Steve Schmidt: NBC's Hire of Former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel is a "Disgrace" | The Warning

McCarthy BLAMES DEMOCRATS FOR HIS OUSTER AS SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. Even though it was RepubliKKKans who were responsible for McCarthy's loss he had to slam the Democrats. Read more here, also on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/problems-blaming-democrats-mccarthys-downfall-rcna118763

Are y’all noticing the alternating “volleys” by both sides here?

We are living through a war.  We are living through an insurrection.  We are living through an information war for control of our fucking Souls.

We have been PSYOP’d for years.  Military grade stuff.  The RESULTS of those Ops over the years have led us to this point.

In the mid ‘70s, some bored housewives in Marin county gave birth to, and became the epicenter of, the whole “antivax” movement.  The entire ANTIVAX MOVEMENT IS A RUSSIAN ACTIVE MEASURE:  A PSYOP AGAINST AND ON OUR PEOPLE TO WEAKEN US AND DIVIDE US.

Over the years the alternating “volleys” between “Us” and “Them” have evolved the situation into (literally) “Good” vs “Evil”.  We’re fighting ARCHETYPES here, folks.

The “hold” these Ops had on the people is in the process of being broken.  Information warfare has never been this chaotic or this intense.  There was clearly a hidden barrier holding them at bay, but that barrier was broken down by the brainwashing of Fox and the gaslighting by the RNC/GOP/KGB Apparatus.

It’s gonna be messy for awhile, and I gotta confess I’m already weary of it.

The psychological “beat-down” that comes from one day reading nothing but awful headlines and articles, and then comes that odd day of not-awful news, but we’re afraid to call it “good”...we’re so fucking psychologically traumatized we’re willing to put up with “not awful” when we should be DEMANDING good.

With the Union Builing happening, we are beginning to finally say “enough”...the possibility of General Strike USA is coming closer and closer to a reality.  This is the first real info “counter offensive” in awhile that seems to have STUCK, and it is wonderful. 

UNION BUILDING IS A WAY OUT OF THE DARK AGE THEY WANT TO THRUST US ALL BACK INTO!

WAYNE ROOT: Why Does Everyone in DC Swamp, Deep State, DNC and Even RNC Hate Trump? Because They’re All Power Hungry, Control-Freaks, Evil, Slime Balls Who Hate YOU. https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/11/wayne-root-everyone-dc-swamp-deep-state-dnc-even-rnc-hate-trump-power-hungry-control-freak-evil-slime-balls-hate/

John Kerry Loses It When Pressed About His Climate Change Hypocrisy at Globalist Gathering

John Kerry is set to leave his post as the Biden administration’s climate change czar to join the 2024 campaign operation. Yet, before all that, he needed to fly to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. It’s no secret that Kerry’s private jet use has been killing Mother Earth. 

For a man who speaks incessantly about carbon footprint, he leaves massive ones when attending these conferences, and he’s not alone. Kerry was confronted over his climate change hypocrisy by a reporter, and he was not pleased with the line of questioning (via Sky News Australia): 

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) January 17, 2024

Biden "climate envoy" John Kerry claims Biden has a "very clear policy" on electric vehicles, but it "regrettably has been attacked by people who are engaged in high levels of disinformation" pic.twitter.com/veT2Ir7bHC— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) January 17, 2024

President Biden's climate czar John Kerry gave a fiery response after he was confronted Tuesday by a reporter in Switzerland who asked about his carbon footprint.  "What's the carbon footprint of these events every single year that you come here? Do you think it's worth it — peasants paying for your crimes?" Avi Yemini, an Australian reporter with independent outlet Rebel News, asked Kerry who was walking on a street in Davos, Switzerland.  "That's a stupid question," Kerry responded.  "Nobody ever suggested that. Don't make up stupid questions," he said when asked a follow-up question about why his carbon footprint didn't matter.  Kerry — who is in Davos to attend the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) summit, which largely focuses on environmental issues like climate change and achieving net-zero ambitions — added that he has done a "huge amount" to combat climate change. Security personnel escorting Kerry between WEF events ultimately blocked Yemini from asking further questions.  Yemini later said in a social media post that Kerry "found it difficult to justify his carbon footprint in attending the World Economic Forum each year in Davos." 

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These folks said that global cooling would kill us all in the 1970s. It then evolved into global warming. Once again, none of the doomsday predictions came true. I remember in 2007 when some said the Arctic Ice Cap would be gone in 2013. It’s still there. It’s now become an endless gaslighting campaign, where these people are trying to sell that winters are cold, summers are hot, and hurricane season can lead to—gasp—the creation of hurricanes.

