reggieandlee
reggieandlee's JournalBTRTN: Dancing Sheik to Sheik... Trump's U.S. Can't Take the Moral High Ground with MBS
Born To Run The Numbers on the absence of official U.S. moral outrage at the murder of a journalist:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/10/btrtn-dancing-sheik-to-sheiktrumps-us.html
Excerpts: "This President is unable, unwilling, or frightened to bring the pressure of moral righteousness to bear on the Saudi Prince for this repulsive murder. Unable, perhaps, because weighing decisions and acting on the basis of moral and ethical imperatives is not part of the philosophy that guides Donald Trump’s existence. If you lead an amoral life, you never learn how to use a moral compass to guide your actions. Unwilling, perhaps, because in the purely transactional universe where Donald Trump lives, he literally does not see the value of raising a ruckus over one dead journalist when billions of dollars and his personal reputation are at stake, and when we have painted ourselves into a corner of the Middle East that leaves us absolutely no option but to cling to our relationship with Riyadh. Frightened, perhaps, because Donald Trump has conducted a great deal of personal business with the Saudis, and may even be exposed to violations of campaign finance laws with a second sovereign government. Because we have no access to Donald Trump’s taxes, we have no way of knowing the degree to which he is vulnerable to the pressure of exposure from the Saudis...
"Donald Trump and Mohammed Bin Salman are in this together, each dancing with the person that brought them to the party. Neither of them seem capable – or interested -- of seeing an issue through a moral or ethical lens. Each appears eager to come up with a palatable reason why the world should just move on. Neither seems terribly concerned that courageous journalists all around the globe are getting a message: f--k with us and you could end up dismembered, and nobody is going to be held to account. That great nation that has judiciously exercised moral leadership in the world for decades? It is now just going to turn its head and hope the world forgets."
BTRTN: Dancing Sheik to Sheik... Trump's U.S. Can't Take the Moral High Ground with MBS
Born To Run The Numbers on the absence of official U.S. moral outrage at the murder of a journalist:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/10/btrtn-dancing-sheik-to-sheiktrumps-us.html
Excerpts: "This President is unable, unwilling, or frightened to bring the pressure of moral righteousness to bear on the Saudi Prince for this repulsive murder. Unable, perhaps, because weighing decisions and acting on the basis of moral and ethical imperatives is not part of the philosophy that guides Donald Trump’s existence. If you lead an amoral life, you never learn how to use a moral compass to guide your actions. Unwilling, perhaps, because in the purely transactional universe where Donald Trump lives, he literally does not see the value of raising a ruckus over one dead journalist when billions of dollars and his personal reputation are at stake, and when we have painted ourselves into a corner of the Middle East that leaves us absolutely no option but to cling to our relationship with Riyadh. Frightened, perhaps, because Donald Trump has conducted a great deal of personal business with the Saudis, and may even be exposed to violations of campaign finance laws with a second sovereign government. Because we have no access to Donald Trump’s taxes, we have no way of knowing the degree to which he is vulnerable to the pressure of exposure from the Saudis...
"Donald Trump and Mohammed Bin Salman are in this together, each dancing with the person that brought them to the party. Neither of them seem capable – or interested -- of seeing an issue through a moral or ethical lens. Each appears eager to come up with a palatable reason why the world should just move on. Neither seems terribly concerned that courageous journalists all around the globe are getting a message: f--k with us and you could end up dismembered, and nobody is going to be held to account. That great nation that has judiciously exercised moral leadership in the world for decades? It is now just going to turn its head and hope the world forgets."
BTRTN: Beating Trump by Becoming Trump... Should Progressives Do Rage?
On Saturday, a N.Y.Times article reported that Democrats were debating if the "high road in politics is leading anywhere," framing the question of whether Dems need to be more like Trump to beat Trump. Born to Run the Numbers provides an answer:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/10/btrtn-beating-trump-by-becoming-trump.html
Excerpts: "The New York Times article framed the essential question: would the Dems would be better off being more like Trump? What, exactly, would that entail? One answer lies in the disturbing quote reported by filmmaker Michael Moore, who interviewed Steve Bannon as part of his research for his new film, Fahrenheit 11/9. Moore asked Bannon how he was able to engineer the defeat of a seemingly invincible Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election campaign, and his answer was as chilling as it was succinct: 'Look, it’s very simple — we go for the head wound and your side has pillow fights. The head wound will always win over the pillow fight...'
"Publicly mimicking, mocking, and degrading a victim of sexual assault ought to be viewed as every bit as physically brutal an attack as actually pinning her down and holding a hand over her mouth. Announcing to a stadium crowd that the woman who is “one hundred percent certain” of the identity of her assailant is perpetrating a “hoax” is a good example of going for the head wound..
"Do you want to know how to do progressive rage? The true head wound to the Republican Party would be to destroy the myth of the invincible Trump among his own faithful. Regaining the House is good, but it is not head trauma. Head trauma is a devastating election disaster that forces Trump’s faithful to finally peer behind the curtain. To finally see that Trump's divisiveness, deceit, and self-involvement is actually destroying their own party..."
BTRTN: Beating Trump by Becoming Trump... Should Progressives Do Rage?
