Tag Archives: Chuck Todd

Day One of Inquiry-Media Already Drops the Ball

Posted on by under Free Press Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Since I couldn’t bring myself to write about yesterday’s televised hearings, I will share with you Jeff’s take on the media’s response which was, to say the least, largely lackluster. Thanks, Jeff, for a great assessment … you are spot on!

On The Fence Voters

So day one of the impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump is now in the books. Ambassador William Taylor and Under Secretary of State George Kent gave testimony for over five hours. Day two is tomorrow, with former Ukrainian Ambassador Maria Yovanovitch set to take the stand. I thought day one went well for the Democrats, and I planned on giving my overall opinion on some of what I observed–until I saw the following tweets:

Unfortunately, my mood changed quickly. Really NBC News and Jeff Mason of Reuters? Is this is the best you can do? A “lack of pizzazz,” “boring,” and “hearings begin…

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Still waiting for Republican spine

Posted on by under Election 2020, Law and justice, Political commentary

Our friend Jeff over at On the Fence Voters has been eavesdropping on my conversations between Me, Myself and I … only he has somehow made it sound humorous, whereas my own sound dark and foreboding. Good post, Jeff … you managed to combine humour and despair, light and dark, and did it well. Ever think about doing standup comedy? Seriously, though … thanks Jeff!

On The Fence Voters

Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.” The failure of Congressional Republicans to show the kind of courage America so desperately needs, while the leader of their party runs roughshod over our democracy, is one of the most challenging dilemmas of our time.

So perplexing in fact, that I’ve found myself talking … to myself. That’s right, after nearly four years since Donald Trump entered the political arena, I’ve now become a blithering fool. I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. But, I guess the subconscious of my soul could only take so much.

I’m about to share some of these conversations—with myself—that occurred over the last couple of days as I walked and jogged with my two four-legged canine buddies in our Great Pacific Northwest backyard. They say admitting to one’s insanity is a significant first step. So, here it…

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From Hero To Laughingstock …

Posted on by under Humour, Political commentary

I am quite certain that I’ve mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  I once had tremendous respect for New York’s former mayor, Rudy Giuliani.  Nothing can or should take away from the fact that he, more than any other single person in the U.S., brought calm in a stormy sea, brought reason into chaos, and earned the respect of New Yorkers in the days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.  His was the voice of reason, he was the one who said, “Calm down … BREATHE … we can do this … we can get through this.  Yes, we have been hurt, but … we are NEW YORKERS and we will be okay.” Nothing can take that away.  However, at some point between September 11th 2001 and August 19th 2018, the man lost his bloody marbles!!!

Giuliani frequently appears on the Sunday morning news shows to lie for defend Donald Trump, and yesterday was no exception.  Appearing on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd, Giuliani proved once again that “Yes, I am an idiot”. After a question from Todd regarding the Mueller investigation …

“No, it isn’t truth! Truth isn’t truth!”

Say … huh???  Truth isn’t truth?  Kellyanne warned us some 19 months ago that there would be alternative facts, and later she even proved there is an alternative history, when she spoke of the “Bowling Green Massacre” that never happened.  So, it follows that if there are alternative facts, and alternative history, there must also be an alternative language, right?  Up is down.  Black is white.  Left is right.  Candy is healthy, and broccoli will cause your teeth to rot.  Truth is lies and lies are truth.  Donald Trump is wonderful, and Barack Obama was a lying, dirty scoundrel who was born in Kenya.  Applause, applause, applause …

They had fun with this on Twitter, of course …Tweettweet-2

tweet-3

And then, naturally, Andy Borowitz writing for the New Yorker got in on the act …

Putin Reportedly Close to Firing Giuliani

MOSCOW (The Borowitz Report)—Vladimir Putin is reportedly “very close” to firing Rudolph Giuliani as Donald J. Trump’s attorney, a source close to the Russian President confirmed on Monday.

According to the source, Putin allowed Trump to hire Giuliani in the first place because “it’s important to let Trump think that he has some autonomy from time to time,” but now the Russian President has apparently determined that “enough is enough.”

Over the next few days, the source indicated, Putin is likely to replace Giuliani with a handpicked successor, Arkady Lubetkin, a criminal-defense attorney who has represented several prominent Russian Mob figures.

After hearing anecdotal reports of Giuliani’s appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Putin initially theorized that the nonsensical nature of Giuliani’s utterances had to be chalked up to “an error in translation,” the source said.

After reading an official transcript of Giuliani’s statements, however, the Russian President was apparently “flabbergasted.”

“Pravda is not pravda?” Putin reportedly said. “What is this bullshit?”

Today, Giuliani attempted to extricate himself from his own words …

“My statement was not meant as a pontification on moral theology but one referring to the situation where two people make precisely contradictory statements, the classic “he said,she said” puzzle. Sometimes further inquiry can reveal the truth other times it doesn’t.”

Sometimes it is best just to learn when to keep one’s mouth shut, Rudy.

