Publication: The Bulwark

The Bulwark

 His most impressive moment was his answer on why he won’t support the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal even though he thinks it’s a moderate improvement. He didn’t straddle or prevaricate…This man is not politicking. He’s leading a movement. And you discount movements at your peril.

The Bulwark

Democratic pro-impeachment forces have been oddly hesitant to demand Giuliani’s testimony. They never sent Giuliani a subpoena during the House Intelligence Committee hearings, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn’t ask for Giuliani as a witness.

The Bulwark

Includes Lamar Alexander, Mike Enzi and Pat Roberts.

The Bulwark

Hill’s testimony was what we needed because, man by man she stared deep into the soul of each partisan player in this game and exposed them. And she did it using only the power of truth, the earnest belief in America that only comes from the zeal of our immigrants, and the flick of an eyebrow that brought mortal men to their knees.

The Bulwark

Sunday’s insurrection against Don Trump Jr. was the latest in a series of conservative events that have seen their proceedings disrupted by white nationalist activists who believe that the president has failed to deliver on his election promises. Among other complaints, activists have cited the failure to build a wall on the Mexican border and the administration’s refusal to decrease the number of legal immigrants.

The Bulwark

Trump was forced to back down from his Doral deal, but it’s still an abuse of power.

The Bulwark

What would happen if a half dozen senators…joined together to condemn “Fear, Ignorance, Bigotry and Smear”? Would Trump tweet insults at them all? And how would their Senate colleagues react then? As the impeachment inquiry progresses and we find more evidence of exactly what Trump did with regard to foreign interference in U.S. elections, we may well find out. Until then, Romney stands alone. Again.

The Bulwark

Christine Todd Whitman: The U.S. should be supporting an ally in a critical region, not behaving in a way that serves Russian interests.

The Bulwark

This is the problem with keeping the Hysteria Dial turned up to 11, all the time. Not everything is a constitutional crisis or a presidency-ending scandal…So how do we react when we’re confronted with what might be the real thing?…The revelation (and Trump’s apparent admission) that the president used his office to pressure a foreign government to provide him with dirt on a political opponent puts us (at least) close to the red zone.

The Bulwark

Mainstream media wants to see Biden falter because “Popular. moderate, former vice president wins nomination” is the most boring storyline around. In the age of Trump, stuff like this isn’t supposed to happen in politics anymore.

The Bulwark

 Why is the media fixated on the idea of Kavanaugh’s impeachment? Because the 2020 Democratic candidates are going to try to use it as a crowbar to pry Joe Biden from his perch atop the primary race. The most important development in the story came on Sunday when the campaign’s three viable progressive candidates and Julian Castro called for Kavanaugh’s impeachment.

The Bulwark

If Republicans choose Trump over Walsh, the only rational explanation is that they’re voting for Trump’s character. The bug that they tried desperately to bury three years ago has become the defining feature of the product. In other words: You don’t choose Trump over Walsh in spite of“send her back” and all the rest. You choose Trump over Walsh because of it.

The Bulwark

James Comey’s critics argued that the former director had broken the law by feeding memos of his private meetings with Trump to a friend, with instructions to leak the substance of them to the press. Now, the verdict is in—and it turns out the critics were at least partially correct.

The Bulwark

It’s not that his approval rating is low (although it is). It’s that his disapproval rating is so high.

The Bulwark

Not much, surprisingly.

The Bulwark

Public reaction to El Paso shows a realization that Trump has been stoking racist hatred.

The Bulwark

He should apologize for many things, but most of all he should say: “I’m sorry for calling people who are coming to America for a better life for their family, as so many of our ancestors did, invaders and worse. If anyone who heard these words took them to mean that these people are attacking us or are our enemies I want you to hear from me that these are human beings who deserve our love and compassion, not our hatred.”

The Bulwark

Gone are the days when conservatives by the millions pulled the lever for the president with fear and trembling, calling him the “lesser of two evils,” pledging to keep him and his flaws at arm’s length. In short order President Trump had captured first their media, then their politicians, and finally them.

The Bulwark

Angela Davis was not arrested and tried because she worked for “social justice.” She was tried for purchasing guns for a courtroom raid carried out by her lover George Jackson’s brother, Jonathan, whose use of these guns in a shootout (while attempting to flee) killed one of the four people he had taken hostage, a man named Judge Harold Haley.

The Bulwark

By making the attack in this manner, he more or less ensured that every Democrat would be forced to defend AOC, Omar, et al. And that future criticisms of them—from any side—could be dismissed as just more bigotry. This was a political masterstroke.

The Bulwark

If you’re a female soccer player, being born in America is like winning the lottery. The U.S. women’s teams have now won four World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, and eight CONCACAF gold cups…Something must be going right with America and our support of women’s athletics…So we were kind of confused the other day when you explained your refusal to sing the National Anthem. We’re not quite sure what upsets you.

The Bulwark

So it turns out Wednesday night really was the kids’ table debate. Because on Thursday night four Democrats demonstrated big-league talent: Biden, Harris, Buttigieg and Sanders.

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Can anyone tell them apart?

The Bulwark

1) Joe Biden. 2) Bernie Sanders. 3) Elizabeth Warren. 4) Pete Buttigieg. 5) Kamala Harris. 6) Beto O’Rourke.