Engage. Enrage. Enjoy.

Meathead Slays a Whopper

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

President Trump traveled back from Battle Creek, MI last evening after another one of his pep rallies and newly impeached.  The two Articles of Impeachment were voted on and were slated to travel over to the other side of our distinguished House of Representatives.  Madame House Speaker Nancy Pelosi contemplated holding them back for a few days to “insure a fair trial” over in the Senate.  And, the entire BBR staff is traveling this AM.  With all of this holiday travel going on, we’ll keep it very brief today.   

Nancy Pelosi and friends went from prayerful and solemn during the process to asking members of the House to not celebrate or gloat afterwards.  Apparently with both coasts very much in favor of Impeachment, the wise owl Majority Leader’s words of wisdom from the east didn’t resonate all the way over to the west, and times two in Hollywood.

Take a look and read the attached to see for yourself.  Noted academicians, scholars, constitutionalists, and deep thinkers ranging from Michael Moore to Alyssa Milano weighed in. Even “Meathead” himself Rob Reiner got even with the old, prejudiced Archie Bunker.  They all did a Twitter dance or two filled with glee.  One even called the President a MF.

The First Amendment guarantees them their right to do so.  Apparently from some of the tweets, though, that right doesn’t extend to “angry, old, white men” who “were the only ones” expressing the opposite side.

Like ordering a Whooper, it’s a great country we live in.  Especially if You Can Have It Your Way!

Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce, special impeachments don’t upset us.

It’s a Marathon, or Two.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Have you ever run a marathon?  It’s quite a feat to cross off of your bucket list we assume.  Accomplished runners will tell you that the only thing worse than the physical grind is the mental grind.  Surely you’ve heard of hitting the wall around mile 20 or so and having to really dig deep to will yourself to the finish line.

Did you feel like the impeachment marathon had at least reached the proverbial wall earlier this week when Nancy Pelosi (CA) stepped up to the podium to provide the encouragement needed for Adam Schiff (CA) and Jerry Nadler (NY) to get the articles drafted?  It worked.  Amazingly, just a day or so later, flanked by more two more New Yorkers and two more Californians, Schiff and Nadler announced that President Donald J. Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors would be headed to a congressional vote.

If the Democratic Party controlled House vote has a majority in the “yea” column, the marathon concludes in the Senate in a full trial.  It seems like it’s taken forever to run this race.  It’s started on The Hill and has slowly wound it’s way to just six point two miles now from the very bottom.  The race is unique as each mile either shares a name with another or has a unique one all to itself.

Let’s refresh your three year, first 20 mile by mile memory.  1.  Tax returns.  2. The Steele Dossier.  3.  Session’s Recusal.  4.  Russian Collusion,  5.  Putin’s Turn,  6.  Obstruction (the toughest mile).  7.  More Russian Collusion.  8.  Obstruction of Justice.  9.   Schiff’s Got Proof.  10.  Comey, My Comey.  11.  Peter Strzok.  12.  Lisa(Lover’s Lane) Page.  13.  The Mueller Report (the slowest mile).  14.  The Whistleblower(you can not see the fans cheering you on, but you can hear them).  15. Ukraine.  16.  Quid Pro Quo.  17.  Bribery.  18.  Solemn and Prayerful (candles line each side of the road).  19. Abuse of Presidential Power.  And, whew, 20.  Obstruction of Congress.

With just six point two miles left the Senate joins the race.  Has America hit it’s own wall yet?

But just yesterday we learned that we might need to start training for yet a second marathon.  A second one wasn’t anywhere on the bucket list.

Rep Karen Bass (CA) said if Trump is reelected in 2020 there might be a second impeachment.  Here’s what she said.  “Because even though we’re impeaching him now, there’s still a number of court cases, there’s a ton of information that can come forward. For example, we can get his bank records and find out he’s owned 100 percent by the Russians.  The only thing I’d say slightly different is that it might not be the same articles of impeachment because the odds are we’ll have a ton more information.”