It is rather a sad statement on our present situation that 99.5% of our humour comes from our own government.  Equally sad when a man who was once a hero is now a laughingstock.

Alternative Facts …

Posted on by under Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants

In the beginning … way back on January 20, 2017 … we were first introduced to a concept that would be the foundation for the Trump presidency:  Alternative Facts.  It first came about because the crowd at the inauguration was significantly smaller than that at Barack Obama’s first inauguration, eight years earlier.  Then-press secretary Sean Spicer, however, on orders from Trump, claimed that the crowd was the largest ever seen at any presidential inauguration.  The following Sunday on Meet the Press, Chuck Todd asked Kellyanne Conway why Spicer made that claim, saying, “It undermines the credibility of the entire White House press office on day one.”  Kellyanne’s response was …todd-conway.png

“Don’t be so overly dramatic about it, Chuck. You’re saying it’s a falsehood and they’re giving — Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that.”

Todd shot back …

“Alternative facts? Look, alternative facts are not facts, they’re falsehoods. What was the motive to have this ridiculous litigation of crowd size?”

And Kellyanne took offense …

“Your job is not to call things ridiculous that are said by our press secretary and our president. That’s not your job. Chuck, I mean, if we’re going to keep referring to our press secretary in those types of terms, I think that we’re going to have to rethink our relationship here.”

And thus began the Era of Alternative Facts.  Not a single day has gone by since that we have not been subjected to alternative facts, aka lies, from the administration, usually from Trump himself.  But this past week has been the crowning gem of alternative facts.  Let us look at a couple.

alt-facts-4Just yesterday, Trump was speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Missouri, and made this utterly ludicrous statement:

“Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not what’s happening.”

Say what???alt-facts-2

“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. And if all others accepted the lie, which the party imposed, if all records told the same tale, then the lie passed into history and became the truth.”  – George Orwell, 1984

Ever since his disastrous, from my point of view, summit in Helsinki just over a week ago, Trump has had a great deal of trouble deciding whether he believes that Putin interfered in our 2016 election, and whether Putin is primed to interfere in our mid-terms this November.  He has changed his tune so many times that my head was spinning like the little girl on The Exorcist, so I finally just stopped even paying attention.  Bottom line is he knows damn good and well that Putin did everything he could to ensure that Hillary Clinton would not win in 2016.  It wasn’t that he liked Trump better, but he was afraid of Hillary, and he figured he could manipulate Trump.  But yesterday, Trump topped even his own record for ignorance.

“I’m very concerned that Russia will be fighting very hard to have an impact on the upcoming Election. Based on the fact that no President has been tougher on Russia than me, they will be pushing very hard for the Democrats. They definitely don’t want Trump!”

Tough on Russia?  When???  He’s on a short leash held by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has refused to speak a single critical word against Putin, and he’s tough???bullshitIf anybody believes a single word of that, I’ve got this lovely bridge in Brooklyn that I’ll sell cheap.  Just last week he told a reporter he doesn’t think Russia is still targeting the US and publicly doubting Russian interference on multiple occasions.

alt-facts-3A few days ago, in my spam folder I found an email from Trump.  Well, actually it was from a computer program authorized to solicit funds on behalf of Trump.  I have unsubscribed to this blasphemy so many times that I finally gave up.  Anyway, he talked about his favourite topic these days, the “witch hunt” and reminded me what a great job he is doing, then, right before asking for a campaign donation, he referred to himself as my “favourite president”.  After I returned from the bathroom being sick, I deleted the email.  Another very alternative fact.

I could understand his use of smoke & mirrors, gaslighting, lies, lies and more lies … er, excuse me – alternative facts – at this point, for he is deeply entangled in a web of lies & secrecy that Robert Mueller is close to exposing, and Trump is running scared.  Hence his threat to “shut down” the investigation. But … he started out lying on day #1!!!  Congressional leaders Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell make really sorry excuses for him, as if he were naught but a recalcitrant child.  But he is not a child … he is a 72-year-old man who by hook and by crook managed to land the highest office in the nation.

We laugh and joke about the term ‘alternative facts’, but the reality is that these lies are no joking matter, for they carry very real consequences for our country.  Why?  Because some 40% of the people in the nation believe them.  Trump could not care less what the rest of us think, so long as he can convince his base that we are the enemy.  But Trump tells his base, “Do not get your news from CNN, the New York Times, or The Washington Post.  Do not listen to the liberals, for they are only out to get us.  Believe only what I tell you to believe.”  And that is what they do.  Therein lies the danger.

trump-pinocchioTrump is a buffoon, an ignorant, under-educated fool.  But he holds the power and if there is one thing he seems to have a knack for, it is keeping his base hypnotized and believing that he is the answer to whatever problems they perceive.  Or rather, whatever problems he has told them they have.

