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From Michael Gerson

Quote:

If Cabinet members are to be judged by the gap between expectation and performance, Rex Tillerson is among the worst. He was supposed to be one of the adults in the room, a steadying force. But Tillerson has managed to be both ineffectual and destabilizing — unfamiliar with the workings of government, unwilling to provide inspirational leadership, disconnected from American values and seemingly hostile to the department in his care.

Who would want to be known as the secretary of state who retreated from the promotion of justice and democracy? Yet this is exactly what Tillerson seems to desire.

To a certain kind of corporate mind, a statement of organizational purpose — following a bottom-up, 360-degree, consultant-driven review process — is a big deal. The one currently under consideration at the State Department (according to an internal email obtained by my fellow Post columnist Josh Rogin): “We promote the security, prosperity and interests of the American people globally.” In contrast, the previous version called for “a peaceful, prosperous, just and democratic world.”

Let’s set aside the offensive clunkiness of the new statement. No, let’s not. Organizations such as corporations have statements of purpose. Institutions such as the State Department have traditions, values and missions. Tillerson’s new purpose statement could be adopted by any country in the world with the change of one adjective — the “Russian” people or the “Belgian” people. This involves a crude reductionism. ExxonMobil may measure its success in interests and profits. But the United States is a nation dedicated to the principle that all are created equal. If our country does not stand for a “just and democratic” world, who will?

This sad and serious shift — begun in President Trump’s inaugural address — has been carried forward by Tillerson. In early remarks to State Department employees, the new secretary of state said that the promotion of American values “creates obstacles” in pursuit of American interests....

WP
Whether American citizens can manage to take back control of government (of, by and for the people) from amoral and self-interested corporate entities will be the central factor in whether or not the US survives as something better than a banana republic.

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@revelette1,

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Trump still hasn't condemned Minn. mosque bombing. Muslim leaders are waiting.

Not that there's a consistent pattern of bigotry demonstrated by this administration, or anything.

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@Walter Hinteler,

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Trump tweets Fox News story with anonymous sources after criticizing practice

Yeah. And not that there's a pattern here either.

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@Finn dAbuzz,

Last post to you on this.

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He should be an objective journalist, but he's not that either.

Aside from what you personally perceive as "objective"... you have not thought through what the necessary role of political journalism is.

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What difference does it make where Miller lives? He didn't make the comment.

Again, you are not thinking clearly or critically. Miller leveled a derogatory charge against Acosta ("cosmopolitanism") while himself being equally "guilty" of the very same thing, but more so.

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"Cosmopolitan" "Elitist" and similar words are not designed to appeal to bigots

The "elitist" derogation/description has a long history in America (and elsewhere). It is populist language, overall. But of course its use can be and has been also used as a call to bigotry as in Mel Gibson's descriptions of the Jews controlling Hollywood or the Bircher notions of a Jewish banker elite.

"Cosmopolitan" is a current favorite in far right media. Again, this is a notion (when used as a derogation, which clearly is the case here) that seeks to isolate city-dwellers (particularly coastal cities) as not merely different but with all the negative connotations you understand are carried along. It's the mirror image of "redneck".

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Quote:

Trump’s base is officially crumbling

WP - polls and stats at link
For sure, Trump's approval rating (everywhere including with his base) is falling more slowly and less precipitously than any rational mind might find comfort in. But it is steadily going down.

I think most of us understood that this was inevitable. Trump's character has been evident for a very long time. Strategists on the right certainly grasp that some rebranding of the GOP will be very immediately necessary. The Tea Party brand is next to worthless. Trumpism is sounding more and more like ebola and dog feces. I don't know what they are going to hold up as a shiny pretense of "real conservatism" next. "Hillary Clinton is a witch!" is just a typical fear-mongering holding pattern. They need a new savior.

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Jeff Sessions is an evil little ****

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In yet another reversal of a previous Justice Department stance on voting rights, Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ DOJ has weighed in on a pending Supreme Court case regarding Ohio’s practice of purging inactive voters from its rolls.

The department argued in an amicus brief that Ohio’s voter purges, which have disproportionately hit Democrats and African Americans, are lawful. That’s the opposite of what the DOJ under Attorney General Loretta Lynch said about the case last year.

“Among other things, accurate registration lists are essential to prevent[ing] voter fraud,” the brief asserts.

TPM

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@blatham,

Quote:

Jeff Sessions is an evil little ****

Always has been - consistently.

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@blatham,

The issue here is a state initiative to limit the number of dead or non resident Ohio citizens who are apparently voting in the state, by deleting long inactive registrations, and, in cases where the individual still lives in the state, requiring re-registration. This is entirely within the powers of any state and is hardly an onerous requirement. Try claiming the right to drive an auto with an expired license to a traffic cop who stops you.

You appear to have a very low threshold for self righteous indignation.

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@blatham,

blatham wrote:

Jeff Sessions is an evil little ****
Quote:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ DOJ has weighed in on a pending Supreme Court case regarding Ohio’s practice of purging inactive voters from its rolls.

The department argued that the attempt to limit the number of dead or non resident Ohio citizens who are apparently voting in the state, by deleting long inactive registrations, are lawful.

Like George (and the article itself, actually) done said:

George wrote:

The issue here is a state initiative to limit the number of dead or non resident Ohio citizens who are apparently voting in the state, by deleting long inactive registrations.

And why does that "disproportionately hit Democrats and African Americans?" Because they're the ones who are using it to get elected every year, that's why.

Sessions says it is "legal" to correct this. Apparently Lynch said it was illegal.

Suggesting that it is legal and proper to comply with the law makes you "evil" if the criminality helps cheese-eaters steal elections, eh?

There is not a iota of rationality in most of these cheese-eaters"arguments."

