.”
“Second, in Massachusetts, unenrolled voters can vote in either primary. The Democratic Party is at a crossroads, where it has to choose either a center-left candidate (Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Yang) or a far-left populist (Warren, Sanders) as their nominee for president. I intend to help them choose the former.”
October 28, 2019
Purge of about 300,000 voter registrations planned in Georgia
Politics 1 hour ago
By Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
About 330,000 voter registrations in Georgia could soon be canceled because registrants haven’t participated in elections for several years.
The purge comes after Georgia canceled 534,119 registrations in July 2017, the largest single removal of voters in U.S. history.
Under a new state law, election officials will notify voters before canceling their registrations, a step that didn’t exist two years ago.
The voter list cleanup, announced Monday by the secretary of state’s office, reinforces Georgia’s role as a voting rights and political battleground ahead of next year’s elections for president and two U.S. Senate seats. Last year, voting rights helped define the race for governor between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp, who won by 1.4 percentage points.
more...
https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/purge-about-300-000-voter-registrations-planned-georgia/qfxvTqS7KenXjvKN208yII/#
Purge of about 300,000 voter registrations planned in Georgia
Purge of about 300,000 voter registrations planned in Georgia
Politics 1 hour ago
By Mark Niesse, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
About 330,000 voter registrations in Georgia could soon be canceled because registrants haven’t participated in elections for several years.
The purge comes after Georgia canceled 534,119 registrations in July 2017, the largest single removal of voters in U.S. history.
Under a new state law, election officials will notify voters before canceling their registrations, a step that didn’t exist two years ago.
The voter list cleanup, announced Monday by the secretary of state’s office, reinforces Georgia’s role as a voting rights and political battleground ahead of next year’s elections for president and two U.S. Senate seats. Last year, voting rights helped define the race for governor between Democrat Stacey Abrams and Republican Brian Kemp, who won by 1.4 percentage points.
more...
https://www.ajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/purge-about-300-000-voter-registrations-planned-georgia/qfxvTqS7KenXjvKN208yII/#
October 28, 2019
https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-teen-charged-punching-man-194249925.html?.tsrc=fauxdal
Florida teen charged after punching man dressed as Donald Trump for Halloween in the face
[USA TODAY]
Stacey Henson, Naples Daily News
,USA TODAY•October 28, 2019
NAPLES, Fla. - A 14-year-old girl walked up to a man dressed as President Donald Trump as he stood in line at the Collier County fairgrounds in Naples, Florida, and allegedly punched him while her friends recorded it.
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, the girl faces a misdemeanor charge of battery for the 8:40 p.m. Saturday incident.
An incident report indicates that the man and his family were in line to go into a haunted house exhibit when the girl walked over to him and punched him in the jaw.
The man said the girl laughed and ran back to her place in line with about four other juveniles.
The man approached her and asked why she punched him before finding a fair worker and asking for the sheriff's deputies to report the incident.
The deputy questioned the girl and her parents. While interviewing them, a woman identifying herself as a Collier County School system employee said the incident was posted on Instagram.
The deputy told the family that due to the nature of the crime and "that the sole motivation was to strike 'Trump'," investigators may follow up with them.
The Naples Haunted Gross House is an annual Halloween-themed event at the fairgrounds.
Florida teen charged after punching man dressed as Donald Trump for Halloween in the face
https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-teen-charged-punching-man-194249925.html?.tsrc=fauxdal
Florida teen charged after punching man dressed as Donald Trump for Halloween in the face
[USA TODAY]
Stacey Henson, Naples Daily News
,USA TODAY•October 28, 2019
NAPLES, Fla. - A 14-year-old girl walked up to a man dressed as President Donald Trump as he stood in line at the Collier County fairgrounds in Naples, Florida, and allegedly punched him while her friends recorded it.
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, the girl faces a misdemeanor charge of battery for the 8:40 p.m. Saturday incident.
An incident report indicates that the man and his family were in line to go into a haunted house exhibit when the girl walked over to him and punched him in the jaw.
The man said the girl laughed and ran back to her place in line with about four other juveniles.
The man approached her and asked why she punched him before finding a fair worker and asking for the sheriff's deputies to report the incident.
The deputy questioned the girl and her parents. While interviewing them, a woman identifying herself as a Collier County School system employee said the incident was posted on Instagram.
The deputy told the family that due to the nature of the crime and "that the sole motivation was to strike 'Trump'," investigators may follow up with them.
The Naples Haunted Gross House is an annual Halloween-themed event at the fairgrounds.