There is no such thing as alternative facts.  Facts are irrefutable and not subject to interpretation.  Fact:  Trump’s inauguration crowd couldn’t hold a candle to Obama’s.  Fact:  Vladimir Putin admitted that he wanted Trump to win in 2016.  Fact:  Trump refused to hold Putin accountable for the election interference when the two met in Helsinki.  Fact:  Many from Trump’s campaign have already either pled guilty or been indicted for their dealings with Russia during the campaign.  Fact:  Trump has damaged our relationship with our allies.  Fact:  Trump’s tariffs will hurt U.S. citizens far more than they will help bring new jobs.  Fact:  Trump has chipped away at ACA to the point that we will all see a rise in health care costs, and millions will be unable to afford healthcare at all.  I have many more facts, but I shall stop here, for you get the picture, right?

The 40% who still love him because he tells them to are in for a very rude awakening. As I told a friend last night, I would like to say they will be getting what they deserve, but for the fact that the rest of us will suffer as well. This, even though we have spent the past year-and-a-half fighting tooth and nail, while the 40% sat in front of their television watching Fox News and scarfing down Lays potato chips and ice cream.  Bah humbug.

A Lie By Any Other Name … Is Still A Lie

Posted on by under Political commentary

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”  – Albert Einstein

There are facts, and then there are opinions.  There is truth, and then there are lies.  But wait … that is not all!  As George Orwell told us in his now-classic book 1984, there is post-truth and newspeak.  And this morning, I awaken to a new world where there is also something called ‘alternative facts’.

On December 23rd, I wrote a post, Duckspeak – Part I,  in which I said the following:

“NO … OH NONONONONONONO!!!  While it is certainly not the most dangerous appointment Trump has made in the past six weeks, it may be the most detrimental to our health and well-being, and it is the one most likely to drive us all to become either ax murderers or alcoholics!  Yesterday, da trumpeter announced the appointment of Kellyanne Conway as ‘Counselor to the President’.  NOOOO.  Do you realize what this means?  It means that most all information coming out of the White House will come via Ms. Conway!  It means we will be looking at her face on a daily basis, and hearing her ‘newspeak’ explanations that make no sense.  It also means she will be, as the New York Times so aptly described it, the “Trump Whisperer”.” 

I would like to reiterate those words today, as my prediction has come true. Less than 48 hours after Trump took the oath of office, his mouthpiece, Kellyanne Conway, has given us a new phrase to add to our collection:  alternative facts.  On Saturday, the day after Trump’s inauguration, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the inauguration claimed “the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period.” This is not true, therefore it is a lie.  Fast forward to this morning, when one of Americas bimbos, Kellyanne Conway, appeared as a guest on Meet The Press.  Host Chuck Todd asked Kellyanne why Sean Spicer lied … in fact, as is often the case when interviewing Trumpeters, he had to repeat the question several times before getting this answer: “You’re saying it’s a falsehood and Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that.”  Todd responded with, “Alternative facts are not facts. They are falsehoods.”   See interview here.

Alternative facts … what an interesting concept. Let me try this one on for size:

Fact:  I am 65 years old, mousy brown hair with more grey than brown, bags under my eyes

Alternative fact:  I am 35 years old with nice chestnut-coloured hair, and pretty brown eyes

Fact:  It is 1:30 in the afternoon and there is a sink full of dirty dishes awaiting my attention

Alternative fact:  It is 8:00 a.m. and the kitchen is sparkling clean

Or how about this one …

Fact:  Donald Trump is now the president

Alternative fact:  Hillary Clinton won the election and was just sworn in as President of the United States

Well, that was certainly depressing because the first one was disproven as soon as I looked in the mirror, the second was proven a falsehood when I walked into the kitchen to make another cup of coffee, and the third … well, just a dream.  Alternative facts, Kellyanne, are nothing more or less than outright lies. It is rather like when your boss said that climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese.  That, I suppose, was an alternative fact.  It was a lie, spoken by a ‘man’ who knew that scientists around the globe have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that climate change is a serious threat to our planet AND that the greed of mankind has contributed to this threat.  He knew the actual facts, but instead chose to perpetuate his ‘alternative fact’.

Fact: Donald Trump is a misogynist sexual predator

Alternative fact: Donald Trump loves and respects women

I could go on and on and on in this vein, but the fact is that it is an exercise in futility, and it is making me feel sad and ill.  Alternative facts are untruths, they are lies, and the danger is that some people will believe them, or at least pretend to, because these alternative facts are what they want to hear, what they want to believe.  Alternative facts are a slap in the face to those of us who actually engage our brains on occasion, as it says that Trump and his minions, his ‘team of advisors’, think we are all to stupid to know the difference between truth and lies.  They see us all in the same light as the lemmings who have blindly followed him into the pit of hell that he told them was a place of light and goodness. The word ‘integrity’ has no meaning in the upper echelons of our government.

Our only hope is that the Fourth Estate, the press, continue doing their jobs, even in the face of threats and adversity, and keep the public informed of the actual facts.  For if they fail to do so ….

Note to readers:  Scottish satirist, writer, television director, and radio producer Armando Iannucci wrote a piece that was published in The Guarian yesterday.  It is an “open letter to the new president”, both humorous and prophetic at the same time. It is well worth the read, and I encourage you to take a look.