Author Archive: Stephen Green
December 12, 2019
THIS COULDN’T HAVE BEEN EASY FOR THEM: Even MSNBC Is Forced to Admit: FBI Made ‘Pretty Egregious, Very Clear Mistakes.’
J.E. DYER: Meddling, Collusion, And Ukraine Vs. Russia.
The topic here is what we’re talking about when the question of “Ukraine meddling in the 2016 election” comes up. The reality is that there’s not a whole lot there if you emphasize the words “Ukraine meddling.” There is substance, yes. A Ukrainian court has certified that it thinks Ukraine meddled in the U.S. election.
But the real issue is whether Americans leveraged cooperation from Ukraine to behave unethically – and possibly to behave criminally – in the 2016 election. Ukraine’s actions could not have any significant effect, undertaken without the complicity of Americans.
The truth about Russia’s actions, which we need not hold in doubt (although sober analysts have made good-faith arguments for doubting some of the particulars), is that they amounted to comparatively little, and had no impact on the election’s outcome.
But Russia’s demonstrated actions, unlike Ukraine’s, were of such a kind that they might conceivably have had an impact without intentional collusion by Americans. This point has the highly significant corollary that the Russians probably (indeed, presumably) inaugurated an interference campaign for their own purposes and agenda. That’s different from the premise of “Ukrainian interference.”
Read the whole thing.
UPDATE: I’d originally credited this to Jeff Dunetz, when it’s actually a J.E. Dyer piece. Sorry!
HMM: Joe Manchin says he’s torn on voting to convict Trump in Senate trial. “Manchin said he would not have a problem with calling Hunter Biden to testify in the trial, despite vocal opposition from most Democrats who argue that it would divert attention from the allegations at the heart of the impeachment case against Trump.”
OOPS: Shooting his mouth off, Iranian official admits the truth about Lebanon.
Speaking on Monday, retired Gen. Morteza Qorbani told an Iranian news outlet that Iran did not need to use ballistic missiles in Iran to effectively attack Israel. Instead, Qorbani said, if “the Zionist regime makes the smallest mistake toward Iran, we will reduce Tel Aviv to ashes from Lebanon.”
That sparked quick pushback in Lebanon, even from Iran’s allies there. On Wednesday, a top Revolutionary Guard spokesperson blamed the media for misrepresenting the adviser’s clear words. Qorbani, the spokesman added, “meant to speak of response to Israel by possible various means and capacities.” In addition, in an amusing attempt to distance themselves from Qorbani, the Revolutionary Guard claimed that he “is not an adviser to the IRGC commander at present.”
If that’s not rowing back, I don’t know what is.
Obama’s old pals aren’t very bright, are they?
Anyway, just keep clamping down with sanctions, and for God’s sake keep on frackin’.
KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEF: Mixed Bag and the Media Is Still Lying to You Thursday. “The past couple of days have provided new opportunities for members of the American news media to remind discerning, honest Americans why we despise them.”
Do you really need to be that discerning or even honest to despise the news media?
WELL, IT IS THEIR ELECTION: Judge: South Carolina GOP can cancel its 2020 primary.
CHILDREN’S CRUSADE: Trump Jr. blasts Time for choosing Greta Thunberg as Person of the Year.
Flashback: It’s Disgusting What the Climate Panic Brigade Is Doing to Greta Thunberg.
The Swedish teenager is not some science prodigy who graduated young from an Ivy League school with an advanced agree in physics or anything like that. Rather, the daughter (and granddaughter) of famous actors and opera singers suffers from Asperger’s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and selective mutism. I’m no medical professional, but these things might have been brought on when (according to public sources), starting at the age of eight, Thunberg was subjected to such a barrage of climate panic that she eventually became depressed and lethargic, and also developed an eating disorder.
Now Thunberg is paraded around the globe as the voice of sanity on climate change.
How dare they.
PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: Republican lawmaker asks Lindsey Graham to ‘rethink’ Senate’s impeachment strategy.
While Trump and his conservative allies in the House are pushing for an aggressive defense in the Senate impeachment trial — which they view as a chance to go on offense and clear the president’s name — Senate GOP leaders are taking a different approach. They’ve made clear that they don’t want the trial to turn into a spectacle, increasing the likelihood that long-simmering tensions between the House and Senate GOP could boil over.