On Saturday, a N.Y.Times article reported that Democrats were debating if the "high road in politics is leading anywhere," framing the question of whether Dems need to be more like Trump to beat Trump. Born to Run the Numbers provides an answer:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/10/btrtn-beating-trump-by-becoming-trump.html
Excerpts: "The New York Times article framed the essential question: would the Dems would be better off being more like Trump? What, exactly, would that entail? One answer lies in the disturbing quote reported by filmmaker Michael Moore, who interviewed Steve Bannon as part of his research for his new film, Fahrenheit 11/9. Moore asked Bannon how he was able to engineer the defeat of a seemingly invincible Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election campaign, and his answer was as chilling as it was succinct: 'Look, it’s very simple — we go for the head wound and your side has pillow fights. The head wound will always win over the pillow fight...'
"Publicly mimicking, mocking, and degrading a victim of sexual assault ought to be viewed as every bit as physically brutal an attack as actually pinning her down and holding a hand over her mouth. Announcing to a stadium crowd that the woman who is “one hundred percent certain” of the identity of her assailant is perpetrating a “hoax” is a good example of going for the head wound..
"Do you want to know how to do progressive rage? The true head wound to the Republican Party would be to destroy the myth of the invincible Trump among his own faithful. Regaining the House is good, but it is not head trauma. Head trauma is a devastating election disaster that forces Trump’s faithful to finally peer behind the curtain. To finally see that Trump's divisiveness, deceit, and self-involvement is actually destroying their own party..."
BTRTN: A Simple Case of "She Said, He Lies"
Born To Run The Numbers makes the case that we don't need to know whether the allegation of sexual assault is true to conclude the Brett Kavanaugh should not be on the Supreme Court:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/10/btrtn-simple-case-of-she-said-he-lies.html
Excerpts: In the past week, we have witnessed Kavanaugh -- under oath -- exhibit eight distinct behaviors which each raise grave doubt about whether we have found “the best candidate for the job.” A number of these actions are individually disqualifying. In aggregate, they provide a portrait of a grossly flawed candidate who does not belong on the Supreme Court...
(Reason #) 8. White lies matter. Mr. Kavanaugh, you were under oath on Thursday. Oath means “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Even when it is embarrassing.It is embarrassing that you littered your high school yearbook with juvenile code for alleged sexual exploits that seem calculated to make you appear more experienced, more macho, and more of a bad boy than you ever dreamed of being. And you are not fooling us. “Boofing” is not farting. A “Devil’s Triangle” is not a drinking game. And “Renate Alumnius” does not mean that you think she’s a heckuva swell girl. Those are all lies told under oath. You can say that those are cute little white lies, the kind you can justify because they aren’t really about the essential issue of whether or not you assaulted Dr. Ford. But you know what, Judge Kavanaugh? White lies matter. Under oath, lies don’t have a color. Under oath, lies are like Supreme Court confirmations. They are completely binary. Yes or no. They happen or they don’t. They are or they are not. There is no white lie and no gray area. They are keenly relevant as commentary on character. Hey, if you lie about the small stuff, that's a pretty darn good indicator that you'll go for it on the big stuff, too. You told a white lie under oath? There’s another word for that. Perjury. And there is also another word for perjury. Felony. Guess what that one translates to? Disqualification.
BTRTN: A Simple Case of "She Said, He Lies"
Born To Run The Numbers makes the case that we don't need to know whether the allegation sexual assault is true to conclude the Brett Kavanaugh should not be on the Supreme Court:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/10/btrtn-simple-case-of-she-said-he-lies.html
Excerpts: In the past week, we have witnessed Kavanaugh -- under oath -- exhibit eight distinct behaviors which each raise grave doubt about whether we have found “the best candidate for the job.” A number of these actions are individually disqualifying. In aggregate, they provide a portrait of a grossly flawed candidate who does not belong on the Supreme Court...
(Reason #) 8. White lies matter. Mr. Kavanaugh, you were under oath on Thursday. Oath means “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” Even when it is embarrassing.It is embarrassing that you littered your high school yearbook with juvenile code for alleged sexual exploits that seem calculated to make you appear more experienced, more macho, and more of a bad boy than you ever dreamed of being. And you are not fooling us. “Boofing” is not farting. A “Devil’s Triangle” is not a drinking game. And “Renate Alumnius” does not mean that you think she’s a heckuva swell girl. Those are all lies told under oath. You can say that those are cute little white lies, the kind you can justify because they aren’t really about the essential issue of whether or not you assaulted Dr. Ford. But you know what, Judge Kavanaugh? White lies matter. Under oath, lies don’t have a color. Under oath, lies are like Supreme Court confirmations. They are completely binary. Yes or no. They happen or they don’t. They are or they are not. There is no white lie and no gray area. They are keenly relevant as commentary on character. Hey, if you lie about the small stuff, that's a pretty darn good indicator that you'll go for it on the big stuff, too. You told a white lie under oath? There’s another word for that. Perjury. And there is also another word for perjury. Felony. Guess what that one translates to? Disqualification.