Californians and New Yorkers want to do away with Donald Trump and the Electoral College.  The middle of America wants to reelect Donald Trump and do away with Californians and New Yorkers.

At least all fifty states don’t want another impeachment marathon, do they?  It’s crossed off of their bucket list, isn’t it?

 

We the People

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The original, unedited, wonderfully written Constitution begins  “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Now, nearly 250 years in, it has stood the test of time.  It’s what the nation’s forefathers hoped it would do.

It’s strongest part might be it’s first three words, “We the People.”  It’s very beginning suggests that a group met and collectively decided on a course.  That course took a brand new nation, now independent, from it’s birth to opportunities, freedom, safety, wealth, and health the likes of which have never been seen before on this earth.

Today, “We the People” are a very divided group.  Are we the most divided in our nation’s history?  Probably not.  And, despite the histrionics advanced, it’s probably not even close.  “We the People” were more divided before, during, and after the 1861-1865 Civil War.  And, the civil rights movement of the 1960’s was worse to significantly much worse than today.

Today’s “we” are three “we’s” and counting.  We love the disruption that Trump has brought to the status quo in Washington and when, where, and how the U.S. acts on the world stage.  Or, we are disrupters known as “never Trumpers” and we hate (yes hate) Trump.  A third, but growing we, embraces socialism, or even communism. Talk about disruption personified.

Don’t believe the socialism or communism part?  A published poll last evening on one of the major networks showed 27% of American millennials favored communism over capitalism.  These kids borrowed for college.  They owe a lot of money.  They believe that an entry level job isn’t a just reward for doing so.  They want a refund.  And they want it now.  The 1% crowd might be their ATM so they think.

We cannot even rejoice in the elimination of the top leader of ISIS, Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi.  Minutes went by and either the Democrats were offended for not being told prior, or Trump was acting like a bully about it on the bully pulpit, or the Washington Post was eulogizing the savage who ordered the killing of thousands as a austere religious scholar.

The never Trumpers, regardless of party affiliation, have embarked on a three year old campaign to unseat the man who ran the most unconventional campaign the country has ever seen to win the highest seat in all of the land.  That campaign won’t stop all the while Trump’s campaign for reelection is full steam ahead.   Hide in a basement, interview a self created whistleblower, scream “quid quo pro” enough times, and eventually impeach.  That’ll get some of the “We the People” on your team.

Meanwhile, surely it’s time to gas up Air Force One and rile up the base in a red state near you soon.  Stand in line, wear a red MAGA hat, and yell at the other side for 90 minutes.  That’ll make you feel better.  And, that’ll get some of the “We the People” on your team.

Meanwhile, Bernie and Elizabeth are promising those millennials the farm.  The farm might not have much left if Trump doesn’t solve the China trade wars, but we digress.  The farm might not have much left if Trump doesn’t fix that ole existential crisis of climate change, but we further digress.  The farm includes free healthcare, free tuition, tuition debt forgiveness, free flow of immigration, free healthcare for immigrants legal or otherwise.  Free, free, free.  That’ll get some of the “We the People” on your team.

The only problem is that makes for three teams.  It takes four teams for a good playoff.  How about Team Biden?  He’s the head coach of what’s left of the old Democratic Party.  He’s the head coach of what’s now right of the new Democratic Party.  He’s promising to, well, we’re not sure.  Ah yes, he’s promising to beat Trump, platform TBD.  Surely that’ll get some of the “We the People” on your team.

“In order to form a more perfect union” follows right after “We the People” in the Constitutions’ first sentence.  The problem is we don’t know who to follow right now in order to form a more perfect union.

Oh, and one more thing.  Nothing is free, not even freedom.  Nothing.

