Cross Town Thoughts
Nikki Haley’s path to the White House. Governor of South Carolina. Ambassador to the United Nations. Lindsey Graham replaces Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. Haley fills Graham’s seat as Senator from South Carolina. She then runs for President 2024. Wins.
First woman President. Al Smith Dinner 2018.
Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. From Maine and Alaska. Close colleagues who took very different votes on Brett Kavanaugh. Both made deliberate, diligent, thoughtful, non-partisan decisions. Collins supported his nomination in a factual studied listing of his centrist opinions on the bench. She cited the presumption of innocence as a critical component of American values. Murkowski agreed with much of Collins’ reasoning, yet felt that in the end Kavanaugh has the wrong demeanor to be a Supreme Court Justice for this time.
Both Republicans. Different conclusions. Both stateswomen.
There may or may not be a new Justice on the Supreme Court named Brett Kavanaugh. However, there is a new justice in the country. Maybe it is necessary to swing the pendulum toward taking accusations of sexual assault more seriously. Yet it’s a dangerous precedent.
Overreach has again taken over a valid debate. Media interviews with roommates and classmates whose sources are neither vetted nor corroborated have thrown journalism standards out.
Ben Sasse of Nebraska took to the Senate floor to rail against the mishandling of the Kavanaugh nomination. He said he’d suggested nominating a woman before anyone was chosen because he knew the current cast of characters couldn’t have a nuanced discussion of sexual harassment issues. He was right. Overreach usually begets backlash. We’ll see in the mid-terms.
Sad in and of itself. Same guys who were less than gracious to Anita Hill are still around for the Christine Ford – Brett Kavanaugh fiasco. Sitting on the Judiciary Committee were/are Patrick Leahy, Orrin Hatch, Chuck Grassley. Potential Presidential candidate Joe Biden also on the Committee then wasn’t woke either. After they trashed Hill, they voted for Clarence Thomas.
There is no equivalency here. Anita Hill had grievances as a professional employee. Christine Ford loosely recounts Kavanaugh’s alleged behavior at a drunken party in high school.
Cory Booker claimed I Am Spartacus during the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing. More like Dorkacus. At least pronounce the name of the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee who has been in public life for over five decades. Dianne Feinstein. Not Fein-steen. Pathetic.
Nicolle Wallace & Steve Schmidt on MSNBCÂ today rationalizing hiding Sarah Palin’s obvious mental health issues when she was John McCain’s running mate. The excuse not to out McCain’s politically expedient yet negligent pick? That he’d lose the election after the financial crisis of 2008. So much wrong about that by all concerned.
Oh and Tiger shot a 62 at the BMW. So did Rory. Woo hoo.
In dueling New York Times columns, Bret Stephens outlines how Trump is re-elected in 2020; David Leonhardt’s subsequent rebuttal details how Trump is defeated in 2020. Both choose Elizabeth Warren as the Presidential Candidate of the Democrats. Stephens has Sherrod Brown as her running mate and they lose. Leonhardt puts Eric Holder on the ticket with her and they win. If you ask me, the common denominator is a major flaw in both scenarios. Warren’s nomination would be a disaster for the Dems even if Trump imploded.
Bottom line. Trump abdicates to build a hotel in Tblisi. Pence becomes a nun. Warren still could not beat any Republican candidate in a 2020 run.
Ocasio-Cortez had a positive message. She did not focus on her gender or ethnicity nor did she dwell on hating Trump. But rather gave her attention to girls behind the bars and guys in the garbage trucks. Yup. That will win back working class votes. Well done. Even though. She’s an avowed Socialist. So. A blue county turns bluer. Doesn’t change the congressional landscape and moves the party further left. Works in Queens. Swing districts. Not so much.
Speaking of queens. Stephen Frears of The Queen directs the quirky cheeky A Very English Scandal on Amazon. Homosexuality in the Beatles-era. Based on the story of MP Jeremy Thorpe portrayed brilliantly by Hugh Grant. Excellent ensemble cast.
Michael Bloomberg reportedly putting the band back together for a 2020 run. NY Post today. Has he been reading my blog? Yes! Please run, Mike! A New York billionaire independent-minded businessman. He’s mulling joining the fray as a Democrat. Why not? He’s already investing $80 million to provide a counterbalance to the ineptitude of the Republicans in governing. Admittedly, it’d be hard to get a short Jewish almost-80-year-old elected. But. Biden and Bernie are pondering another plunge. So. Hey. He’s already gotten my vote. In 2016.
This is why I wrote in Mike Bloomberg for President in 2016. Wouldn’t it have been refreshing to have this New York billionaire businessman in the White House? Country before party. Solving problems with intelligence, long term strategic vision, and heart. Loved him as Mayor. But. Americans are probably not ready to be so united and smart.
Mike is giving $80 million and here’s “Why He’s Supporting Democrats in 2018”
Hair on fire! Trump is a racist misogynistic tyrant! Finally we see him for who he really is!! What? This is the same guy whose immigration policy was to ban all colorful people from entering the country, hung out at the Playboy Mansion, owned beauty pageants, led the birther movement. BEFORE he was elected President. What is with this surprised outrage? Have you met him?
None of the ire directed at Trump will win the next election. Broken record alert! Jamie Dimon said it yesterday. Dems don’t have a centrist candidate who can win the general election in 2020. That’s where the biased media should be focusing its rants.
Side Trek . NYC 