Jim (Cont): So, Russia hysteria, where's it headed?
Ruth: Out the door, into
the trash. There was no collusion and two years time was wasted on that
nonsense, time we could have spent demanding Medicare For All, an end
to the Iraq War, serious efforts to combat climate
change. All we got? Nutty conspiracy theories and we resurrected The
Cold War. All because Hillary Clinton could not acknowledge that she
ran a piss poor campaign.
Betty: Support!
Jim: Community wide, we rejected the hysteria but, Ruth, you covered it at length at your site.
Ruth: I did. And remember
C.I.'s year end column for the gina & krista round-robin back at the
end of 2016? She was noting the rumbles and the obsession that was
already starting and she said, "Do we have to be
paranoid to wonder if this isn't the Obama administration pulling
strings behind the scenes?" I thought of that every time I wrote about
this nonsense and it seems more and more likely that it did go straight
up to former President Barack Obama and that he
knew -- and if he did not know, he should have.
Jim: Thoughts?
Cedric: Yeah, I'd agree
with Ruth on that. This didn't just happen. A lot of people were
involved -- James Comey, Loretta Lynch, you name it. I honestly believe
a lot of higher ups need to be in prison for this
-- for spying on an opposing campaign, using the resources of the
federal government to try to spy and then to try to take down a
presidency. I'm someone who votes Democrat every time. I will hold my
nose and do it. But my not liking Donald Trump does not
make me any less appalled by what was done to him. I really would use
the term "treason" to describe what Obama officials have done with
regards to Trump. Sorry.
Ty: No need to apologize
for your opinion. I agree, this was an effort to bring down a
presidency. I don't just see it as a conspiracy, I see it as a criminal
conspiracy. I think they spied on him and tried to
benefit from that and then, after the election, they tried to destroy
him. I think they had help from friends in the media. I think James
Clapper belongs in prison. Really, all anyone needs to do is read
Ruth's "
Strzok spills the beans
about the deal D.O.J. made with Hillary" and see if you aren't
outraged. And that's even before you get to all the print and time and
TV minutes spent on this Russian hoax that never was. I'm outraged.
And I'm outraged at how Democrats in Congress
have behaved and pimped this crap.
Marcia: I'll add my
thoughts. Crusty Lips Elijah Cummings thinking we need a hearing about
whether or not FOX NEWS -- a private company -- killed a report on
Stormy Daniels? F**k you, Elijah --
Jim: Which you said in a post.
Marcia: Indeed, I did. We
can't get hearings on the Iraq War but he's going to waste our time on
whether or not FOX NEWS killed a report on a porn star? Who the f**k
cares! You are wasting my tax dollars on this
crap. I'm sick of it. Old Crusty Lips is not working for We The
People. He's not screaming about these endless wars. He's just
whoring. And at 68 years old, he should be ashamed. Focus on the real
issues, the ones we need to address. I'm sick of this
b.s. And I hate FOX NEWS and MSNBC. I wouldn't watch either --
because they don't deal with real issues.
Jess: I'm going to remind
everyone that we were supposed to shut down in 2009. And, at that time,
we really thought by then the Iraq War would be over. We thought there
would be no US troops in Iraq anymore. We're
only here because Ava and C.I. watched FRINGE, were troubled by some of
it, had friends with the show ask them to hold off reviewing it because
the problems were being addressed and so Ava and C.I. wrote a piece
where they noted they'd review FRINGE in the
new year and that's why we're around. But we really thought, and we
weren't crazy, that the war would be over by 2009.
Dona: But let's talk about
why we thought that for a minute. We thought that because Nancy Pelosi,
as House Minority Leader in 2006, promised us the war would end. Give
us one house of Congress, she swore in 2006,
ahead of the mid-terms, and we'll have the power to end the war and to
launch investigations into the start of it and blah blah blah. The
American people didn't give her one house, they gave her two! Both
houses of Congress. And she became Speaker of the
House and she did not keep her word.