 

 

 

 

The Nationals Won. The Senators Lost.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

If you didn’t get a chance to tune into the Democratic Presidential Debate broadcasted live last evening, worry not.   It’s roughly only the fourth of 12 scheduled debates.  You can catch the next one or the next one.   Maybe the same tired answers to the same tired questions will grab your interest then.  We doubt very seriously that last night’s did.  And, worry not because we have the winners and losers all sorted out for you below.  Schmeer the bagel while we schmeer the debate.

Winner — Elizabeth Warren.  She spoke for a total of 23 minutes which was a strong 7 minutes longer than the presumptive, but maybe no longer, favorite Joe Biden.

Loser —  Everyone.  Everyone who listened to Elizabeth Warren for 23 minutes must feel like they need to go to their happy place this morning.  There is no way that every second of every minute of 23 spoken can be so terribly important about things that are so terribly bad that she must use the octave of shrill that she incessantly does.  Take a breath every now and then.

Winner —  Joe Biden.  Biden spoke for 16 minutes and didn’t really have a memorable “gaffe.”  He said “expidentially” instead of “exponentially.”  He mistook Iraq for Afghanistan.  But, that’s a good night for him these days.   Win one for the old gaffer is still in play, barely.

Loser  —  Joe Biden.  If Uncle Joe thinks that his topline response to his son’s foreign dealings is the end of it he’s sadly mistaken. “My son’s statement speaks for itself.”  “My son made a judgment. I’m proud of the judgment he made.” His party will take Trump to the mat from now till 2020 for his foreign affairs and Trump will tweet about Papa Joe and Son Hunter along the way as necessary.

WInner — Tulsi Gabbard.  Every time Gabbard speaks she sounds well thought out and mostly logical.  It’s a breath of fresh air on a very stale stage.  She isn’t afraid to call out her party or the other one when she feels the need, but does so in a respectful manner.

Loser — Tulsi Gabbard.  Gabbard was afforded only eight minutes of oxygen to breathe new life in the old party.  She lashed out at CNN last evening after the debate for the lack of time.  This may be a reach, but if Trump reached out to her after her campaign gets snuffed out by the DNC, he could make major hay if she accepted a role in his administration.  She seems like the type that if she felt like she could make a difference regardless of their differences she would give it her all.

Winner —  Bernie Sanders.  Two weeks after having what is now being called a heart attack, Bernie was back on the attack.  With his hair out of place, his hands and arms flailing about, and with his far, far left ideas being bombastically presented, all seemed well again.

Loser — Bernie Sanders.  His campaign is boxed in.  His radical left perch has many birds of the same feather.  They all look stuck together.   His stint as the left ideas leader was further slowed by the need for a stent in the arteries.

Winner — Kamala Harris.  Harris used a good bit of her 12 minutes telling America, once gain, that she was plenty experienced as the AG for the State of California.  She reminded us that aside from the US Department of Justice, that department is the second largest in the US.  She also told us, once again, that she went to more funerals of slain innocent children and gunned down cops than she wanted to tell us about.   It was a great refresher course on who she is we guess.

Loser — Kamala Harris.  Harris used a good bit of her 12 minutes telling America, once gain, that she was plenty experienced as the AG for the State of California.  She reminded us that aside from the US Department of Justice, that department is the second largest in the US.  She also told us, once again, that she went to more funerals of slain innocent children and gunned down cops than she wanted to tell us about.  It was a great refresher course on who she is we guess.  Or, it wasn’t.

Winner — Tom Steyer. The retired billionaire who bought his way onto the debate stage had the bright lights shining on him for a full seven minutes.  It must have felt like he was running out of a tunnel onto a playing field for the first time with his favorite JV team.  Cost per minute was rather steep, however.

Loser — Tom Steyer.  Now the retired billionaire can go back to sending money to the candidates he stood next to.

Winner — The Washington Nationals.  The Nationals probably gained TV eyeballs by the minute as America switched the debate off, and their sweep in the NLCS of the St. Louis Cardinals on.