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Biden notecard

Two straight records of declining output is a common definition of a recession. The Wall Street Journal was one of the few media outlets which retained any credibility today: "That doesn't sound like a recession to me."īiden takes ZERO questions on the day that Q2 GDP showed that America has entered a recession. “We're not in a recession.” /t2rXYB4a4D- RNC Research July 28, 2022 Joe Biden continues to lie to the American people: Of course, the honest, decent man promised to us by NeverTrump then spoke to the public and lied some more: I saw a market analyst say on Twitter that Wall Streeters aren't waiting for the NEBR to officially declare a recession - they're pulling their money out. * Big drop in consumer spending on goods that was barely offset by a modest rise in services spending. Heather most worrying part of the GDP report today is the slowdown in consumer & biz spending. This WaPo "journalist" seems to agree there's no hidden good news here: Investment in non-residential structures (stores, factories, office buildings, etc.) fell by 11.7% and residential structures (houses, apartment buildings, etc.) fell by 14%.ĭeclining real spending in the physical economy, declining investment, declining inventories and reduced construction and fixed asset investment while inflation continues and the average joe's credit cards are nearly maxed out isn't exactly a rosy "things are better than the top-line GDP print indicates" story. Gross all-in private investment is down by 2.73% and the inventory draw-down after the gigantic build-up in Q4 of last year (that pushed the entire GDP print positive due to its scale) continues, with inventories posting -2.01%. The only increases were in services spending (read: things like medical and child care, education, etc.) and intellectual property investment (probably mostly in big tech). Personal consumption expenditure is up 1.0%, but goods (physical stuff) are down 4.4% and private investment is down a staggering 13.5%. Joe Mannix had this briefing for us, mostly drawn from his Morning Report:įrom what I put on the MR based on a really cursory read: The Sage of Scranton, the Pride of NeverTrump. And they were lost due to the demands of Biden's leftwing government cronies, to which Trump reluctantly bowed. We did not, in fact, regain all the jobs lost during the pandemic. Congress has an historic chance to do that by passing the CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act without delay. My economic plan is focused on bringing inflation down, without giving up all the economic gains we have made. Earlier this week, I met with the Chairman of SK Group from Korea, just one of the companies investing more than $200 billion in American manufacturing since I took office, powering a historic recovery in American manufacturing. Our job market remains historically strong, with unemployment at 3.6% and more than 1 million jobs created in the second quarter alone. But even as we face historic global challenges, we are on the right path and we will come through this transition stronger and more secure. The gruesome gaslighter announced that America is "on the right path," because he's on hardcore drugs and doesn't have any idea what the f*** he's saying any more:Ĭoming off of last year's historic economic growth - and regaining all the private sector jobs lost during the pandemic crisis - it's no surprise that the economy is slowing down as the Federal Reserve acts to bring down inflation. Biden: The Economy's "On the Right Track," "That Doesn't Sound Like a Recession to Me"

Why do I feel like im being gaslit the entire time watching RNC speeches

"The Republican Party will always be proudly connected to #Juneteenth because of President Lincoln's leadership, and we enthusiastically welcome its adoption as our newest national holiday after President Trump called for it last year."

Nope She added, "Mindful of the special importance Juneteenth has for Black Americans, it should also be a source of pride for Republicans and every American." 

  nope nononononononono we not gonna do this! fuck right the hell off you abusive, gaslighting, democracy hating, money grubbing, slimey ass SOBs. I can’t i really damn can’t 

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution

* * * *

Why Ronna McDaniel’s hiring and “firing” by NBC matters.

March 25, 2024

ROBERT B. HUBBELL

Opening thoughts

In the span of 72 hours, NBC announced the hiring and partial “firing” of former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel. McDaniel’s hiring sparked a firestorm of protest within NBC internally and by viewers of MSNBC and NBC that caused the network’s executive to announce that she would not appear “on air” on the MSNBC cable network. (As of Sunday evening, it appears she will continue to appear on NBC as a political contributor.)

NBC’s decision to hire McDaniel was deeply troubling on many levels. The backlash by viewers and journalists at MSNBC and NBC was instructive and encouraging. But this story also serves as a morality tale for the challenges we will face in the next seven months as the media and pundits normalize and dismiss the attempted coup and insurrection.

Indeed, the hiring and partial retraction of McDaniel’s employment occurred amidst a renewed round of handwringing by pundits and consultants who are freaking out about the possibility of Biden losing in November. That fear is rooted in a stubborn refusal to acknowledge the stakes of the 2024 election and an obsessive compulsion with “favorability ratings.”

It’s a good thing none of those pundits or consultants were in charge of the Continental Army during the American Revolution when George Washington’s battlefield record was six victories, seven losses, and four draws. The modern-day pundits would have surrendered after the first loss, and America would be a colony of the United Kingdom today.

We will be forced to endure a constant barrage of defeatism from the political class in the months to come. Why? They are reserving their pre-emptive “I told you so” rights so that if things turn out badly, they can claim to be geniuses. If Biden wins, no one will remember or hold them accountable for their defeatism.  For the pundits, it’s a “Heads I win, tails you lose” proposition.

So, let’s burst the “I am a genius” balloons of the pundits now. The 2024 presidential election will be a close race. It takes no great skill or insight to wring your hands and say you have a bad feeling about the election. At this point, pundits and prognosticators are dead weight, holding back those of us who refuse to retreat at the first hint of trouble.