Elaine: Because it was too
much -- it helped too much to have the war. The war put Democrats back
in power in Congress. They realized it would turn out votes and that
they could run a candidate in 2008 who could
win if the war was still taking place. So they didn't want to end in
it in 2007 or 2008, not with a presidential election coming up.
Dona: Exactly right.
Stan: And along comes Barack breaking all of his promises --
Rebecca: That Samantha Power said weren't really promises in March of 2008.
Stan: Right and that BBC
interview is why she quit the campaign. And Barack had promised all
troops out within his first ten months. Didn't happen.
Trina: You know what else
didn't happen? All those liars who were going to hold his feet to the
fire? They never did. Fake asses like Laura Flanders and Norman
Solomon and so many others. "Oh, when he's president,
will hold his feet to the fire. We just have to be silent right now."
Liars. Fake asses and liars. And they have never apologized for their
actions. They won't even get honest about it. If a David Lindorff,
for example, could just say, "Boy, was I a
bonehead," I'd have a little respect. But this pretense that they
didn't whore? I have no respect.
Marcia: For me -- and I
think I jumped over someone -- but for me, the worst was fat ass Pam
Spalding or whatever her name was. Little Ms. Racialicious or
whatever. Saying that Barack couldn't be primary-ed in
2012 because it wouldn't be 'fair.' He shouldn't be primary-ed because
he was Black. Kiss my Black ass, he's bi-racial, not Black. Second,
that sort of crap right there makes me really think twice about voting
for any first again -- first woman, first Latino/a,
first gay, first whatever. I don't ever want to hear that b.s. and see
it treated seriously. That was outrageous. And let me note that not
only did I jump over someone to say this, I'm yelling it as I'm speaking
-- that's how outraged I still am.
Jim: So Joe Biden has entered the race. Any reactions?
Mike: In 2016, it might have meant something. Today? No. His day has passed. Goodbye Joe.
Jim: Anyone think they'd
support his run? Silence. Okay, there are six women running for the
Democratic Party's presidential nomination currently. They are US House
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Marianne Williamson, Senators
Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand and Amy Klobuchar.
First up, is it Kam-a-la?
Ava: Yes. Kahm-ah-lah would be prettier but it's Ka-ma-la. It's harsh on the ear but that's Harris.
Jim: Okay. Anyone supporting her or Amy? Silence. Didn't think so. What about Elizabeth?
Trina: I could support
Elizabeth Warren if she continues to raise important issues. Warren is
from my state and I'm not a fan. But I'm not going to vote on
personality. Warren's running a smart campaign so far
and I'm impressed. Is she my first choice? No.
Jim: Who is your first choice?
Trina: I would rank Tulsi
and Marianne ahead of Elizabeth Warren. Marianne has spoken seriously
about food safety. That is a huge issue to our country and we are not
seeing politicians take it seriously, in my
opinion. Tulsi's opposition to endless wars is principled and
consistent. I am very impressed with her as well. Of the male
candidates, I could vote for Bernie Sanders.
Mike: I'd rank Tulsi
first. I'm interested in Marianne Williamson's campaign. Elizabeth
Warren is running a better job for president than I thought she did as a
senator. I'm not impressed with the bulk of the
field, to be honest. I'd vote for Bernie. Otherwise, not interested.
Jess: I'd just like to
point out that the Republican nominee -- barring any surprise
announcement -- will be Donald Trump. That's why we're not discussing
it. As for the Green Party, we're waiting on declarations
of candidacy. We are not attempting to pretend that there is only one
show in town.
Wally: Good point. And
there's a candidate for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination
that C.I. has noted, Adam Kokesh.
Jim: C.I.?
