Hillary Clinton on Civility

President Trump on the Kavanaugh Circus

Liberals Lament Excessive Celebration of the Kavanaugh SCOTUS Confirmation

Daniel Patrick Moynihan on Left Wing Snubs

On Samantha Bee's Feckless Apology

As TBS Full Frontal comedienne Samantha Bee returned to television after attacking President Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump with obscene epithets and inappropriate innuendo, she offered an apology of sorts.

What a feckless Bee! Well, it was not much of an apology.  It was one of the "To those who might be offended" kind of regret.  Moreover, in this feckless mea culpa, Bee sought to justify using "the C-word" as a feminist way to reclaim the Anglo Saxon four letter word.  

The problem with Bee's BS expression of regret is that it ignores the context.  Many focus on the crudity of the "C word".  But Bee suggested that President Trump's daughter put on something tight and talk some sense into him because he listens to her.  This was uttered with a lurid archival photo in the background.  Incest innuendo- check.  Woman manipulating horny man insinuation -check mate?

Bee's insistence that she was trying to reclaim the "C word" is undermined by implying that Ivanka should use her feminine wiles to bend the will of her creepy father.  This may be pushing the bounds for an edgy comedienne and comedy isn't pretty.  But Bee still wants to be taken seriously on public policy, as her regret was taking attention away from the plight of illegal immigrant infants being separated from their mothers.  Sure.

I find it dubious that Samantha Bee and staff was truly sorry about insulting Ivanka Trump or crossing a line as it gave them so much publicity.  Full Frontal is a little watched late night comedy show which may be pulled off the air if it loses any more sponsors.  

What is culturally concerning is the progressive lack of civility combined with collective Trump Derangement Syndrome.  Politically correct panjandrums pontificate that it was acceptable for Bee to use the "C word" because she is of that class and is reclaiming a now pejorative phrase, while being blind to how much of America is revolted.

We live in a culture of outrage. Democrats have sought to maximize outrage to create a blue wave for the midterm elections.  One of the ways to do that is to use cultural levers to stoke up the bile. 

Alas, this is wasteful (sic) because it only appeals to true believers while alienating independents and traditional blue collar Democrats.  It is dubious that outrageous obscene attacks and feckless apologies will turn the tide and the blue wave might be down the drain like the  tidy bowl man. 

Reconsidering the White House Correspondents' Dinner

On Ivy League Ideological Intolerance

D-List Celebutard Tries to Get Ahead By Overstepping Comedic Line Towards Trump

Many progressives have shown difficulty in accepting Donald J. Trump as President of the United States.  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA 8th) can not bring herself to say "President Trump".  When former First Lady/Senator/Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is not engaged in chardonnay therapy, she was attempting to front "the Resistance" as part of a inchoate attempt at remaining politically viable.

Celebrities certainly have had a tough time coping with not having their candidate win the White House in 2016.   Of late, there was Robert De Niro's rousing graduation analogy at Brown University that the newly minted Ivy League alums are now entering a world that is a "tragic dumb assed comedy."

Hyperbolic histrionics does not sate some from Hollyweird. Some celebutards feel compelled to push their consternation to the brink.  At the enormous Women who Hate Trump march the day after inauguration, Madonna intimated that she had dreams of bombing the White House after hearing of Trump's victory.  Not to be outdone, D-List comedienne Kathy Griffin posed for publicity shoots holding a bloody facsimile of America's 45th President of the United States, which she then posted on social media. Smooth move Ex-Lax.

No doubt, Griffin thought that she would be playing to her progressively oriented base and perhaps even make it off the D-List through political notoriety. After all, her bloody head pose echoed the antipathy of "The Resistance". She had the reputation of being a crass, shock type comedienne. Moreover, she could claim artistic freedom and the need to challenge boundaries in the name of comedy.  Not so much.