Most of the analysis by the self-proclaimed experts is incredibly superficial—about a quarter inch deep. For example, a reader sent me an “economic outlook” from the large Wall Street bank managing her retirement account. The Wall Street bank said that the markets are beginning to anticipate a Trump victory because Biden’s unfavorability ratings remain high.

The reader’s retirement advisers apparently do not understand that Americans actually vote for president and that elections are not determined by “favorability ratings.” Voters are not securities traded in an efficient market. They are people motivated by a multitude of factors.

The investment advisers do not appear to believe that women (or men) care about having their reproductive liberty controlled by religious zealots, allowing weapons of war to be carried in public without a permit, rolling back climate protections after the hottest year on record, disenfranchising Black voters, denying equal dignity to LGBTQ people, or allowing Americans to choose their leaders.

Nor do the investment advisers appear to be concerned that one of the candidates for president has 91 felony indictments, will sit through one criminal trial before the election, has promised to be a dictator, is threatening to blow up the strongest military alliance in the world, and appears (again) to be supported by Russia in his bid for the presidency.

We are in uncharted waters. Old maps do not apply. But pundits, pollsters, and Wall Street gurus insist on looking back to templates and spreadsheets that applied in “normal” times.

We are living through an exceptional moment in which we can make our own rules. Recognizing that fact and having the audacity to break “the old rules” to create a new template for success is critical to controlling the outcome of the 2024 election. Don’t allow yourself to be weighed down by consultants re-litigating the 1992, 2000, 2008, or 2016 elections.

I could go on, but you get the point. We control our destiny—but only if we ignore people who tell us we are sheep, shares of stock, or widgets. We are not. We are Americans wielding the awesome power granted us by the Constitution.

But how is Ronna McDaniel’s hiring and firing related to the shortsighted defeatism of the consulting class? Read on!

Rona McDaniel’s hiring illustrates the normalization of the insurrection and coup among the media and political class.

There is a direct line between normalizing the coup and panicking about Biden’s prospects in 2024. Hear me out.

Ronna McDaniel was aware of the fake elector's plot in real-time and did nothing to stop the attempted coup. Worse, she participated in a call to pressure local elections officials in Michigan to refuse to certify election results based on non-existent fraud. When the media reported on her participation in the election interference plot, she accused MSNBC of ‘spreading lies’ and employing ‘prime time propagandists.’” She repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was “rigged.”

Regardless of whether Ronna McDaniel has criminal liability for the attempted coup, she cheered loudly for its success and smeared journalists who spoke the truth about the first-ever effort to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. That alone should ban her for life from any role at a legitimate news platform.

It is reprehensible that Comcast / NBC would hire Ronna McDaniel as a political consultant after her election denialism and active involvement in at least one overt act to overturn the Constitution. And yet, dozens of executives at NBC apparently view the attempted coup as part of the game of hardball election politics. They are ready to forgive and forget despite the lack of accountability for Trump and his advisers—including members of the RNC.

By reducing the attempted coup and insurrection to mere “partisan politics,” NBC is misleading the American people about the stakes in 2024 by denying the reality of what happened in 2020. And if you ignore the stakes, if you ignore the unprecedented nature of the 2024 election, then perhaps it isn’t unreasonable to say, “Well, in 1992, George H.W. Bush’s favorability ratings were X and he lost.” But Bill Clinton in 1992 isn’t Donald Trump in 2024. The world has forever changed because of the insurrection and the incipient fascism that is roiling beneath the surface.

We cannot allow NBC to continue in its misguided view of what is at stake in 2024. Read on!

The backlash against NBC was partially successful.

Hundreds of readers of this newsletter—and tens of thousands of Americans (an estimate) let NBC know that they strenuously objected to the presence of Ronna McDaniel on the network. Journalists at NBC and MSNBC also spoke out. The combined pressure worked—at least at MSNBC. See WaPo, Former RNC chair Ronna McDaniel faces sharp criticism after NBC hiring. (This article is accessible to all.)

According to WaPo, the president of MSNBC, Rashida Jones, sent an internal memo assuring MSNBC staff that Ronna McDaniel would not be forced on the hosts at MSNBC as an on-air contributor or commentator. Good! The pressure campaign worked.

But it is not enough.

McDaniel appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday and attempted to dismiss her previous election denialism by saying that as chair of the RNC she “had to take one for the team.” One reasonable interpretation of that statement could be, “I lied because I was paid to lie.”

Chuck Todd was part of an NBC panel that dissected McDaniel’s interview on Meet the Press by Kristen Welker. Chuck Todd said,

Our bosses owe you [Welker] an apology for putting you in this situation because I don’t know what to believe. . . . I have no idea whether any answer she gave to you was because she didn’t want to mess up her contract. There’s a reason why there’s a lot of journalists at NBC News uncomfortable with this, because many of our professional dealings with the RNC over the last six years have been met with gaslighting, have been met with character assassination.

