Category Archives: Symbols
Kavanaugh’s Answers
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Self proclaimed liberal feminist lawyer Lisa Blatt introduced her friend Brett Kavanaugh yesterday. And Senate Judiciary members finally got around to asking him questions. And Judge Kavanaugh’s answers seemed reasonable enough.
He insisted he judges cases only on the merits, the Constitution and precedent.
But that’s just the thing that drives most Democrats crazy says Seth Lipsky in the NY Sun. He claims, “that’s because they know the only thing that can stop them is a constitutionally conservative court.””
Impeachment
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Democrats are trying to keep their impeachment hopes under the radar. For example, Jimmy Carter’s not talking about it and he says you shouldn’t either. Besides, other Democratic leaders like Nancy Pelosi worry impeachment talk could backfire.
But former Labor Secretary Robert Reich has a different approach. He doesn’t want impeachment talk either. In fact he doesn’t want Trump impeached at all.
He wants the election annulled.
Free Press Group-Think
The Boston Globe organized an editorial writing campaign last week. The idea was for independent newspapers to tell Trump to stop calling them “the enemy of the people.” All on the same day.
Three hundred plus papers including the New York Times obliged.
Some of the editorials also complained about Trump calling the media an “opposition party.” But here’s Jim Rutenberg in the NY Times two years ago:
If you view a Trump presidency as something that’s potentially dangerous, then your reporting is going to reflect that. You would move closer than you’ve ever been to being oppositional.
Free Press Group-Think
Others like the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post took a pass on the campaign. Carl Cannon in Real Clear Politics called the joint effort “group-think.” And he recalled H.L. Menken’s journalistic advice to “be a party of one.”
Jack Shafer in Politico added this bit of advice:
Editorial pages of America, don’t unite! Think for yourselves! Reject this stupid pro-press assignment!
He also agreed with Cannon that the whole scheme played into Trump’s tiny hands. (Okay, he didn’t really say “tiny.”)
Peak Spock Speaks
Aspiring novelist Ben Rhodes created narratives for the Obama administration. In a NYT story he once took credit for creating a media echo chamber to push the president’s Iran nuclear deal.
But on election night 2016 Rhodes found himself at a loss for words.
Peak Spock Speaks
Now he’s written a book. It’s titled “The World as It Is.” Or “Peak Spock” as Maureen Dowd calls it.
In the book President Obama consoles despondent young Ben by telling him, “There are more stars in the sky than grains of sand on the earth.”
Back on earth Obama says, “Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early.”
To which Matthew Continetti asks, “What was he early for?,” “Fundamentally transforming America?” “The moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow”?
Nope. According to Ms. Dowd, “We just weren’t ready for his amazing awesomeness.”
Ben Rhodes now works for MSNBC. His brother, David Rhodes, is president of CBS News.
Rigged Elections
It was Donald Trump and other Republicans who fretted about rigged elections – before Trump actually won one. But now the tables have turned.