Winner — The Washington Nationals.   Once upon a time there was a team in Washington.  Their nickname was the Senators.  They moved to Texas in 1971 and became the Rangers.  When the DC area regained a team (the Montreal Expos) in the 2005 season they didn’t rename them the Senators.  After last night’s debate snoozer, who can blame them?

Winner — Donald J. Trump.  Regardless of your party affiliation, hopes, and dreams, you had to be disappointed in the debate.  It was a rerun of a rerun and it lacked any suspense, drama, plot twists, or excitement.

Winner — Adam Schiff.  If you are the DNC your best hope for now of beating Trump is impeaching Trump.

 

Rub the Lamp

Posted on by thependulumswings staff
Canadian leader Justin Trudeau’s campaign for national elections was hit Wednesday by the publication of a photo showing him in “brownface” makeup at a costume party in 2001.

We have questions.  One, was Aladdin a racist movie?  Two, when then teacher Justin Trudeau dressed as an Aladdin character in 2001 for the annual school dinner that was themed “Arabian Nights” was he furthering sterotypes and committing a racist act?  Was Trudeau’s apology for doing so, politics aside, really necessary?  When he dressed that night, and likely many others at the British Columbia school party did similarly, did he or others think what they were doing was wrong?  If he did, should he have apologized any time in the last 18 years?  If he should have apologized, why didn’t he?

We have answers.  No.  No.  No.  No.  Yes.   And, hmm, good question.

Aladdin debuted in 1992 produced by Walt Disney.  It was remade in 2019 and grossed one billion dollars worldwide.  Will Smith was the lead in the 2019 remake.  It seems like Walt Disney, a ton of movie goers, and Will Smith seem to think it wasn’t racist.

The dressed for the party Trudeau in 2001 was doing nothing different than the movie writers, producers, casting, cast, directors, and producers did in 1992.  Did he give getting “brownfaced” a second thought then?  It’s highly unlikely, and it was highly unnecessary as well that he do so.  Intent matters.

Trudeau, who launched his reelection campaign a week ago, said he should have known better.  “I’m pissed off at myself, I’m disappointed in myself,” Trudeau told reporters traveling with him on his campaign plane.  Perhaps he could get a make believe role in the next remake.  He is “sooooo” redfaced about being caught redhanded being brownfaced. This sounds “sooooo” 2019 politically correct that we wish we could rub a genie’s lamp and make it all stop.

We wonder how long he has been beating himself up for this heinous act.  Our guess is that the faux self flogging only began right after Time magazine posted the photo, which it says was published in the yearbook from the West Point Grey Academy where Trudeau worked as a teacher before entering politics. The photo depicts Trudeau wearing a turban and robe, with dark makeup on his hands, face and neck.

Trudeau has been admired by liberals around the world for his progressive policies.  Canada has accepted more refugees than the United States in the last three years.  His Liberal Party government has also strongly advocated free trade.  He faces a very stiff challenge from Conservative leader Andrew Scheer.  But, being politically correct knows no political boundaries.

One of the three wishes Aladdin had for the Genie was to get out of the “cave of wonders.”  We don’t live in a cave.  Therefore, we don’t wonder why he apologized after the photo surfaced and not before.

Bad acting comes and goes.  But, we hope that the curtain never falls on authenticity.  Somebody rub the lamp and wish it all away.

Crazy. Crazy. Chomp. Chomp.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Are you ready for some football?  Tomorrow afternoon the Florida Gators kick off the NCAA football season with the Miami Hurricanes.  We can’t wait for 3pm.  And, thankfully we won’t have to wait longer than that.

We won’t have to wait longer to watch the Hurricanes because we won’t need to worry about watching The Weather Channel worrying about a hurricane.  Those pesky storms can get in the way of our fun this time of the year.  But, so far this year so good.  Tropical storm Chantal churns weakly over 500 miles off of the east coast.  It’s only the third named storm this year from the east- a weak start to the season.

Another plus is that, while the game is in Florida, we assume Orlando is far enough inland that Andrew Yang considers it high enough ground in his Democratic debate plea to “move everyone to higher ground now” since it was too late in his opinion to reverse the effects of climate change.