October 28, 2019
William Barr and the Corruption of the Justice Department
The attorney general is using the full resources of his office in pursuit of preposterous conspiracy theories.
by Paul Waldman
October 28, 2019
snip//
It’s not precisely clear whether Trump understood when he hired him that Bill Barr offered the perfect combination of establishment credentials, lack of scruples, and devotion to the idea that the president can do whatever he wants (throughout his career, Barr has promoted a vision of unfettered presidential power so extreme that many of his fellow Republicans find it radical). It was probably enough that Barr wrote a kind of audition letter in June of 2018 dismissing much of the Mueller probe as illegitimate. Trump may even have heard that Barr once told The New York Times that “I have long believed” there was more reason to investigate conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton than “for investigating so-called ‘collusion’” between Russia and the Trump campaign.
But Trump, who has tried to corrupt every institution of government, has not been universally successful. In a few cases, agencies like the Federal Reserve have resisted his efforts. With Bill Barr he finally succeeded in making the Justice Department put Donald Trump’s political interests above the interests of justice.
And Barr is just getting started. I can tell you with some confidence what will happen when John Durham completes his investigation. Whatever Durham finds, the attorney general will present it to the public with his own narrative, just as he did to Robert Mueller’s report on the Russia scandal. Barr’s narrative will be full of dark insinuations of a nefarious conspiracy and vague allegations of misconduct. It will be greeted with front-page headlines, not to mention days of round-the-clock triumphalism on Fox News, as Trump’s advocates gloat that the anti-Trump Deep State conspiracy has finally been exposed.
And then a few days later we’ll discover—again, just as we did with the Mueller report—that Barr has completely misrepresented the evidence. There was no Deep State conspiracy, just a bunch of people with varying opinions about Trump who did their jobs regardless of what they thought of him. Russia did mount a campaign to help Trump get elected, and it was not only appropriate but completely necessary for the FBI to investigate it.
That will all be ignored by Trump himself, his media cheerleaders, and his rabid supporters. Barr will have given them what they need, regardless of the truth. And then Barr will turn his attention to the Democratic nominee for president. If there isn’t a Justice Department investigation of that nominee (whoever it is) announced some time in the summer or fall of 2020, with as much publicity as possible so as to maximize the political damage, it will be an absolute shock.
If you don’t think Barr would do that, all you have to look at is what he’s doing now.
William Barr and the Corruption of the Justice Department
https://prospect.org/politics/william-barr-corruption-of-the-justice-department/William Barr and the Corruption of the Justice Department
The attorney general is using the full resources of his office in pursuit of preposterous conspiracy theories.
by Paul Waldman
October 28, 2019
snip//
It’s not precisely clear whether Trump understood when he hired him that Bill Barr offered the perfect combination of establishment credentials, lack of scruples, and devotion to the idea that the president can do whatever he wants (throughout his career, Barr has promoted a vision of unfettered presidential power so extreme that many of his fellow Republicans find it radical). It was probably enough that Barr wrote a kind of audition letter in June of 2018 dismissing much of the Mueller probe as illegitimate. Trump may even have heard that Barr once told The New York Times that “I have long believed” there was more reason to investigate conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton than “for investigating so-called ‘collusion’” between Russia and the Trump campaign.
But Trump, who has tried to corrupt every institution of government, has not been universally successful. In a few cases, agencies like the Federal Reserve have resisted his efforts. With Bill Barr he finally succeeded in making the Justice Department put Donald Trump’s political interests above the interests of justice.
And Barr is just getting started. I can tell you with some confidence what will happen when John Durham completes his investigation. Whatever Durham finds, the attorney general will present it to the public with his own narrative, just as he did to Robert Mueller’s report on the Russia scandal. Barr’s narrative will be full of dark insinuations of a nefarious conspiracy and vague allegations of misconduct. It will be greeted with front-page headlines, not to mention days of round-the-clock triumphalism on Fox News, as Trump’s advocates gloat that the anti-Trump Deep State conspiracy has finally been exposed.
And then a few days later we’ll discover—again, just as we did with the Mueller report—that Barr has completely misrepresented the evidence. There was no Deep State conspiracy, just a bunch of people with varying opinions about Trump who did their jobs regardless of what they thought of him. Russia did mount a campaign to help Trump get elected, and it was not only appropriate but completely necessary for the FBI to investigate it.
That will all be ignored by Trump himself, his media cheerleaders, and his rabid supporters. Barr will have given them what they need, regardless of the truth. And then Barr will turn his attention to the Democratic nominee for president. If there isn’t a Justice Department investigation of that nominee (whoever it is) announced some time in the summer or fall of 2020, with as much publicity as possible so as to maximize the political damage, it will be an absolute shock.