Good for Chuck Todd! (Not usually on my list of “go to” sources.) Let’s hope he speaks for a substantial portion of the NBC News staff—and that NBC management is listening.

The deluge of comments from listeners had an immediate effect on the editorial and staffing decisions at MSNBC! There is a lesson in that for all of us! We can fight the normalization of the coup and insurrection. Indeed, we must! Otherwise, voters will be misinformed about the stakes of the 2024 election.

There is more to be done.

As of Sunday evening, Ronna McDaniel appears to remain at NBC as a “contributor.” Thanks to a reader (Susan O. S.) for identifying the executives at NBC who oversee the news function at the NBC network (not to be confused with the cable-based MSNBC). The email addresses are:

President, NBC: [email protected]

SVP of Politics: [email protected]

Keeping Ronna McDaniel “off the air” at a legitimate media outlet is imperative. She lied before she joined NBC and smeared NBC’s journalists for telling the truth. She participated in at least one act designed to overturn the election. She should not be trusted with any news platform that reaches persuadable voters—because we have no reason to believe that she will tell the truth going forward.

The stakes are simply too high, and the time is too short for NBC to “see what happens” if NBC “gives her chance.” McDaniel has proven who she is; we should believe her.

Let NBC know how you feel about its cynical willingness to play politics with our democracy.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

The RNC ran on a platform of fear and nothing else. Trump and his allies have to been touting the civil unrest that has exploded under his Presidency to somehow be an example of what the country will be like under Biden. Of course they are completely ignoring that Trump has been the most divisive figure in politics we’ve seen and that he and his administration’s support for the far-right are exactly why tensions keep escalating. 

Since so much focus has been put on the riots in recent months, I want to put these events in perspective. Remember what is being protested in this country is how the arm of authority, the police, have unjustly killed people for decades on a regular basis. Not only murders, but wild abuse of power and mistreatment of citizens, especially non-white citizens. 

This is not a new problem. When protest against something rises, Republicans tend to act as if the problem is new or just now being addressed. Just as many conservatives act as if the fight over LGBTQ rights is new. This is not the case though. Police brutality, especially against non-whites, only gets worse and worse as go back in time. This is not a new problem by any means, and it is not the beginning of protesting police brutality, but rather the first time a majority of the people see the issue for what it is. 

To look at the real scope of what is happening, even just during my lifetime, where police are killing people over and over across the country, and to portray rioters to be the ones out of control is pure gaslighting. What is the appropriate way to respond to being murdered on a regular basis? How dare anyone tell others to complain nicely about being killed. 

Of course these portrayals come from people who see no problem with the history of policing and the murders caught on camera. They somehow claim that the left is violent, when right wing terrorists strike regularly in the country, killing minorities, attacking churches, sending bomb threats. The same far-right supporters antagonize any racial justice protests with guns and violence. The group Proud Boys is well known for instigating violence at protests. There has always been violence against minorities, LGBTQ, and liberal figures from the right wing, yet they pretend we are the dangerous ones. Dr. Fauci, a medical professional, must have security due to Trump’s supporters sending him constant death threats. Any liberal politician of color endures endless death threats. All violent tragedy in this country is caused by the right wing. 

There is no way that looting and vandalizing comes anywhere close to the actions by the right wing. Most importantly, these riots continue purely because the nation has refused to act on the problem of police brutality, but it persists with no restraint even amongst all of these riots. The right wing just pushes and pushes and then cries victim at the slightest show of strength. This is how scapegoats for fascism are created. 

 If someone tells you the left is violent, tell them to shut up and throw everything the right wing has done back in their face. I think the worst thing we’ve done is allow their fantasy world to seem socially acceptable. 

So, my Shaw has a fantastic OC daughter named Isis with @gods-own-xman and sends my perfect headcanons about her, and I’ve been collecting them! Here they are: - You’ve probably already seen this in her posts, but Isis has a hairless cat named Emma Puss. Isis named her, don’t blame Shaw. She wanted a kitten and Daddy actually delivered BUT she freaked out when she saw her because Isis had a fluffy white cat like a Persian in mind and she thought the tiny Sphinx was a sick diseased kitty instead. But when Shaw implied he’d just have her destroyed then, Isis decided very quickly she loves Emma as she is! I headcanon he got her from the same breeder that he did THESE TWO. He got hairless because he claims he’s allergic but actually just doesn’t want cat hair on his fancy furniture. Emma Puss has imprinted on him and follows him around trying to win him over, no matter how he attempts to get away from her. Isis dresses her in ADORABLE sweaters! - Shaw and Isis play 'spa day' which is really just them in their robes eating bon bons and juice out of a wine glass while she like combs his hair, or lotions his hand. So now whenever he's hungover he's like "Isis, Daddy doesn't want to play doctor. Would you rather play spa?" lmao - Isis got a teddy for him to sleep with since he wanted rest for Christmas (he does not sleep with it) - She sounds EXACTLY like a little Sebastian when she's grumpy - Ever since Ororo had Isis, Shaw’s been the one struggling with a dad bod because Isis is a bad influence on him when it comes to sweets and she asks to have sweets at Shaw's because she knows Ororo won't let her have any - A lot of Shaw’s “antique” furniture is actually not antique, but new things built in an pre-1900s style. Not because he can’t afford the real thing but because Shaw is HUGE and that was far less common in previous era. He’s tall and buff even by today’s standards, but back then he’d be a veritable Goliath. The stuff made then won’t fit him comfortably, it might even break. So a lot of it is reproductions built on a scale to accommodate him. Which means that Isis, being a little girl, just looks like a TINY DOLL on this stuff. -  The help knows Isis better than Shaw. Like they know to cut the crust off of her sandwiches, and that she prefers apple slices over orange wedges  Shaw caught Isis speaking to a maid once, and Shaw asked why she was speaking to herself.  Because why would he talk to ‘the help’? Shaw honestly couldn’t describe their voices if he had to. - Isis finds that ODDLY some of her Valentines chocolates are missing from the box. Shaw absolutely gaslights her about it, insisting she counted wrong. SHE DAMN WELL KNOWS HOW TO COUNT, SEBASTIAN! Even more curiously, coconut is always left in there. Isis considers planting a turd from Emma Puss’s litterbox, but is unable to because (1) she doesn’t want to touch it and (2) she doesn’t know where the litter box is because the help cleans it, not her