All of which brings us to two events this week that has us puzzled.  Governor Jay Inslee from the great state of Washington ended his campaign for president.  Inslee’s platform started and ended with his six prong, detailed approach to a climate change solution.  His fire burned out on it’s own.   Meanwhile, yesterday Bernie Sanders unveiled his $16.3 trillion plan to combat climate change.

Others have put forth their plans, Elizabeth Warren among them.  But her plan was a meager 2 trillion.  Bernie was considered a bit crazy four years ago running against Hillary Clinton.  But, in the race to crazy it seems Bernie has been left out recently in the torrential rain.  No more.  This plan calls for the most massive government outlay of all.  Crazy indeed.  Bernie chose California of all of our 50 states to chose from to announce his plan.  Hmm.

Aside from all of the announced future benefits of the plan, the greatest part is that Bernie says that the plan will “pay for itself.”  If you ever concern yourself with the small matter of the 22 trillion and counting debt that this country is in, this must be relief welcomed by you much like getting electricity restored after a storm knocks yours out.

Two point three trillion dollars of the cost would come from income taxes from new jobs generated under the plan.  The plan doesn’t estimate the income taxes lost by current jobs in fossil fuel industries that would be leveled like a tornado that would also be eliminated, we assume, with this plan.  Another $1.2 trillion would come from reduced military expenses related to oil shipping routes.  We assume(you know what happens when you assume) the military would not be redeployed in any other way.

The plan is to lower the two largest causes of U.S. harmful emissions by 71% by 2030, and “help” developing countries to lower theirs by 36% in that same time with a $200 billion appropriation. At press time no developing countries had yet commented on whether they would accept the government handout, though we assume (damn it, again) that they graciously would.

Sanders also boldly claims that his new Green New Deal will “end unemployment” based on the sheer number, estimated at 20 million, of jobs it would create. With only 6 million American workers(who want to or are capable to work) currently unemployed we will need 14 million more people here, and soon.  One current problem with the clean energy economy is that a 2019 Brookings Institute study found that the workforce is “older, dominated by male workers, and lacks racial diversity.”  Where could we ever find them?  Our guess is to look south to the border towns that are so global warming dry this time of the year.  Sounds like a win win to us.  Open the borders like floodgates on a climate change caused swollen Mississippi River.

And, in an effort to be even more inclusive, the plan includes $40 billion for a “climate justice resiliency fund” for under-resourced groups like Native Americans, people with disabilities, and the elderly to “prepare for climate change.”  Presto, Elizabeth Warren qualifies in two of the three ways.

Sports are a great escape from all of the day to day craziness.  We’re counting on the Gators.  Hurricanes must be stopped by 2030.  Why wait?  Let’s get started Saturday.

Welcome to Fantasy Island!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

We have two questions for you.  One, do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in the assassination of John F. Kennedy?  Two, do you believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the plot carried in the assassination of John F. Kennedy?  Those are two questions that sound alike but are actually very different.

We have two more questions.  One, do you believe that Jeffery Epstein lived his life as the luckiest pedophile and sex trafficker alone?  Two, or do you believe that Jeffery Epstein had significant help along the way to being one of the biggest scumbags to ever walk on two legs on planet earth?

How do you have a personally owned fantasy island for pedophilia? How do you have a staff and a “girlfriend” complicit in procuring underaged girls?  How do you have many, many “guests,” some high profile, that all are able to whistle past the long arm of the law?

How do you strike a deal with the long arm for non-prosecution that not only shielded Epstein from further prosecution, but protected his alleged co-conspirators back in 2007?  I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine and ten of my closest soon to be indicted friends who I might have video of and might be blackmailing.

