DonViejo
DonViejo's Journal'Enemy of the People' Attacks Are Working
April 2, 2019 at 5:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
A new Wason Center poll finds that 86% of Republican voters and 61% of independent voters say major American news organizations publish fake news stories for political purposes.
Said pollster Rachel Bitecofer: President Trumps rhetoric appears to be having a massive impact on voter confidence in the media. Although confidence in media has been declining for the past few decades, this represents a sharp decline in trust, which carries serious implications.
Also interesting: Political polarization in the American electorate runs deep. 71% of Republicans say the views of Democrats are a threat to the country; 55% of Democrats say the same about Republicans.
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https://politicalwire.com/2019/04/02/enemies-of-the-people-attacks-are-working/
Bloomberg May Still Run If Biden Doesn't
April 2, 2019 at 6:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Michael Bloomberg might still run for president in 2020, especially if former Vice President Joe Biden winds up not getting in, Axios reports.
Bloomberg, estimated by Forbes to be worth $58 billion, could spend unlimited amounts to argue that no one in the race had done more to promote action on climate and guns. So Bloomberg, at least at first, could command a hearing and impose a footprint in a way that few candidates can.
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https://politicalwire.com/2019/04/02/bloomberg-may-still-run-if-biden-doesnt/
Biden Advisers Smell a Conspiracy
April 2, 2019 at 6:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
Joe Biden advisers believe coverage of allegations of inappropriate behavior is being stoked by rival Democrats a dynamic that could actually fire up the vice president at a time when others see success as increasingly improbable, Axios reports.
Several around Biden think advisers to Bernie Sanders are at least partly behind the anti-Biden campaign. One prominent backer thinks Biden will run, and is ready to kill Bernie.'
Said one source close to Biden: VP directed staff this evening to reach out to supporters and donors with a simple message full steam ahead.
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https://politicalwire.com/2019/04/02/biden-advisers-smell-a-conspiracy/
Gun Control Passes Nearly Unanimously In New Zealand
Source: PoliticalWire
April 2, 2019 at 7:10 am EDT By Taegan Goddard
New Zealand lawmakers on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of new gun restrictions during the first stage of a bill they hope to rush into law by the end of next week, the AP reports.
The bill would ban the types of weapons a gunman used to kill 50 people at two mosques last month.
The bill was backed by both liberals and conservatives, with only a single lawmaker from the 120 that sit in Parliament voting against it. The vote was the first of three that lawmakers must pass before the bill becomes law.
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Read more: https://politicalwire.com/2019/04/02/gun-control-passes-nearly-unanimously-in-new-zealand/
Reporters Group Asks Judge To OK Release Of Mueller Report's Grand Jury Materials
Source: Talking Points Memo
By Tierney Sneed
April 1, 2019 12:32 pm
A press freedom group requested on Monday that judge authorize the release of the grand jury materials in special counsel Robert Muellers report.
The grand jury materials are just one of several categories of information in Muellers report Attorney General Bill Barr has said he will withhold when he releases a public version of the report sometime in mid-April.
While typically under the law, grand jury materials are kept confidential, there is also a legal process for seeking a judges OK to release them. Barr so far has not given any public indication that he plans to pursue that option, despite House Democrats request that he work with them to do so.
In its filing Monday, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press requested the courts authorization for the release of all grand jury materials cited, quoted, or referenced in Muellers report. It comes on the heels of a March 27 request by the group under the Freedom of Information Act that the Justice Department release the full report.
Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/reporters-group-asks-judge-to-ok-release-of-mueller-reports-grand-jury-materials
court document at link, above
Former Biden Aide Scolds Lucy Flores For Coming Forward 5 Years Later: 'It's Politicized Now'
by Tommy Christopher | Apr 1st, 2019, 11:14 am
Claire DeMatteis, former senior counsel to then-Senator and current former Vice President Joe Biden, defended the potential Democratic candidate over the recent allegations of inappropriate touching from former Nevada lawmaker Lucy Flores.
On Monday mornings edition of MSNBC Live With Hallie Jackson, host Hallie Jackson interviewed DeMatteis just seconds after an appearance by Flores. Jackson began by asking if Biden or someone from his team should reach out to Flores.
I think his response has been adequate, DeMatteis said. He said he did not think he did anything inappropriate. He certainly did not intend to make her feel uncomfortable and he said hes listening and listening very respectfully. I dont think its necessary to reach out to her.
She added that it is Flores who has made this a very public coming out, and called Flores story an allegation that is five years old, and that cannot negate or change or diminish in any way Joe Bidens very strong record empowering women. Jackson asked DeMatteis if she would feel differently if the incident Flores described had taken place in a business setting, asking Would that not be grounds for a complaint?
DeMatteis responded that she teaches about this subject at the University of Delaware, and that Its about having that conversation.
There was a way for her to talk about this closer to the event, rather than five years later in the middle of a political campaign coming forward, she added So, its politicized now. There was a way to handle this one-on-one at the time, to clear the air, and that didnt happen, unfortunately.
Jackson concluded by asking DeMatteis if she still thinks Biden should run for president.
Absolutely, DeMatteis replied.
https://www.mediaite.com/election-2020/former-biden-aide-scolds-lucy-flores-for-coming-forward-5-years-later-its-politicized-now/
Whoopi Goldberg Defends Biden Over Lucy Flores Allegations: This 'Pisses Me Off'
by Ken Meyer | Apr 1st, 2019, 11:53 am
Whoopi Goldberg and Meghan McCain offered defenses of Joe Biden on Monday as The View discussed the new accusations of inappropriate behavior from the former vice-president.