- When she gets older , Isis says she's a Reagan republican, but secretly is very progressive. Like she votes blue in the booth and publicly donates like 100 grand to the RNC but anonymously donates 500 grand to like Justice Democrats and the ACLU -  Shaw gives Isis one-person size cakes when it's her birthday, but he still finds a way to make her share with him. Ororo is like "Sebastian, there should be enough cake for everyone." and Shaw is like "Why? it's HER birthday."

Heather Cox Richardson:

August 25, 2020 (Tuesday)

The Republican National Convention is designed to fire up the base to make sure its members vote, and to reassure wavering Republicans that they can vote for Trump without being racists but rather staunch Americans. And on both fronts, the first two days of this convention have delivered.

Yesterday, Don Jr. and his girlfriend Kim Guilfoyle offered up red meat to the base, warning that Democrats stand for “rioting, looting and vandalism,” while Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley promised that race relations aren’t really that bad in America after all.

Tonight, First Lady Melania Trump spoke soothingly of parenting and offered sympathy to coronavirus victims while offering a sanitized version of her own American dream. Trump offered American symbolism, using the might of the presidency. He was flanked by servicemen in the White House, naturalized five immigrants, pardoned Jon Ponder, a Black man who started a program that provides services for former convicts after he was convicted of robbing a bank.

The Trump team is not using half-measures; they are meeting head-on the criticisms of Trump and exacerbating them. They are campaigning by audacity. That is, after all, one of the characteristics Trump’s base likes most about him.

Tonight that audacity dovetailed with what appears to be the Trump family’s growing authoritarianism to make them broadcast that they are above the law. Tonight’s proceedings smashed all U.S. laws and traditions against using public property for partisan purposes. The power of the presidency, the physical space of the White House—the people’s house-- and the nation’s international standing are all enlisted to get this president, this one man, reelected.

Trump used the power of his office to pardon as a campaign stunt. He used a naturalization ceremony—the fundamentally non-partisan act of becoming an American citizen—to sell the idea he is not anti-immigrant. Melania Trump spoke from the White House Rose Garden, behind a podium that bore the presidential seal, to campaign for her husband. And Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke virtually from an official trip to the Middle East.

There is a law—the Hatch Act—which prohibits all employees of the Executive Branch except the president and the vice president from engaging in partisan political activity. It also prohibits the president and the vice president from commanding any employee to work on behalf of any candidate. The act is designed to make sure that officials cannot leverage the power of their office to enhance their own power. Since the law’s passage in 1939, presidents of both parties have scrupulously adhered to it. Members of the Trump administration have violated that act repeatedly, but tonight’s performance celebrated and extended those violations.

Pompeo’s speech made it clear the violations were no accident. One of the State Department’s own legal memos says in bold letters: "Senate-confirmed Presidential appointees may not even attend a political party convention.” But Pompeo not only spoke at the convention, he did it on an official overseas trip paid for by U.S. taxpayers. Former Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who spent 35 years in the foreign service, told NBC News: "People are extraordinarily upset about it. This is really a bridge too far…. Pompeo is clearly ensuring the State Department is politicized by using his position to carry out what is basically a partisan mission."

Pompeo’s appearance with some of the religious sites of Jerusalem showing behind him was intended to highlight Trump’s outreach to evangelical voters like Pompeo himself. Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and the other day said: “We moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem. That’s for the evangelicals.”

The State Department said Pompeo addressed the convention in his “personal capacity,” but even this is out of bounds. In February, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun wrote an email to department employees saying he would not talk politics even when responding “to emails from friends.”