But it goes on.  Rearrested on 7/9/19 for more charges of the same, but outside of his plea deal details, Epstein was locked up in the NY Metropolitan Correctional Center.  After what either was or not an attempted suicide on his own life three weeks ago, Epstein was placed on suicide watch.  Then he was taken off of same.  Why would he be judged safe from himself days after he attempted to hurt himself?  So, did someone attempt to hurt him, or did he decide to hurt himself?

But it goes on.  Now off of suicide watch, Epstein was locked down in an area where inmates are supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.  But, on Saturday morning in a three hour window of no checks made, he allegedly committed suicide by hanging.  You can kill yourself by hanging in between 30 minute checks, but why the three hour window of supposed incompetence by his not one, but two guards?  The NY Times reports that the two guards fell asleep at the same time.  If one was going to sleep on the job, would they want the other to cover for them, and then vice versa?  Why both simultaneously?  Security tapes prove the lack of checks, but the range of the video does not span wide enough to include the actual event.  Why would Epstein have access to materials that could be used to hang himself?  Or did he?

But it goes on.   Epstein was arrested over a month ago.  Why was his St. Thomas area private island just served a warrant and searched on Monday?  Wouldn’t or shouldn’t have his arrest back in July opened the doors to all of his properties for search and seizure?

But it goes on.   The names tossed out by credible sources of who was on his private jet and his private island, or was his friends with possible massage benefits spans Silicon Valley, Wall St., The Capital, and a former White House resident-William Jefferson Clinton.  Would any of them, along the way, have had any influence on any of the above?

Some secrets, believed to be suppressed in 2007, are best if taken to the grave.  Some secrets cannot see the light of day from the grave.  It is believed that Epstein had extensive video recording abilities on the island and in his NY and Florida homes.

Our answers to the above four questions?  Lone gunman?  Yes.  Carry out the plot alone?  No.  Epstein acted alone?  Hell no.   Did said scumbag have help from other powerful scumbags in life?   Hell yes.

And, did he in his death?  Let’s find out.  The Justice Department has been sleeping on this rancid mess for a lot longer than those two guards.  May the truth be told.

 

 

 

 

Win One for the Old Gaffer!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

What a presidential race we would have if it were a racist v. a racist.   So far we have one contestant and reigning champion signed up for it.  Will we get another?

Donald Trump is a racist.  Numerous TV news shows, late night shows, radio shows, comics, and civic leaders tell us this every day.  He provided even more fodder for their cannons in the last two weeks.  First he called Baltimore rat infested.  It turns out that “infested” is a racist term.  Who knew?  Now we do.

Congressman Elijah Cummings in 1998 called his Baltimore district drug infested.  Maybe it wasn’t a racist term then.  Or, maybe what happened twenty years ago is too far back to really bring up about a person’s past.  Don’t tell now Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh that though.  You may recall that he all but stood trial in front of the Gentleman from Baltimore who proceeded over his House confirmation hearings.  Kavanaugh’s high school behavior of over 30 years ago was front and center for over a week of hearings.

And yesterday the Trump administration announced that it is implementing a new rule changing green card criteria to more closely examine immigrants’ financial resources. It makes it more difficult for immigrants who came to the country legally to stay as permanent residents if they’ve used or are likely to use public benefits like food stamps, Section 8 housing vouchers, or Medicaid.  “Racist,” said one CNN commentator this AM.  “White nationalist,” said another.  “He only wants people in this country that look like him,” the first commenter added on.  What is strange about those character assassinations though is that Trump didn’t target any race with the new rule proposal.  He targeted any and all that are most likely to “lay on the country’s leg” regardless of skin color.

Which brings us to the need for another racist to join the fray to get to the racist v. racist showdown.   So far Democratic front runner Joe Biden hasn’t been labeled a racist.  He has been the owner of a few, ok several, spoken gaffes.  Gaffes sounds so much nicer than racist doesn’t it?