C.I.:
Adam Kokesh served in
the Iraq War. He came back from serving and spoke out against this
never-ending war. He has stood up for free speech even when it has
meant getting arrested. He is an activist, a strong
supporter of the First Amendment as well as the Second Amendment. He has character and strength and he's highly attractive. He notes at his campaign website, "
To read the book that I started writing in jail for civil disobedience in Washington, DC, please
click here. It explains how ethics can be applied consistently to politics to help humanity
achieve a more peaceful, productive, and harmonious society." He's been a talk show host for some time now. From his website:
Adam first began his career in media with the birth of
ADAM VS THE MAN as a radio show in Albuquerque on KIVA in 2010. After six months it was picked up as a
TV show for RT America. After four months on the air, he was fired for criticizing Putin and went independent online to focus on podcasting and
YouTube, where he has over 60 million views. He is well known for using
Nonviolent Communication and
Socratic Dialogue techniques in his 'man on the street' videos.
Recently he has shifted focus to blockchain-based social media and is
very active as a promoter of
Steemit where he releases exclusive content."
C.I. (Con't): I'd advise everyone
to check out his campaign. He may speak to your issues. Whether he
does or not, he's someone with tremendous character. And I believe Ann
has something to add on third party candidates.
Ann: I do? Oh, yeah, I do! One candidate has declared their intent
to run for the Green Party's presidential nomination: Dario Hunter.
http://annsmegadub.blogspot.com/2019/03/bruce-dixon-and-green-party.html
Jess: I did not know that.
Ann: Yes. This is CRAPAPEDIA:
Dario David Hunter (born 1983), also known as Yisroel Hunter,[2]
is an American-Israeli lawyer,
rabbi, educator[3]
and politician[4]
who is considered the first
Muslim-born person to be ordained as a rabbi.[5][6][7]
Hunter is openly
gay and was raised by his
Iranian Muslim father and
African American mother in New Jersey.[7]
Hunter was a
Democratic Party candidate for Youngstown City Council in the 2015 primary election.[8]
In the 2015 general election, he won a write-in campaign for a seat on the Youngstown Board of Education.[9]
In May 2018, he joined the Green Party, becoming the only Green elected officeholder in Ohio.
[10]
Hunter has been noted in the media for his outspoken stances on a
number of school board issues, including what he sees as the Youngstown
Board of Education's responsibility for low scores on state report
cards,[11][12]
ethics violations,[13]
nepotism,[13]
creationism in the curriculum[14][15]
and the general dysfunction of the Board.
2020 presidential campaign[edit]
On January 21, 2019, Hunter announced he was forming an exploratory committee with the intention of seeking the
Green Party nomination for President in
2020. [16][17]
He formally launched his presidential candidacy on February 18, 2019.[18]
Jess: And you can visit
his Facebook page for more about him.
Jim: Ann and Jess are Green Party members, FYI.
C.I.: Actually, there are two more declared candidates for the Green Party's presidential nomination.
Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza-Curry declared last year. And Ian Schlakman is also a candidate.
Jim: Would, Ann or Jess, you support Jill Stein if she went for the nomination again?
C.I.: That shouldn't be an issue. She has announced she won't be
seeking it. Howie Hawkins might seek it and Ajamu Baraka might seek the
nomination. I believe there's also speculation that Jesse Ventura
might seek it.
Jim: Okay. Of those candidates would either of you lean towards anyone.
Ann: I would be very interested in Ajamu Baraka. He was Jill Stein's
running mate in 2016. His work has been on peace activism since and I
would be very interested in his campaign should he run.
Jesse: I would agree with that. I also think Howie Hawkins has some
organization skills that would make me seriously consider him. If Kat
Swift declares, I'd also be very interested in her.
Dona: I'm a Democrat but I'd like to make the point that rank choice
voting would allow all candidates to have a better shot. Those who use
terms like 'spoilers' better be supporting rank choice voting are
they're hypocrites. We don't believe in 'spoilers'
here. We don't believe anyone owns your vote. If a candidate wins
your support, that's great. But no one owns your vote except for you.
Jim: Beto O'Roarke is in the race. In fact, after declaring
Thursday, he went on to raise $6.1 million in donations in his first 24
hours as a candidate. Any thoughts?
Kat: I'm giving him an honest look. I know some are not and that's fine. But I am willing to consider him.