The State Department says that the RNC will pay for “everything” associated with the talk, but four current and former high-ranking diplomats noted that the logistics of overseas travel make that unlikely: the planes, motorcades, security, and so on required for a Secretary of State’s travels is all paid for with taxpayer money.

Far from objecting to Trump’s lies or his violation of the law to use of the government to win reelection, Trump’s true believers will likely applaud both. The lies are a comforting story, made better by how much they upset non-believers—those “others”—and in their minds, the power of the government actually should be used to put down Trump’s unAmerican opposition.

A State Department official told NBC News, "It is outrageously un-American for a sitting secretary of state to participate in a political convention." At least the State Department indicated a little nervousness about using taxpayer money for partisan purposes. The White House has shown no such concern.

The first two nights of the convention have ranged far from the truth, keeping weary fact-checkers working overtime. But the gaslighting is not an accident, either; it is the point. Trump is selling the classic alternative reality of authoritarians who have little actual good news to report: he claims the country is in chaos, caused by lawless “others,” and he alone can solve the problem. He will return his supporters to the positions of authority they feel they have lost, ushering back in the good old days when the country was great.

Trump’s plan for a second term, though, will not necessarily benefit his supporters. He appears to intend to continue to act as he has done for the past three and a half years, slashing regulations and taxes, destroying the social safety net, and privatizing infrastructure, all in the service of freeing up capital to boost the economy.

That plan was in the news today as, in response to an inquiry from leading Democrats, the Chief Actuary for Social Security crunched the numbers behind Trump’s plan to end the payroll tax. Chief Actuary Stephen C. Goss said that the plan would end Disability Insurance in mid-2021 and Social Security by mid-2023.

Payroll taxes are just that: taxes that come out of your paycheck. In this case, the tax in question is the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) payroll taxes and the Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) taxes. These taxes provide the money that funds Social Security and Disability Insurance. Trump has talked about eliminating the taxes, arguing that getting rid of them would put more money in people’s pockets. It would, in the short term but, as Goss explains, it would almost immediately destroy Social Security and Disability Insurance.

A disregard for social welfare laws is not limited to Trump. In the New York Times yesterday, former chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen and Jared Bernstein, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Priorities, note that the Senate is on vacation while thirty million American households did not have enough food last week. “The economics of this moment are not complicated,” they write. The economy can’t recover and sustain itself until the coronavirus is under control. Until then, it is imperative for Congress to fund a relief bill to put money back into people’s pockets, both for moral reasons, and to keep the economy from grinding to a halt.

The House passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill in May, but the Senate refused to take it up. The Senate turned to writing a bill in late July, just as the federal boost of $600 a week to unemployment benefits was due to expire, along with the moratorium on evictions. Quickly, though, it became clear the Republican caucus could not agree on a bill, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell turned the problem of negotiating a new bill over to White House leaders and congressional Democrats.

With Republicans on the sidelines, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows refused to budge from their $1 trillion starting point even after the Democrats offered to meet them halfway. Trump declared the negotiations over and dramatically claimed to be handling the most crucial problems with executive actions. His use of the nation’s disaster relief fund to pay for a $300 weekly bonus in unemployment benefits to people in 30 states (so far) will not last more than five weeks, even as it drains our capacity to respond to the California and Colorado wildfires, the Iowa derecho, and the two tropical storms bearing down on Louisiana.

Reality looks a lot less triumphant than tonight’s tawdry performance in the house that has sheltered Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln, and which belongs not to the Trumps, but to the American people.

The RNC is acting like we're living in some kind of utopia instead of burning garbage. I mean the level of gaslighting is off the charts.

So I have a question for all my non-US followers: do you see Trump, his family and administration as crazy, racist and incompetent as me, my family and friends see them???? I need an outside perspective

For suburban voters are more suffisticated these day. Two they know Trump is  ot only gaslighting them but playing them. They will respect anyone no matter what color if they take care of buisness. And regent  flim flam artist, Trump

The Republican National Committee is officially scum.

I got a survey in the mail from them, for some reason, and I figured I’d fill it out because hey, they need a reality check.

But they’ve got the questions set up so you feel like a complete monster if you don’t supply the answers they want.

Some examples of loaded questions under the cut:

II-3: “Do you approve or disapprove of the Democrats’ agenda to raise taxes, provide free health care and college tuition for all, open our borders to all immigrants, enact dangerous abortion policies, pack the Supreme Court, allow inmates to vote, and abolish the Electoral College?”  Um, no, nobody approves of *dangerous* abortion policies, but is that really the Democrats’ agenda?  And even if I disagree with the Democrats on that one issue, why can’t I say so without disapproving of all the other *good* things listed?

II-5: “Do you believe the national media has a strong bias against all things Donald Trump and Republican and fails to tell America’s voters the real facts about Republican policies, principles, goals, and accomplishments?”  THIS IS GASLIGHTING.  It’s manipulating the voter into second-guessing their impression of Trump by implying that they only believe in the rotten things he’s said/done because of misrepresentation by liberal news sources.

II-7: “Do you believe social media companies are suppressing conservative messages in order to influence public opinion and elections?”  See previous.