“It is urgent we fight fire with fire and tell them enough is enough,” Banks said in the letter, obtained by POLITICO. “House Republicans have done all they can to push back and expose their motives to the American people, soon it will be at your doorstep.”
Banks also asked Graham to reconsider his position on conducting a speedy trial.
“We need to take our time and figure out exactly how Congress found itself in the current situation: poised to impeach a president on a completely partisan vote with no evidence and flimsy charges just before his re-election bid,” he wrote.
If the Senate could turn impeachment back on House Dems, it would be quite the feat of political jujitsu.
MUSTN’T DISRUPT THE NARRATIVE, DEAR: CNN, MSNBC Cut Away From Horowitz Hearing Into Obama FISA Abuses.
December 11, 2019
KILL ME. KILL ME NOW. Michelle Obama Says She And Barack Will Stay Involved in Politics Forever.
LAWRENCE PERSON: Handicapping the 2020 Texas Senate Race.
I had no idea so many Democrats — and even a few Republicans — were vying to be rid of John Cornyn.
YOU’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BLOG: Five Times Obama Abused His Power and Democrats Didn’t Care.
MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: The Latest in Millennial Virtue Signaling: Being ‘Sober Curious.’ “I’m not suggesting everyone go out and get drunk all the time. Or even stay home and get drunk all the time, as nice as a brandy the size of Winston Churchill’s skull sounds on a wet, chilly day like today. But why does every tiny little decision — like, whether to grab a beer before hitting the dance floor — need to be a lifestyle choice?”
And for our VIP members: Does the 23rd GOP Retirement Spell Doom for Retaking the House? “If you’re starting to get spooked, it might be because in 2018 — before the Democrats took back the House as was widely predicted — 26 Republicans declined to stand for reelection. Typically, widespread retirements are a sign that the other party is about to win bigly. Does that mean the House GOP is just 11 months away from becoming an even smaller minority? I don’t think so.”
If you haven’t become a PJMedia VIP member but are considering it, the promo code VODKAPUNDIT is still good for a nice little discount.
WITH HELP FROM A COMPLIANT PRESS: How Joe Biden Gets Away With Calling A Voter A Fat, Dumb, Liar. “Much of the political Twitterati responded with praise because Biden was ‘feisty’.”
Tellingly, one of Biden’s more brazen insults produced almost no reaction: Biden said, “I think I probably have a much higher IQ than you do, I suspect,” and challenged the voter to an IQ test.
Perhaps this wouldn’t have largely have escaped notice if Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Mayor Pete Buttigieg decided to employ a similar insult. She’s a Harvard prof and he’s a Rhodes scholar, so maybe people would consider it unforgivably patronizing if they lorded their credentials over a normal voter.
But I think it’s fair to say Biden’s intellectual reputation is such that most people would think publicly offering to take an IQ test would be inadvisable. Yet he seems to skate whenever he says outrageous things that question his competence, such as when he plays into racial stereotypes or encourages people to brandish shotguns. It gets laughed off as Uncle Joe’s monkeyshines or whatever.
Biden punches down, way down, and gets praised for being “feisty.” That doesn’t bode well for how Biden would behave as POTUS, or the press during a Biden Administration, either.
CHRISTIAN TOTO: ‘Star Wars’ Mocks Conservatives at Worst Possible Time. “‘Rise of Skywalker’ star Daisy Ridley’s crude attack on Trump voters is part of multi-pronged insult to half the country.”
Get woke, go broke.
Usually, I don’t care much for reruns, but this one might be even more entertaining the second time around.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT? ‘Bombshell’ Movie About Fox News Looks as Terrible as You Would Expect.
OH: Uploaded Ring footage reportedly provides location to the square inch. “Neighbors data proves extra-revealing as Amazon police partnerships accelerate.”
COLORADO: Decreasing oil and gas permits impacting Weld County businesses, local governments.
According to an analysis by FOX31, in 2017-2018, state regulators approved around 350 permits each month.
However, since the passage of SB 181 in April 2019, permits have been averaging around 148 a month — a decrease of more than 50 percent.
Weld County is seeing the impact.
In 2017, 2,466 new permits were approved by the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
By comparison, through October of this year, 1,470 new permits were approved for Weld County, with 880 being approved before SB 181 was signed into law.
Some in the area are concerned about the impact on the local economy.
“Some” apparently doesn’t include the Democrats who passed SB19-181 on a strict party-line vote.
Weld County produces about 90% of the state’s oil and gas.