Jim: Based on?
Kat: As I said at my site, C.I. pointed out Beto's strong focus in
Congressional hearings. I'd forgotten that. We attended those and I
was and remain impressed with Beto on that. He had a way of cutting
through the nonsense. I need him to figure out
what his plan is for Iraq and the other endless wars. If his plan is
something I can support, I could support him.
Jim: Some do not support him. Kat's right? Anyone want to talk about that.
Betty: I will. I don't live in Texas. So why was he shoved down my
throat in 2018? And the glorification of him was far out of step with
the reality of him. He was a media darling. I'm not generally fond of
those. I like workhorses, not show horses.
And I really grew weary of the efforts to promote him nationally. Like
Wendy Davis, he left me underwhelmed although, in fairness, he did seem
to have more on the ball than Wendy ever did. If he came out with a
strong position regarding ending these endless
wars, I'd consider him.
Jim: Has anyone encountered any real enthusiasm for Beto?
Kat: Today. We stopped by to see one of C.I.'s friends, a
cardiologist. He was saying that, at his office, if he could, he'd hang
a poster of Beto in the front office. He was very high on Beto.
Ava: And to give some background, he's in his mid-30s, the Beto
supporter, Latino and a cardiologist. He's a Democrat who will vote for
the nominee regardless of whom it is but he really, really wants Beto
to get the nomination.
Jim: Does Beto have more male support than female?
Ava: I wouldn't know.
Jim: Kat?
Kat: Same.
Jim: Ty, you have an e-mail, right?
Ty: Reader Jodi e-mailed about the HBO LEAVING NEVERLAND and wants to know why people lied for Michael Jackson.
Jim: Ava's laughing. Why?
Ava: Because this is a topic C.I. bit her tongue on for several years now and I believe she's about to let it rip.
Jim: C.I.?
C.I.: I do try to be nice. We had a non-stop tribute to a cheap
whore and I just kept my mouth closed. Carrie Fisher was so pretty --
no, she wasn't. She was a breakthrough super hero -- no, she wasn't.
She was a great actress -- no, she wasn't. She
was someone worth listening to -- no, she wasn't.
Jim: What's Carrie Fisher got to do with this?
C.I.: The question was why people lied for Michael and Carrie used
her second to last book to lie for Michael, to proclaim his innocence,
why she went to that dentist and blah, blah, blah. Reality, Carrie was a
drug addict. Reality, she had shock therapy.
Reality, she could create on drugs. She could not create after shock
therapy. Her last two books demonstrated that and were embarrassments.
She should have held her tongue on several things -- including Harrison
Ford. So desperate for money, she'd do anything.
That's sadly how she went out. And everyone tried to act like she was a
feminist. A feminist doesn't attack others to cover for a pedophile.
Carrie Fisher was many things, a feminist is not something she was. In
fairness to her, prior to shock therapy,
she was a talented writer. After? She suddenly thought it was
'clever' to pick on an old man by noting he farted. Not clever, not
funny. Petty and bitchy. Why did he get away with it? Michael had
friends like Carrie Fisher who would lie for him and attack
the families of the victims. That's her heritage and I'm damn sorry. I
warned her when that first awful book came out, SHOCKAHOLIC, that she
needed to get it together because that book was beneath her and because
Michael Jackson was a predator. She could
have taken care of it. She chose not to. It's her real legacy. I
knew Carrie and liked her. I defended her many times. But she brought
her problems on herself in the end and she is the reason that Michael
Jackson walked -- people like her.
Marcia: The Jackson family defends him.
C.I.: I know many of them. Janet defending him? It's her brother
and I don't fault her. Jermaine? I fault him. He tried to write a book
while Michael was alive, even put it together in writing, his book
proposal, where he was going to call Michael out
for sleeping with young boys -- sleeping with them, not sex. Jermaine
is less than sincere when he pretends shock. Latoya called it out in
real time now she pretends otherwise. There's a lot of money to be made
off of him. Janet doesn't need the money
so greed doesn't factor in with her. The others? Everyone suspected
while Michael was alive. Everyone in the family. For them to pretend
otherwise in the hopes of grabbing more money is disgusting and beneath
them.