If you don’t think Barr would do that, all you have to look at is what he’s doing now.
October 28, 2019
The 'Veterans for Impeachment' on Why They Protested at World Series: The Trump Administration 'Doesn't Represent the Ideals Which Inspired Me to Enlist'
By James Walker On 10/28/19 at 12:42 PM EDT
The two baseball fans who held up a sign reading "Veterans for Impeachment" behind the home plate at last night's World Series game said they did it because Trump didn't represent the ideals that inspired them to enlist.
U.S. Army veterans Alan Pitts and Naveed Shah told Newsweek that their statement at the tie between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, caught on TV cameras, was an effort to show the president "vets are not on his side."
Pitts, a combat engineer deployed and wounded in Iraq, and Shah, who was also deployed to Iraq, are both members of the anti-Trump veteran activist group Common Defense—which has the stated aim of getting ex-service personnel involved in grassroots progressive movements.
They told Newsweek that their statement yesterday was brought to an end by Washington Nationals staff, who confiscated the banner.
more...
https://www.newsweek.com/veterans-impeachment-world-series-values-enlist-1468176?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=NewsweekFacebookSF&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwAR0W_0onVU5b5I9WQ0LtVuab2bYgWJuM727G-2NujlsYIbUqTx1Rrh7RAVc
The 'Veterans for Impeachment' on Why They Protested at World Series...
The 'Veterans for Impeachment' on Why They Protested at World Series: The Trump Administration 'Doesn't Represent the Ideals Which Inspired Me to Enlist'
By James Walker On 10/28/19 at 12:42 PM EDT
The two baseball fans who held up a sign reading "Veterans for Impeachment" behind the home plate at last night's World Series game said they did it because Trump didn't represent the ideals that inspired them to enlist.
U.S. Army veterans Alan Pitts and Naveed Shah told Newsweek that their statement at the tie between the Washington Nationals and Houston Astros, caught on TV cameras, was an effort to show the president "vets are not on his side."
Pitts, a combat engineer deployed and wounded in Iraq, and Shah, who was also deployed to Iraq, are both members of the anti-Trump veteran activist group Common Defense—which has the stated aim of getting ex-service personnel involved in grassroots progressive movements.
They told Newsweek that their statement yesterday was brought to an end by Washington Nationals staff, who confiscated the banner.
more...
https://www.newsweek.com/veterans-impeachment-world-series-values-enlist-1468176?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=NewsweekFacebookSF&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwAR0W_0onVU5b5I9WQ0LtVuab2bYgWJuM727G-2NujlsYIbUqTx1Rrh7RAVc
October 28, 2019
After decrying leaks, Trump shares sensitive details on Baghdadi raid
10/28/19 08:45 AM—Updated 10/28/19 01:05 PM
By Steve Benen
snip//
First, if the White House was determined to limit the number of lawmakers aware of the mission for security reasons, it doesn’t explain why Republican members of Congress – including one GOP lawmaker outside the Gang of Eight – were notified and Democrats weren’t. This was not supposed to be a partisan exercise.
Second, given the frequency with which Trump blurts out sensitive information – including, in one instance, his decision to leak highly classified intelligence with Russians for no reason – it was kind of hilarious to hear him whine yesterday about leaks, as if others have been careless.
And third, as part of the same White House event in which he suggested Democrats might not be trustworthy to be discreet with sensitive intelligence, Donald Trump shared all kinds of operational details that he could’ve easily kept to himself, including the precise number of commando helicopters used and the route they took to the raid.
Politico reported:
A separate Politico report added, “Taken together, some of the details Trump revealed could help terrorist groups piece together new information about how U.S. counterterrorism forces gather intelligence and execute such dangerous missions, said veterans of previous operations.”
For Trump to divulge these operational details was unsettling. For him to divulge these operational details while complaining about leaks and suggesting others lacked discretion was ridiculous.
After decrying leaks, Trump shares sensitive details on Baghdadi raid
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/after-decrying-leaks-trump-shares-sensitive-details-baghdadi-raidAfter decrying leaks, Trump shares sensitive details on Baghdadi raid
10/28/19 08:45 AM—Updated 10/28/19 01:05 PM
By Steve Benen
snip//
First, if the White House was determined to limit the number of lawmakers aware of the mission for security reasons, it doesn’t explain why Republican members of Congress – including one GOP lawmaker outside the Gang of Eight – were notified and Democrats weren’t. This was not supposed to be a partisan exercise.
Second, given the frequency with which Trump blurts out sensitive information – including, in one instance, his decision to leak highly classified intelligence with Russians for no reason – it was kind of hilarious to hear him whine yesterday about leaks, as if others have been careless.