He said late last week that “we believe in the truth, not facts!”  His audience actually cheered.   Well the truth of the matter is that the next day in another stump speech he also said “that poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids during a campaign speech to Hispanic and Asian voters in Iowa.”  Is that a fact?  After an awkward pause (dare we call it a senior moment?) he added “we,wa, wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids, but I’m serious.”  His audience actually cheered.  If you watched the link above you can hear the CNN crew agree that it was just another gaffe in a history of gaffes that Biden makes.  Gaffes still sounds so much nicer than racist doesn’t it?

Of course 30 years ago Joe Biden stood with congressmen labeled as segregationists and spoke out opposing federally mandated school bussing.  It was at least another gaffe don’t you think?  Was it racist?  Kamala Harris took him apart on stage about it but said she didn’t think he was a racist.  Whew.  It’s funny how that works.  And, thirty years ago, like with Cummings’ comments, is probably too far back to really bring up a person’s past.  But, she did.  Again, don’t tell that to now Supreme Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh though.

So, for now, if Biden holds on to his Democratic nomination lead we’ll only get to see the “Old Gaffer” v. the racist.  Biden says that his gaffes are just “Joe being Joe.”  But, with each gaffe the Democrats are more and more concerned if they can “just win one for the Old Gaffer.”

Happy (C)Hump Day!

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Happy Hump Day.  You’ve made it this far into the week, you might as well stick it out now and go the distance.  Joe Scarborough, MSNBC cohost of Mornings With Joe, made it far enough into his transformation to the Democratic Party that this AM he decided to stick it out and go all of the way over the cliff.

BBR, being fair and balanced, monitors all news outlets.  This AM we tuned in to hear Joe, his sidekick and wife Mika Brzezinski, and others interview Nebraska GOP State Senator John McCollister.  McCollister tweeted Sunday night, “The Republican Party is enabling white supremacy in our country. As a lifelong Republican, it pains me to say this, but it’s the truth.”

Ah, that’ll get you instant oxygen on MSNBC.   Through out the 5 minute or so interview MSNBC had the large font, all caps, double high banner on the bottom quarter of the screen stating “REPUBLICAN STATE SENATOR IN NEBRASKA SAYS GOP IS “COMPLICIT” WITH WHITE SUPREMACY.”  But, a funny thing happened in those five minutes.  No one asked him about the “complicit” claim.  No one.

But they did ask him why he was speaking out against his own party.  Mika, “So where do you stand with your party affiliation?  I guess the Republican Party kicked you out?”  McCollister, “No. they can’t. Only I can kick myself out.”  Nice try by Joe’s wife.

McCollister went on to say that “the GOP party under Trump has lost the values it used to stand for being free trade, legal immigration, and fiscal sanity.”  Joe called Trump a “long time Big Government Democrat who only changed parties so that he could run” then asked, looking for leaks in the dam  “if he had heard from or received any support from elected officials in Nebraska or around the country?”  “No, no elected officials have reached out.”  Nice try by Mika’s husband.

Willie Geist asked what his fallout could be for speaking out.  “I term out in three years and we have no caucus, so the political fallout for me is very little.”  BBR would have liked to have asked him, then, why it took all of this time to speak out.  We think we got that answer.  Nice try by Willie.

An unnamed commenter on the desk asked how “Nebraska farmers were holding up given the reckless and incompetent tariff and trade policies.”  McCollister expressed surprise that no backlash had occurred from the farming community.  He said “I guess that they are just hoping something will eventually get better.” Nice try by Mr. Unnamed.

Mika was thanking him for his time and said that she “really appreciated his voice” as the interview concluded, but Mika’s husband couldn’t help himself and jumped in.  “Thank you so much Senator for standing up and being counted, sounding like actually a member of the party of Lincoln,” Joe said.  “Yep!” Mika said.