Ava: And to be clear, there have been many times when the topic of
Carrie has come up and C.I.'s bit her tongue or removed it from our
writing for Carrie's brother Todd's benefit. We even avoided LEAVING
NEVERLAND for that reason.
Ty: Which brings up another issue in an e-mail. Brandon wanted to thank you guys for tackling "
TV:
Truth and lies," "
TV:
The lies of Ellen DeGeneres are out in full fo...," "
TV:
PBS' long con," "
TV:
Telling stories" and "
Maybe
Cher's right and some women should be called...." And he wrote that it must get weary holding people accountable.
Ava: It does get old. We do try to vary. This week isn't a hard hitting piece, for example.
Rebecca: Let me jump in. Ava and C.I. have a body of work. An
honest to God body of work that you can point to with pride. They have
all these amazing pieces. If I just had "
Maybe
Cher's right and some women should be called...," I'd be satisfied. Or to have written "
TV:
The Soggy Katrina retrospectives," "
MEDIA:
Male norms, Russia hate and lots of excuses...," "
TV:
Aftermath leaves an aftertaste," "
TV:
Why bad TV happens to good viewers," "
TV:
Global Boring," "
TV:
60 MINUTES of gossip," "
TV:
Poor sports and strip teases," "
TV:
Exploding a stereotype," "
TV:
What's happy about early endings?," "
TV:
The Death of the TV Movie," "
The
Circle Jerk Swallows (Ava and C.I.)," "
TV:
The War Crimes Documentary," "
Media:
Epic Meltdown," "
TV
Review: Will & Grace -- goodbye, good riddance," and "
TV:
Katie Was a Cheerleader" -- those are all amazing
pieces of writing. I really think they have built up a body of work to
be proud of. I beat Dona to it.
Dona: You did. But, come on, I just say they have a body of work. You provided some examples.
Rebecca: I did a little homework, I was prepared. In terms of
politics, I am firmly behind Tulsi Gabbard but I am also impressed with
Marianne Williamson.
Jim: Wally and Stan, how about you two? Dona slid me a note saying
we needed more from you and Isaiah but I have a question for Isaiah.
Stan: Tulsi. Absolutely. She's far and ahead of everyone else in my
book. I'd vote for Bernie if he got the nomination but my preference
is Tulsi.
Jim: Anyone you wouldn't vote for?
Stan: I don't believe we need Joe Biden at all. I think Mike said
earlier that his time has come and gone. I certainly support that.
Jim: Wally?
Wally: Tulsi's my clear preference. But I will look into Beto's
campaign, Elizabeth Warren's, the Castro brother [Julian Castro] and
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
Jim: Okay, Isaiah, you just did three comics in a row dealing with the
Democratic Party primary -- Joe Biden, Beto, Tulsi Gabbard -- "
Beto's Running," "
Real Issues" and "
America's
Mayor." Do you have any plans for the primaries?
Isaiah: No. I doubt I will live cartoon any of the early debates.
There are so many running and I think that's great. It's always better
to have more choices. I think there are some strong candidates. My
basic sense of fairness puts Tulsi ahead of the
pack because I don't like how the media picks on her and treats her
unfairly. Other than that, I am open to everyone -- even Kamala Harris
-- except for Joe Biden. He's been out of the White House for two years
and what's he done? Handed Bully Boy Bush an
award? That alone -- I was with Elaine on this -- that alone was
enough to disqualify him but who thinks, in 2017, about running for
president after being Vice President and then spends two years doing
nothing to pad the resume? He's wasted two years. I
don't have time for him. I'm not rooting for Kamala, for example, but I
don't doubt that she really wants it. Especially after Hillary
Clinton, I don't want another candidate who thinks they are owed it.
Jim: Good point. And now we're going to wrap up. This has been a rush transcript.