BTRTN: Hey, Republicans... Doing the Right Thing on Kavanaugh is Also the Shrewd Thing
Born to Run the Numbers realizes that it can't persuade Republicans by using tired old tactics like facts and logic, so it appeals to the GOP's Machiavellian self-interest to convince it to do the right thing.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/09/btrtn-hey-republicans-doing-right-thing.html
Excerpts: "Given these two realities, the smartest thing that the Republicans could do right now is stop the process cold in its tracks, cancel Thursday’s hearing, and gracefully accede to the chorus of requests that the FBI to open investigations into the two sexual misconduct allegations that have now been aired against Kavanaugh. Indeed, it would be smart to announce now that the investigations are likely to require two months to complete. This would set expectations that an adequate inquiry would not be completed until after the elections, but still well within the current Congress’s 'lame duck' period.
"Explain that you are stopping the process and asking for an FBI investigation because that is the only way that you can forever clear your fine boy’s reputation. Explain to them you expect that the FBI will find that young Brett was clean as a whistle. Explain to them that if the FBI does indeed exonerate him, you will confirm his appointment in the lame duck session of Congress that will take place from election day until the new Congress is sworn in... when you are certain to still hold your Senate majority. Explain that if the FBI finds no evidence of wrongdoing, it would be extremely hard for Murkowski, Flake, Collins, and even some Democrats to withhold support for Kavanaugh. You will have the votes you need. Donald Trump will get the Supreme Court Justice he wants..."
"Hey, Senate Republicans, I don’t care if you do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. Just do the right thing."
BTRTN: Hey, Republicans... Doing the Right Thing on Kavanaugh is Also the Shrewd Thing
Born to Run the Numbers realizes that it can't persuade Republicans by using tired old tactics like facts and logic, so it appeals to the GOP's Machiavellian self-interest to convince it to do the right thing.
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/09/btrtn-hey-republicans-doing-right-thing.html
Excerpts: "Given these two realities, the smartest thing that the Republicans could do right now is stop the process cold in its tracks, cancel Thursday’s hearing, and gracefully accede to the chorus of requests that the FBI to open investigations into the two sexual misconduct allegations that have now been aired against Kavanaugh. Indeed, it would be smart to announce now that the investigations are likely to require two months to complete. This would set expectations that an adequate inquiry would not be completed until after the elections, but still well within the current Congress’s 'lame duck' period.
"Explain that you are stopping the process and asking for an FBI investigation because that is the only way that you can forever clear your fine boy’s reputation. Explain to them you expect that the FBI will find that young Brett was clean as a whistle. Explain to them that if the FBI does indeed exonerate him, you will confirm his appointment in the lame duck session of Congress that will take place from election day until the new Congress is sworn in... when you are certain to still hold your Senate majority. Explain that if the FBI finds no evidence of wrongdoing, it would be extremely hard for Murkowski, Flake, Collins, and even some Democrats to withhold support for Kavanaugh. You will have the votes you need. Donald Trump will get the Supreme Court Justice he wants..."
"Hey, Senate Republicans, I don’t care if you do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. Just do the right thing."
BTRTN: The Op-Ed Goal? Revealing the Flaw in the 25th Amendment
Born To Run The Numbers, with its contrarian view, sees a different reason behind the Op-Ed in The New York Times
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/09/the-op-ed-goal-revealing-flaw-in-25th.html
Excerpts: “No one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis?” Huh? I don’t buy this for one second. Cheap Throat uses this justification to rationalize the insurgents’ decision to not invoke the 25th Amendment, but their solution is to slow-jam a coup...
"Here’s a different theory altogether. Perhaps Cheap Throat undertook this entire exercise to educate the population of the United States of America on the profound flaw in the Twenty-Fifth Amendment...
"And this is where the essential flaw in the 25th Amendment becomes apparent. The entire functionality of the amendment rests on the agreement of one person… a person who is inevitably intensely biased by virtue of his or her proximity to the human being who is president and to the presidency itself...
"It is an interesting thesis: that the entire purpose of the Op-ed was to point out the flaw in the 25th Amendment, and then create a situation in which Pence would have the perfect motivation to employ it."
BTRTN: The Op-Ed Goal? Revealing the Flaw in the 25th Amendment
Born To Run The Numbers, with its contrarian view, sees a different reason behind the Op-Ed in The New York Times
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2018/09/the-op-ed-goal-revealing-flaw-in-25th.html
Excerpts: “No one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis?” Huh? I don’t buy this for one second. Cheap Throat uses this justification to rationalize the insurgents’ decision to not invoke the 25th Amendment, but their solution is to slow-jam a coup...
"Here’s a different theory altogether. Perhaps Cheap Throat undertook this entire exercise to educate the population of the United States of America on the profound flaw in the Twenty-Fifth Amendment...
"And this is where the essential flaw in the 25th Amendment becomes apparent. The entire functionality of the amendment rests on the agreement of one person… a person who is inevitably intensely biased by virtue of his or her proximity to the human being who is president and to the presidency itself...
"It is an interesting thesis: that the entire purpose of the Op-ed was to point out the flaw in the 25th Amendment, and then create a situation in which Pence would have the perfect motivation to employ it."
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