Dignity, Doing the Right Thing, and Sweatshops

In Court vs. Out of Court; Reality vs. Fantasy - The Confused, Disingenuous, Crazy MAGA Universe

Pete Educating Ignorant Republicans Again And Again

You Reap What You Sow

When Republicans have power, the idea of "unity" doesn't even enter their collective mind. It's their way or the highway. But now that the citizens have had enough of the Republicans' bullshit and lies, suddenly Republicans are clamoring for unity.

Yet, when one sees stories like these:

Arizona Republicans Censure Party Leaders At Odds With Trump

Rand Paul spars with ABC host over election integrity

The mother of all false equivalencies

Trump paid Capitol rally organizers over $2.7 million

Who, in their right mind, could find unity with such reality-denying, cognitively dissonant, know-nothings?

Sorry, conservatives, right-wingers, Republicans, but you can fuck off! Democrats have been goose-stepping rightward politically on issue after issue for the past five decades. Yet, it was never enough. Conservatives continued to cheat and gerrymander. Endlessly taking more and more. And, it was working. But, as is typical for Republicans, they got greedy. They wouldn't stop. They kept cheating and abusing their power. 

And now it's all blown up in their faces. 

So fuck unity. And fuck Republicans. You reap what you sow. 

2020 Takes Alex Trebek But Leaves Mitch McConnell

Fox 6 anchor Ted Perry apologizes for joking about the death of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

If Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade, Steve Doocy, Laura Ingrahm, Tucker Carlson, et al, can pretend they are serious journalists bringing their viewers an honest take on the stories of the day, why can't a local news reporter express his view about a vile man, with a humorous quip, on his private Twitter account?

For context, Mitch McConnell is a piece of shit. He's a power-hungry, know-nothing that has done all he can to steal elections, take away health care, and generally make the lives of Americans more difficult.

Does anyone really think Ted Perry wants McConnell dead? Again, he's just using some humor to drive home the point that we're stuck with some very shitty people, while some of the good ones have passed away. Someone, anyone, argue that Mitch McConnell has done anything good for anyone but himself over his entire political career.

So, for those who can't deal in metaphors, maybe McConnell doesn't need to actually die. But he does need to be voted out of office. He's a terrible public servant. He's a miserable human being. Fuck Mitch McConnell! And fuck anyone that would defend that pile of garbage!

The Scott Walker Economy

The Scott Walker Economy

The myth that Walker’s policies turned Wisconsin around still evokes emotional support among many ideological conservatives and is therefore dangerous. The more likely story is that Walker took power in the national recovery and rode it all the way up, yet trailed both the nation and nearby states in economic growth and job creation.

Make America Informed Again

Not to pick on Rich Kirchen and The Milwaukee Business Journal, but is this, President Donald Trump Touts Economic Record At Downtown Milwaukee Campaign Rally, really journalism?

The article repeats all of Trump's lies and then, I guess for counterpoint, it gives a quote from Mayor Tom Barrett.

Reporting needs to have context. It's fine to recap the many claims Trump spewed at his rally, but the reporting on such should include context, corrections and details regarding the claims made by Trump. In this instance, it should have been pointed out that most of what Trump was claiming is not true.

Such as the claim the country is experiencing the lowest average unemployment rate in history. It's just not true. And, also, much of the low unemployment is due to policies undertaken during the Obama administration.

Trump made claims of wage growth and a blue-collar boom. Also, just not true. 

Wage growth is being held back by political decisions and the Trump administration is on the wrong side of key debates

Why aren't wages rising faster even with low unemployment? Trade war, weaker economy are among reasons

Weak job and wage growth weigh on these Trump states

The article then went on to list the many derogatory names Trump has for his opponents. Such a list would be fine if it were (dis)qualified with something about maturity, decorum and how unbecoming such behavior is for the office, but no such admonishment was included.

It went on reporting of Trump claiming the Make American Great Again strategy was the "greatest movement in the history of the country." Yet, no push-back on this either. Not equal rights, civil rights or women's rights. Make American Great Again isn't a movement. It's a lie and an embarrassment. 

The article closes with Pence parroting false or inflated job creation and wage growth claims.

US job creation slowed under Trump in 2019 to the lowest growth in 8 years

Job creation seen tapering off in December amid tight labor market and slower economy

US job creation in 2019 slowest in 8 years

A media that doesn't give context doesn't really present reality. This type of vapid regurgitation acting as reporting is why so many Americans are misinformed and we have an orange buffoon for president. Our media must do better. 