And third, as part of the same White House event in which he suggested Democrats might not be trustworthy to be discreet with sensitive intelligence, Donald Trump shared all kinds of operational details that he could’ve easily kept to himself, including the precise number of commando helicopters used and the route they took to the raid.
Politico reported:
Throughout the rest of the news conference, Trump eagerly divulged operational details that would normally be reserved for expert officials to share at their discretion. The move immediately drew criticism from national security analysts who said they were alarmed by the volume of information he shared regarding the location and specifics of the nighttime raid.
Over the course of his remarks, Trump revealed that Baghdadi had been “under surveillance for a couple of weeks”; the number of helicopters involved in the mission and their time of liftoff; how special forces teams managed to penetrate the compound where Baghdadi was found; how lab technicians administered a “genius” DNA test after he killed himself by detonating a suicide vest; and which “element of the attack [U.S. forces] were most afraid of.”
Over the course of his remarks, Trump revealed that Baghdadi had been “under surveillance for a couple of weeks”; the number of helicopters involved in the mission and their time of liftoff; how special forces teams managed to penetrate the compound where Baghdadi was found; how lab technicians administered a “genius” DNA test after he killed himself by detonating a suicide vest; and which “element of the attack [U.S. forces] were most afraid of.”
A separate Politico report added, “Taken together, some of the details Trump revealed could help terrorist groups piece together new information about how U.S. counterterrorism forces gather intelligence and execute such dangerous missions, said veterans of previous operations.”
For Trump to divulge these operational details was unsettling. For him to divulge these operational details while complaining about leaks and suggesting others lacked discretion was ridiculous.
October 28, 2019
the national circus Oct. 25, 2019
Republican Impeachment Panic Sets In
By Frank Rich
Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, diplomat William Taylor’s “smoking gun” Ukraine testimony, Trump’s fading GOP support on impeachment, and the Democratic Party’s Hail Mary attempts to hold off Warren and Sanders.
Congressional testimony this week by William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, laid out an explicit quid pro quo linking U.S. military aid for Ukraine to a Biden investigation, and detailing the rogue “diplomacy” driven by Rudy Giuliani. Is this the “smoking gun” Democrats have been waiting for?
When Richard Nixon finally was forced to concede in August 1974, that a 1972 White House tape implicated him in the Watergate cover-up, the conservative columnist George F. Will called the revelation a “smoking howitzer.” Nixon was gone four days later. Some have been recycling Will’s locution this week, with good reason given the damning evidence provided by Taylor and so many others (including Trump himself) that the president of the United States committed an unambiguous criminal act. But Trump isn’t going anywhere so fast.
Yet over the past week there have been repeated signs that he and his party are more panicked than ever. The first indication of desperation was the White House trashing of Taylor, a Vietnam combat veteran with a bipartisan 30-year-plus career in public service, as a “radical unelected bureaucrat” and “human scum” despite the fact that it was Trump’s own secretary of State and Ukraine shakedown co-conspirator, Mike Pompeo, who put Taylor in his current diplomatic post. Then came the farcical and failed effort of a congressional flash mob, approved by the president, to physically disrupt the impeachment inquiry on the spurious grounds that Republicans are being shut out of the proceedings. (Forty-eight GOP representatives are permitted to attend the hearings on impeachment.) These protesting clowns, among them the racist Iowa congressman Steve King, not only violated national security by bringing cell phones into the room but thought it was a hilarious idea to order in pizza to further dramatize their ostensibly serious act of civil disobedience.
Another sign of Trump panic was his reversal of his decision to host the G7 at his own Miami hotel — a very rare about-face, prompted by complaining GOP congressmen fearful of 2020 blowback in their own reelection campaigns. You’ll notice, too, that Trump seems to be retreating from his claim to be a “lynching” victim. This may have something to do with an unexpected editorial that ran Wednesday in Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal — a newspaper that, unlike the Times and the Washington Post, has not been subjected to the White House’s new “fake news” ban. In stark contrast to Trump lackey Lindsey Graham’s defense, the paper’s editorial page condemned Trump for using “self-indulgent” and “reckless” and “indefensible” language that exacerbates the “political trouble” he’s in.
Now comes the pièce de résistance, reported yesterday: In response to congressional Republicans’ complaints that the White House has no coordinated impeachment battle plan, Mick Mulvaney has been tasked with “working on getting a messaging team together.” To put Mick (“Who do you believe, me or your own ears?”) Mulvaney in charge of White House messaging can only mean that either that Trump can no longer recruit new political operatives to join him in his bunker or that Baghdad Bob was not available.
more...