-snip-
As Goldberg and McCain discussed how Flores claims dont rise to a MeToo moment, the rest of the panel chimed in to discuss where the claims against Biden might be taking the movement against sexual harassment as a whole. Abby Huntsman wondered what Flores motives could be as she wondered if the country is heading to this place where you cant have normal interactions with each other.
Are we going to get to a place where we cant shake hands or hug each other? I worry about that. Huntsman said.
As Sunny Hostin praised Biden over how he responded to the allegations, Goldberg said the situation pisses me off and I dont want Joe to stop behaving as himself. McCain followed up by calling Biden a good, decent man, by saying his actions are quite different from more serious instances of sexual abuse, and that Democrats have to make a decision on their standards before the furor cripples Bidens possible 2020 run.
For me, these things are not Democratic or Republican, Goldberg said. I want women to get to the place where they can say, hey, you just made me uncomfortable. This idea that you have to tiptoe away from this, you dont have to carry it. If someone makes you uncomfortable, tell them you have to stop mischaracterizing stuff. Dont sit and wait and say Im uncomfortable on national television.
Full article + video
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/whoopi-goldberg-defends-joe-biden-over-flores-allegations-this-pisses-me-off/
Antitrust is all the rage. Monopolies and mergers emerge as major issues in the Democratic primaries
By James Hohmann April 1 at 10:25 AM
With Joanie Greve and Mariana Alfaro
THE BIG IDEA:
STORM LAKE, Iowa If the newest Democratic purity test sounds retro, its because it is.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) quotes William Jennings Bryans Cross of Gold speech as she channels the prairie populism that catapulted him to the Democratic nomination in 1896. Like Bryan, I will fight for farmers, she promises.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) calls for a modern-day Granger movement, the coalition of Midwestern farmers that formed after the Civil War to challenge hefty fees being charged by monopolistic railroads to transport their grain to market.
Literally this movement started when farmers were out there with their pitchforks and that's what we need to see today, Klobuchar told hundreds of farmers during a forum here in rural northwestern Iowa on Saturday afternoon. Our railroads are down to four, the same number as on the Monopoly board. We are entering what is essentially a new Gilded Age, and we need to take on the power of these monopolies. We're getting to the point where you know you're not going to be able to get a fair deal.
This riff drew the loudest cheers of the day during the Heartland Forum. Klobuchar was one of four Democratic presidential candidates, plus Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who fielded questions about issues facing rural America. About 150 farmers gathered for a separate rally earlier in the day to agitate for legislation that would put a moratorium on corporate mergers.
more
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/04/01/daily-202-antitrust-is-all-the-rage-monopolies-and-mergers-emerge-as-major-issues-in-the-democratic-primaries/5ca166921b326b0f7f38f2cf/
Seth Moulton: Trump Is the Reason He Doesn't Want His Daughter 'Growing Up In This Country'
Potential 2020 Dem: Trump Is the Reason He Doesnt Want His Daughter Growing Up In This Country
by Julio Rosas | Apr 1st, 2019, 9:37 am
Speaking with CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Sunday, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) said President Donald Trump is one of the many reasons why he does not want his daughter to grow up in the United States.
Moulton made his remarks as he is mulling over potentially joining the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential candidate field.
I love this girl more than I could ever imagine. I just met her. Shes only 5 1/2 months old. Im completely in love with her. Its hard to leave her every time I go to Washington for a few days. But I also feel even more invested in her future than maybe I did ever before in this job because I dont want her growing up in this country, Moulton said.
What do you mean you dont want her growing up in this country, Tapper asked.
I dont want her growing up in this country the way that it is, with a commander-in-chief that we fundamentally cant trust, where women are disrespected, where she doesnt have the same opportunities that a little boy growing up at the same time would have. We have a lot of things to fix in this country, he explained.
video:
https://www.mediaite.com/trump/potential-2020-dem-trump-is-the-reason-he-doesnt-want-his-daughter-growing-up-in-this-country/
Justin Fairfax Accuser Calls For Virginia Lt. Gov to Resign; Details Alleged Assault:...
Justin Fairfax Accuser Calls For Virginia Lt. Gov to Resign; Details Alleged Assault: I Was Choking and Gaggingby Ken Meyer | Apr 1st, 2019, 8:15 am
Vanessa Tyson got emotional on Monday as she gave an interview to CBS and shared graphic details about her claim that Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax sexually assaulted her years ago.
Tyson drew media attention approximately two months ago when she came forward with her claim that Fairfax forced himself on her when they met at a Democratic convention in Boston back in 2004. As she spoke to Gayle King about how she knew Fairfax and wound up inside of his hotel room, Tyson recalled how she was surprised when Fairfax started kissing her.
While she said the kissing wasnt unwelcome and was completely consensual, Tyson described how she and Fairfax ended up on his bed, and she started crying when she recalled the moment when its like my neck didnt work.
more + video:
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/justin-fairfax-accuser-speaks-out-i-was-choking-and-gagging-as-he-put-my-head-towards-his-crotch/
Profile Information
Name: DonGender: Male
Hometown: Massachusetts
Home country: United States
Member since: Sat Sep 1, 2012, 03:28 PM
Number of posts: 60,536