If 10 Mexicans gang-raped some girl, it would be evil to arrest all 10 of them because that would "disproportionately" affect Mexicans, eh?

Mexicans arrested: 10. Gringos arrested: 0. PROOF of "racism" right there, eh?

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@layman,

You know you're surrounded by cheese-eaters when posting a great Chuck Berry tune gets downvotes, eh?

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@blatham,

blatham wrote:

Quote:
Trump still hasn't condemned Minn. mosque bombing. Muslim leaders are waiting.
Not that there's a consistent pattern of bigotry demonstrated by this administration, or anything.

Kinda strange that cheese-eaters routinely condemn Trump for tweeting (can't have him talking directly to the American people, without "interpretation" from the MSN, after all), yet condemn him for NOT tweeting when his opinion concurs with their's, eh?

What's up with that?

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The New York Times wrote:

Scientists Fear Trump Will Dismiss Blunt Climate Report

The draft report by scientists from 13 federal agencies, which has not yet been made public, concludes that Americans are feeling the effects of climate change right now.

The National Academy of Sciences has signed off on the draft report, and the authors are awaiting permission from the Trump administration to release it.

A scientist involved in the process, who spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity, said he and others were concerned that it would be suppressed. Scientists say they fear that the Trump administration could change or suppress the report.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/07/climate/climate-change-drastic-warming-trump.html?_r=0

Well, there ya have it, then, eh? The omniscient NYT has uncovered a "secret" report, and has exposed, via unnamed "scientists," a plot to suppress it.

1 Reply

@layman,

Uh, well, maybe not:

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Scientists call out New York Times for incorrect claim about climate report

The New York Times' claim it was leaked a secret, gloomy climate change report which it published amid fears President Trump would suppress it.

The version that was obtained and posted in full by the New York Times has actually been online and available to the public for months.

“It's not clear what the news is in this story,” Robert Kopp, a climate scientist at Rutgers University who is listed on the report as among the lead authors, said on Twitter.

“The Times' leaked draft has been on the Internet Archive since January, during the public comment period,” Kopp said.

The New York Times story cites an anonymous scientist involved in the report as saying he and others are concerned the Trump administration would suppress the report.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/08/08/scientists-call-out-new-york-times-for-incorrect-claim-about-climate-report.html

Well, if the NYT aint got no conspiracy theory to print today, it can always make up a new one, eh?

Ya aint doin your job if ya aint got no NEWS.

Fake news is still "news," aint it?

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Well, OK, then! You go, Jeff:

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ICE officers arrest 32 sex offenders on Long Island as part of 'Operation SOAR'

"Operation SOAR," the acronym of which stands for Sex Offender Alien Removal, was part of an effort to eradicate foreign nationals who were sex offenders living in the Nassau or Suffolk County areas of Long Island, according to an ICE press release.

The individuals who were arrested had past convictions or charges against them ranging from attempted rape, endangering the welfare of a child and first-degree rape to sexual abuse. The individuals arrested included citizens who hailed from Ecuador, El Salvador, Tobago, Peru, Trinidad, Mexico, India, Honduras, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

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Well, OK, then! Now we're talkin bidnizz, eh!?

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Trump: North Korea 'will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen' if more threats emerge

President Trump has responded to reports of North Korea's nuclear threats, saying the regime "will be met with fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which the world has never seen before."

The president's comments come after a report was published by The Washington Post claiming North Korea has produced a compact nuclear warhead that can be placed inside one of its advanced missiles – which are already believed to be capable of reaching half of the United States.

Generally, Trump won't disclose his intentions, but, being the tremendous humanitarian that he is, he made an exception in this case, in the hopes of saving the lives of millions of poor North Koreans.

1 Reply

@layman,

They've given Trump no choice other than nuking their sorry ass into oblivion unless they get rid of fat boy, hand over their nukes, and destroy all their nuclear facilities, eh?

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The jarring assessment was prepared in July by the Defense Intelligence Agency, according to the Post. Further, it is now believed that dictator Kim Jong Un may control up to 60 nuclear weapons.

The miniaturization of a nuclear warhead was one of three things U.S. officials said the regime needed to do in regards to their long-range missile tests. "North Korea CAN miniaturize nuclear weapons for use on ballistic missiles," leading North Korea expert Mark Fitzpatrick said. "North Korea has been working on miniaturizing a war head for 30 years now." Fitzpatrick continued, saying that the regime is "very technically competent. It is natural that they should achieve this."

Officials said North Korea also needed to be able to hit a target and demonstrate the ability to "re-enter" the earth's atmosphere. The regime has conducted 12 tests so far this year. One of the ICBM tests conducted in late July, in which a missile traveled 2,300 miles into space and 45 minutes into the air, was the longest and farthest ballistic missile test in the history of North Korea, officials said.

Some of those who've tangled with North Korea in the past advocated throwing diplomacy to the wayside. "We’ve been playing the diplomatic game for a long time with #NorthKorea and it’s only given them time to advance their weapons program," former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton tweeted.

Bolton is right. Time to blow they sorry ass plumb the **** UP, eh?

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@layman,

Wait, what am I thinkin? That North Korean **** aint nuthin. What we need to be talkin about here is what a racist Trump is because he used the Spanish word "hombre" when talking to Mexico's leader.

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@blatham,

No soup for me I guess. Very Happy

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@georgeob1,

Driving is a privilege, voting is a right.

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@blatham,

That the word is the name of a women's magazine of long standing makes me smile a bit over the present usages of cosmopolitan.

Personally, I connect it to New York City, a place I have liked a lot.

I have trouble finding the word 'elite' as a negative. I understand I'm behind the times on what can be code words, as izzythepush explained (good grief).

1 Reply

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