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/frank-rich-republican-impeachment-panic-sets-in.html?fbclid=IwAR2nBSdLe-w-f7lxyrwiVwaR5avlsW1G2TXOQD9Cqt8jfJsY-UzqjcfLP1E
Frank Rich: Republican Impeachment Panic Sets In
the national circus Oct. 25, 2019
Republican Impeachment Panic Sets In
By Frank Rich
Most weeks, New York Magazine writer-at-large Frank Rich speaks with contributor Alex Carp about the biggest stories in politics and culture. Today, diplomat William Taylor’s “smoking gun” Ukraine testimony, Trump’s fading GOP support on impeachment, and the Democratic Party’s Hail Mary attempts to hold off Warren and Sanders.
Congressional testimony this week by William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat to Ukraine, laid out an explicit quid pro quo linking U.S. military aid for Ukraine to a Biden investigation, and detailing the rogue “diplomacy” driven by Rudy Giuliani. Is this the “smoking gun” Democrats have been waiting for?
When Richard Nixon finally was forced to concede in August 1974, that a 1972 White House tape implicated him in the Watergate cover-up, the conservative columnist George F. Will called the revelation a “smoking howitzer.” Nixon was gone four days later. Some have been recycling Will’s locution this week, with good reason given the damning evidence provided by Taylor and so many others (including Trump himself) that the president of the United States committed an unambiguous criminal act. But Trump isn’t going anywhere so fast.
Yet over the past week there have been repeated signs that he and his party are more panicked than ever. The first indication of desperation was the White House trashing of Taylor, a Vietnam combat veteran with a bipartisan 30-year-plus career in public service, as a “radical unelected bureaucrat” and “human scum” despite the fact that it was Trump’s own secretary of State and Ukraine shakedown co-conspirator, Mike Pompeo, who put Taylor in his current diplomatic post. Then came the farcical and failed effort of a congressional flash mob, approved by the president, to physically disrupt the impeachment inquiry on the spurious grounds that Republicans are being shut out of the proceedings. (Forty-eight GOP representatives are permitted to attend the hearings on impeachment.) These protesting clowns, among them the racist Iowa congressman Steve King, not only violated national security by bringing cell phones into the room but thought it was a hilarious idea to order in pizza to further dramatize their ostensibly serious act of civil disobedience.
Another sign of Trump panic was his reversal of his decision to host the G7 at his own Miami hotel — a very rare about-face, prompted by complaining GOP congressmen fearful of 2020 blowback in their own reelection campaigns. You’ll notice, too, that Trump seems to be retreating from his claim to be a “lynching” victim. This may have something to do with an unexpected editorial that ran Wednesday in Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal — a newspaper that, unlike the Times and the Washington Post, has not been subjected to the White House’s new “fake news” ban. In stark contrast to Trump lackey Lindsey Graham’s defense, the paper’s editorial page condemned Trump for using “self-indulgent” and “reckless” and “indefensible” language that exacerbates the “political trouble” he’s in.
Now comes the pièce de résistance, reported yesterday: In response to congressional Republicans’ complaints that the White House has no coordinated impeachment battle plan, Mick Mulvaney has been tasked with “working on getting a messaging team together.” To put Mick (“Who do you believe, me or your own ears?”) Mulvaney in charge of White House messaging can only mean that either that Trump can no longer recruit new political operatives to join him in his bunker or that Baghdad Bob was not available.
more...
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/10/frank-rich-republican-impeachment-panic-sets-in.html?fbclid=IwAR2nBSdLe-w-f7lxyrwiVwaR5avlsW1G2TXOQD9Cqt8jfJsY-UzqjcfLP1E
October 28, 2019
Republicans Anxious and Adrift Defending Trump
womp womp 
https://politicalwire.com/2019/10/28/republicans-anxious-and-adrift-defending-trump/
Republicans Anxious and Adrift Defending Trump
October 28, 2019 at 7:14 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Washington Post: “Republican senators are lost and adrift as the impeachment inquiry enters its second month, navigating the grave threat to President Trump largely in the dark, frustrated by the absence of a credible case to defend his conduct and anxious about the historic reckoning that likely awaits them.”
“Recent days have delivered the most damaging testimony yet about Trump and his advisers commandeering Ukraine policy for the president’s personal political goals, which his allies on Capitol Hill sought to undermine by storming the deposition room and condemning the inquiry as secretive and corrupt.”
“Recent days have delivered the most damaging testimony yet about Trump and his advisers commandeering Ukraine policy for the president’s personal political goals, which his allies on Capitol Hill sought to undermine by storming the deposition room and condemning the inquiry as secretive and corrupt.”
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