So, to summarize Joe called they party he joined “big government democrats.” And, Mika and Joe yearn for the old days of the Republican Party when it stood for free trade, legal immigration, and fiscal sanity.   So, isn’t Trump attempting to balance the trade field with China, Mexico, Canada, and others to make it truly free or at least a level one as opposed to one sided tariffs?  So, isn’t Trump railing incessantly about his belief in immigration as long as it’s legal?  Now, on the fiscal sanity, BBR wholeheartedly agrees.  Trillion dollar deficits are no way to run a country.  We wonder if they felt they felt the same from 2009-2016.  However, Trump’s team insists that there is plenty of time to tighten the belt, just not now.  And, they claim that they will when (2020-2024) they want to “Keep America Great.”

Joe’s wife should be so, so proud.  Her transformation of Joe, former Republican Congressman, is complete.  It’s complete in the sense that they both cannot accept that Trump was elected in 2016, and both spend 24/7 speaking out against anything he does.  Russia, Russia, Russia.  Racist, racist, racist. It’s complete in how he identifies his Democratic party affiliation.

But, but ideologically they sound so, so confused.

Happy Chump(s) Day.

 

 

To Be or Not To Be a Racist. That is the Question.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

President Donald Trump is a racist.  If you don’t believe us, just ask MSNBC, or CNN, or The Atlantic, or Joe Scarborough, or Mika Brzezinski, or Bernie Sanders, or AOC and the three, or Elijah Cummings, or the Reverend Al Sharpton.

President Donald trump isn’t a racist.  If you don’t believe us just ask fair and balanced Fox News, or Fox Business, or Rush Limbaugh, or Mark Levin, or cheerleader Sean Hannity.

Elijah Cummings took on what he feels is inadequate care for children at our border.   And the House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairman Cummings put on a show Thursday screaming at acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan about the way illegal immigrant children are treated in detention centers.  “These are human beings!” raved the Maryland Democrat. “Human beings just trying to live a better life!”

Racist Trump took to his favorite avenue to express himself.  He tweeted  “As proven last week during a Congressional tour, the Border is clean, efficient & well run, just very crowded. Cummings District is a disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess. If he spent more time in Baltimore, maybe he could help clean up this very dangerous & filthy place.

And so, predictably, yesterday friends and foes lined up on both sides of the attacks and counter attacks.  Haven’t you watched this movie before?  And, haven’t you watched it before that?  And, won’t it be playing soon all over again, and over again, at a theater near you?  You bet it will.  It will be live on stage at the Fox Theater in Detroit tonight and again tomorrow night.

The debate’s debaters will no doubt take turns trying to one up one another talking about just how racist The Donald is.  But, there is no real debate within the party about how to beat Trump in 2020.  Democrats have to win over Trump voters in swing states like Michigan, a crucial plank in the party’s 2020 strategy in luring its own traditional supporters back to the polls.  And, like a made in America in Detroit, Michigan Ford, they’ll start the engine tonight in The Motor City.

Boosting turnout in majority African-American Detroit as well as in some of its Democratic-trending suburbs where the party found success in last year’s midterm election should do the trick, state party leaders say.  State party leaders in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin say much the same.

Nationwide, the black turnout rate fell to roughly 60% in 2016, down from a record high of nearly 67% in 2012.  It marked the first such decline in 20 years among African-Americans in a presidential election.  Democrats, who typically win an overwhelming majority of black voters, now have just over 15 months to try to reverse that slide.

Trump won Michigan by only about 11,000 votes.  Turn out 15,000 more black voters in 2020, and insure that the traditional 94% of them vote for the Democrat, any Democrat, and voila, the 16 electoral votes goes back to where it usually goes.   Take that strategy to the aforementioned three other states and the rust belt flips.  And, with that, the White House has a new rent free renter for the next four years.

Do you wonder why they chose Detroit for the debate site?  Do you wonder why the attack on Trump for his attack on Elijah’s district is labeled racist?

Cummings has been in Congress for 20 years.  Did the temporary living conditions on our southern border somehow just now deteriorate?  Did the living conditions in some areas of his Baltimore district somehow just now deteriorate?

The answers are of course no and no.  But, the Democratic Party is only interested in your answer to one question.   Is Donald Trump a racist?