III-1: “How confident are you that America’s economy will continue to improve in the next 12 months?”  Basically no matter how you answer this, you’re forced to accept the claim that the economy has, in fact, improved.  Similar wording applies to numerous questions in Section III, so I won’t list them all.

III-8:  “Do you support creating a skills-based immigration system that is more responsive to the needs of our economy and preserves the quality of jobs available to American workers?”  Dog-whistling.  Sounds good on paper, but in reality, this just translates to even more ridiculous hoops for immigrants to jump through, and justifies shutting out more people.

III-10: “The Democrats’ fixation on ‘climate change’ has led to costly regulations that are negatively affecting our nation’s economy across-the-board.  Do you think climate change is a major threat to our nation?”  There was literally NO purpose for that first sentence except to sway the response of the voter.  The second sentence on its own would have sufficed as a question.

III-14: “Do you believe more federal laws that impede individuals’ Second Amendment rights are the proper response to gun violence in our nation?”  Oh right, because the Second Amendment is divinely inspired scripture that would be heretical to disobey even if the consequences of adherence involve little kids being murdered at school. </s>

IV-3: “Should America take military action, if necessary, to keep Iran or any nation from using nuclear weapons?”  I mean, if *necessary*?  Sure.  But Trump’s definition of “necessary” is probably not very close to Webster’s.

IV-4: “Do you support or oppose the United States sending ground troops to areas to destroy ISIS and other radical Islamic terrorist groups?”  More dog-whistling.  It’s not going to stop at terrorists.  What they want to know is, is it okay to kill people as long as they’re Muslims?

Section V, meanwhile, is just asking you to certify that your answers are yours... oh, and to ask for donations to the RNC in the amount of $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000, or other $_____.  But it’s okay, there’s a box you can check if you can’t donate... “I cannot send a donation at that level right now.  But I am enclosing $15 to help pay for the cost of processing my Census Document.”

Yep.  $15.  That’s the price you pay for democracy, folks.  So maybe my survey sheet won’t even be counted, because apparently $15 is totally what it costs to process a bubbled-in document that will probably be counted by machine and if I don’t cough it up they won’t be able to afford to read it.

(...but $15 is EXORBITANT to ask for an hour’s worth of labor...)

Seriously, what is WITH these people??

For my non-American followers, this is the GOP in a nutshell.

This isn't a point of nostalgia, I am only 32 and have only paid attention to so many debates over the years. Mostly the last three Presidents, so basically from 2000 to 2018 which you think would be a long time but in truth that's basically only 5 Presidential Campaigns. I cannot fathom a moment in my life where I was proud of how we conduct American debates. This is not a Right or Left issue, this is not a Media or Politicians issue... this is a failure on all fronts including that of us Citizens.

News channels capitulating to the demands of candidates who wish to establish the rules of the debate they are participating in. American citizens wanting a good show on stage over measuring the content of these men and women's character. Politicians being asked a question, ignoring said question and talking about whatever the fuck they want and no one stepping up saying “Hey Fuck Wit. We asked about Medicare and you just wasted your time talking on The Border. AGAIN!”

I am quite honestly ashamed that we allowed this to happen. The contestants of a game show don’t get to put forward the questions they have have the answers too. They don’t get to have a ‘correct’ answer when answering a different question that was never asked. Softball questions like “Who is your favorite musician?” to make them more likable is a hell of a lot less important than how they plan to conduct themselves diplomatically. The host should not be kissing the ass of the man or woman on stage they are supposed to be grilling for the sake of establishing a better democracy by allowing the American people to see who doesn't have a clue what they are doing and who actually has a plan/vision for the country.

As I said this is a failure across the board and the people who benefit from News Channels kowtowing and Publics complacency are the Shittiest Politicians who can say taglines like “Make America Great Again” without ever explaining how he plans to pay for his wall, what sort of statesmen he plans to conduct himself as or even how they even plan to MAGA. Which is how we got ourselves into this mess of someone who has increased the deficit by a trillion and has systematically weakened our relationships across the world. Am I taking a shot at Trump again? Fuck yeah, I am because the debates didn't take him to task and that perhaps would have put someone more qualified in the White House (Democrat or Conservative) in his place. Let’s face it, he is a fuck wit.

So we are at this point now where Politicians pick their voters (gerrymandering and a topic for another time), they pick their debater, the debate questions, they pick the answers they want to give regardless of the questions asked, and they get to lie about their intentions and beliefs with no adults holding them accountable to what they said before. This is why I am writing this article and calling it a “The Crucible” not to tie a stone to their feet to see if they sink or float but rather to live up to the definition of the word.

A situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.

This should be the aim of American Politics to put the men and women in power in intense scrutiny be they liberal or conservative. I am not saying we do not conduct ourselves without empathy or forgiveness of the past mistakes that some men and women might have made in their early life but look at the values they hold as they step into Office. Values that define how they will vote and judge issues that come across their desk.