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

The Corruption & Dismantling Of Our Democracy Continues

Investigations into extra-marital blow jobs have to be made public, but the investigations that have led to 34 indictments involving campaign shenanigans and collusion/acquiescence with foreign government interference, that information can only be slowly disseminated, if at all.  Kenneth Starr's report, concerning the Clinton affair, was delivered directly to Congress to do with as they saw fit.  Why are we allowing William Barr to decide and summarize what should be made available to Congress and the public?

Monica Lewinsky's reaction to the Mueller report 'just won tweet of 2019'

The former White House intern was herself the subject of an investigation by an independent counsel, Kenneth Starr, for her affair with then-President Bill Clinton. She was a central figure in Clinton’s 1998 impeachment hearing. 

While Clinton was ultimately acquitted by the Senate, many have drawn comparisons between Starr’s rigorous pursuit and how the Mueller report findings — which many Democrats are demanding to be made public — has been handled. 

When USC law professor Orin Kerr noted that President Trump has had the privilege of so far keeping the full report under wraps, whereas every last dirty detail of the Starr Report was up for grabs, Lewinsky couldn’t help but weigh in.

Mueller’s report must show ‘something pretty damning’ about Trump

…Barr’s letter revealed something unexpected about the obstruction issue: that Mueller said that his “report does not conclude that the President committed a crime” but that “it also does not exonerate him.” The report does not exonerate the president? That’s a stunning thing for a prosecutor to say. Mueller didn’t have to say that.

If his report doesn’t exonerate the president, there must be something pretty damning in it about him, even if it might not suffice to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. And in saying that the report “catalogued the President’s actions, many of which took place in public view,” Barr’s letter makes clear that the report also catalogues actions taken privately that shed light on possible obstruction, actions that the American people and Congress yet know nothing about.

And, as Andrew Prokop notes:

Barr’s summary mentions nothing about ... well, many, many other topics related to the Trump team and Russia that we know Mueller has investigated. These include: 

• The Trump Organization’s business dealings related to Russia
• The Trump Tower Moscow talks
• Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower
• Russian efforts to influence US policy on sanctions and Ukraine, both during the election and afterward
• Paul Manafort’s handing over Trump polling data to Konstantin Kilimnik
• Manafort’s efforts to reach out to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska
• Connections between the NRA, a Russian central bank official, and spending on behalf of Trump’s campaign
• Potential efforts to coordinate with WikiLeaks over the stolen emails
• An offer from Gulf princes to the Trump team for election help on social media
• Russia and other foreign-tied donations to Trump’s inauguration
• Efforts by Jared Kushner to set up back-channel communications with Russia after the election

Barr’s summary tells us nothing of what became of Mueller’s inquiries into all these matters.

There's plenty of illegality we still need to get to the bottom of with Donald Trump and his enablers.

For Further Reading:
Rudy Giuliani goes off script and reveals on CNN that the Mueller report hardly vindicates Trump

Trump is guilty — of being unfit for office
President Trump has made 9,014 false or misleading claims over 773 days
Comey: ‘It doesn’t make sense’ that Mueller didn’t rule on obstruction of justice

Why Trump’s “no collusion” victory lap is premature

A Minority Faction Is Ruining The Country

Wisconsin Reading

34% Of Walker Donations From Outside State
Highway Debt Up 87% Under Walker
Reality Differs From Walker's Economic Claims
What Walker Says, And What's Really Happening With The Wisconsin Economy
Scott Walker Is A Failed Governor
Gov. Scott Walker's Promise To Create 250,000 Jobs In Wisconsin Remains Elusive
Does Cutting Taxes And Spending And Beating Up Unions Spur Growth: The Story From Wisconsin And Minnesota

Thursday Reading

John Kerry just delivered the sharpest attack on Israeli settlements of any top US official

Americans — especially but not exclusively Trump voters — believe crazy, wrong things

Comedian Jim Gaffigan raises $70,000 for food pantry

2016 Election Results Prove Gerrymandering

On Obamacare repeal, GOP ideology is colliding with reality

Watch Bernie Sanders Make a Trump Supporter Question Her Stance in Just 2 Minutes

We Can Now Measure Exactly What Scott Walker's Done to Wisconsin

U.S. churches are now costing taxpayers $71 billion a year

Obamacare enrollment in Wisconsin running 14% higher than last year

From Milwaukee County to Madison, Scott Walker's rise marked by union battles

DNR purges climate change from web page
Donald Trump’s economic inheritance in 7 charts. Only recent president to take office during a stronger economy is George HW Bush