So here is a list of ideas that I think will improve debate in the US allowing us to separate the pretenders from the visionaries, the dunces from the intellectuals, the reality TV stars from the patriotic civil servants.

Cutting the Mic/Refocusing

On small thing we can add to debates is the ‘cut the mic’ option for the moderators. Far to often insults will be thrown between candidates, rants on none answers to an important question, and the domination of moderators is exploited on stage. If a candidate is asked about a subject he/she should answer said subject and if they try to switch topics the moderator should step in and cut their mic, repeat the question and reminding that individual to stay on topic. This might upset some individuals on stage but let's be honest they (the Politicians) serve the people and they don't get to change the narrative when we are asking them what their thoughts or beliefs are.

Equal Time for 3rd Parties/Alternative Candidates

I think we Americans are pigeon held by the two-party system. We forgo third parties because MOST Americans understand the Spoiler Effect and the consequences of splitting the vote between two like-minded candidates will ultimately elect the other party which is furthest from their values. Pretty much the reason while Republicans fall in line behind their nominee which sadly the Bernie fans didn't get the memo on.

Anyways the Equal Time for 3rd Parties/Alternative Candidates is essential for a healthy democracy and the exploration of ideas. In the 2016 election, there were 6 people running under the Democratic Primary. Can you name them? Do you know what they believed in? It’s not Jill Stein (Green Party) or Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party). Don’t feel bad I only remembered 1 of the other 4 candidates besides Bernie and Hillary. This is mostly because the media provided heavy coverage to Hillary and Bernie while ignoring other options. This was much the same for Stein and Johnson having no memorable debate moments.

When we conduct the debate we need to ensure that each candidate receives an equal amount of serious questions and time to answer them. If a candidate wants to use his/her whole five minutes to speak, great! If they decide to turn over their remaining time to another candidate or back to the moderator, that would also be acceptable.

Call Backs

Very often a politician will be asked to answer for something they said in the past and explain their intent/context of what they are saying. Some will say “I never said that. Go back and read what I said.” We all know who’s said that in the past but the beauty of modern technology is we can summon those video clips instantly on a computer and we can share it with an audience right then an there with very little effort. It’s a very simple idea of pulling up videos, images, and quotes behind the candidates but an effective one because it will either A) Make candidates honestly answer what their intent/position was on the past and encourage them to avoid the call back or B) Immediately turn off the valve when a Politician attempts to gaslight an audience. It’s instant karma for those who attempt to lie their way through the questioning.

No Fluff Questions

We all know what Fluff Questions are, little softballs placed on a T-Ball stand for Candidates to answer to make them more likable. What kind of soda do you drink, who is your favorite band, what's your favorite football team and so on. None of these fucking questions matter. I don't care about the music they like, I don't care about ketchup on steak, and I don't care about the fo faith that some politicians pretend they have said they regularly read the bible and blah blah blah.

If candidates want to share these falsehoods and image during the campaign trail, fine I am ok with that. Even better if they decide to post it on their website in a bio page so people can see what they are into. However, during a debate, these individuals should be answering hard questions on policy, their vision for the country, questioned about past votes and/or judicial decisions, and should be held accountable for the beliefs/views they bring with them.

In a debate like this, we need questions on policies, beliefs, values, vision, and a fucking plan if they have one. Fluff questions just make you feel closer to the individual making you think he is just like you before he or she cuts your healthcare and runs up the debt. We smarter then this and the moderators are just as much to blame for tossing these questions out instead of asking real questions to root out the shit candidates.

Questions By The People, For The People

On occasion, an individual might stand up and asked a very important question that puts a gravity to a topic that may have not had before. These questions are important but also very rare as most people might have trouble articulating the right question to ask. I admit I sometimes do when thinking of questions on the spot. I believe this is where the Media, Journalists, and the Citizens work together to share their concerns and questions with moderators who will be conducting the debate and let them sift through the questions and turn them razor sharp inquiries to ask the candidates. This isn't to say people can't/shouldn't ask their questions but the beauty of having the people share their questions with an experienced moderator is that follow questions can be crafted ahead of time by a news team that can dig further and deeper than the vast majority of citizens. 

Conclusion

Debates, Interviews, Confirmation Hearings, and even Town Halls all suffer from these issues of Politicians deciding what they will and will not talk about. I would prefer to have a candidate say “I don’t know.” “I haven't thought about that.” ‘I will get back to you later on that” then go off on a rant to try and stir up the rest of the room with rhetoric. We collectively as citizens need to raise the bar for these men and women because if they had their way they would keep it as low as they possibly could to slither over it.

The Moderators IE the Media need to stop having this love affair with the RNC and DNC trying to charm them into letting them be the moderators. I know this is hard to do because they will take their candidates to another channel but the News Organizations are providing a civil service of keeping the public informed. If the organizations can come together and decide on a proper debate format/rules together and leave them (the candidates) no other options but to appear on one of their channels then it will no longer be the Politicians deciding the rules of debate but the moderators and the people. Thanks for reading.

Regards, Michael California