Consider the comedic rodeo rider who dared wear an Obama mask while maintaining the ring which caused a week's controversy and caused him to be put into diversity training. It did not help that Griffin's  graphic art echoed actual executions as infamously performed by ISIS. The country still seems to have some respect for the office of President.  One should not discount the reputation of the messenger.  Griffith is not known for taking overt political stances, and this stunt may have been seen as distasteful grandstanding by an opportunist.

Social media turned against Kathy Griffin for her ghoulish pose.  Sponsors and venues quickly started to cancel on her. Even Senator Al Franken (D-MN) was said to be backing away from a associations with with Griffin.  The Secret Service may now be quite investigating Griffin's graphic wise crack. 

What's more, is that Griffin's grotesquerie made Mr. Trump somewhat sympathetic, even to ardent opponents of the Trump Administration.   Former Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) could point to the gross graphic and condemn the repugnant and vile message in his quixotic hope for civic civility.  Mr. Trump tweeted in response to the controversy that his eleven year old son was having a hard time with this sick humor.

When it was clear that the public tide had turned against Griffin, she quickly posted on Instagram an apology.





Liberal leaning news organizations barely covered the controversy because one of the news most important powers is the power to ignore the inconvenient or incongruent.

It is difficult to discern the best course of action.  On the one hand, while I strive to be forgiving and let bygones to be bygones, it seems inappropriate to think "Aw shucks, it was nothing."   This is not a typo tweet like "covfefe"  or a knee jerk post which one regrets immediately after hitting the send button.  TMZ showed Griffin in a full blown photo shoot, with lighting, make-up and props. This was pre-meditated so to magnanimously dismiss it invites future pot shots from an opposition which seems intent to throw anything up on the wall to see if it sticks.

On the other hand, Mr. Trump has displayed a churlish reputation in the past and has used antagonisms with others (Rosie O'Donnell, Megyn Kelly, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, et ali.) as a means to brandish himself while sullying others.  The Trump Administration needs to put some wins on the board in Washington aside from a SCOTUS pick and reversing 18 prior Administrative Actions.

May Kathy Griffin be benched on the D-List without needlessly encouraging others to go down that same repugnant road. 

On Baseball Bats, Civility and Wise Latinas

Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor recently gave  the Robert A. Stein lecture before an audience of 2,700 people at the University of Minnesota on civility in public discourse. 

 


Sotomayor made an admission against interest as she recalled working with her  Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, with whom she could violently disagree.


Yet Sotomayor spoke also affectionately of her conservative colleague, noting that the death of Scalia was like losing a family member. Sotomayor insisted that despite their differences that she was a good friend of Scalia.

Notwithstanding her uncharitable impulses when butting heads with Scalia on the Supreme Court bench, the self labeled Wise Latina chides herself that: 

If we’ve lost anything, it’s remembering that differences don’t stand, necessarily, on ill will. If you keep that in mind, you can resolve almost any issue, because you can find that common ground to interact with each other.

To support civility, it might be wise for Sotomayor to consider how her progressive SCOTUS ally Ruth Bader Ginsburg discerns dissent before being driven to grab a baseball bat. 

Ted Cruz on Religious Liberty

Ted Cruz on Civil Campaigning

Last week, Republican front-runner received increased scrutiny for hot tempered hustings and inciting violence at campaign rallies.  Trump had to cancel a big rally at the University of Illinois-Chicago for what he cited as safety reasons as infiltrated protesters and street rallies threatened to get ugly. But Trump has also repeatedly used incendiary insults regarding detractors and Trump has encouraged supporters to give detractors rough treatment.

Opposition antics do not just plague the Trump campaign but are handled in dramatically different ways.  On the eve of the Illinois primary, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was heckled by a birther in Peoria. 

Rather than incite the crowd and gin up anger over the eligibility (non) issue , Cruz used civility and comedy to vanquish the opposition. 

This contrast revels character and inherent leadership styles. 

Speaker Paul Ryan has come out for civil campaigning, but it seems that the media and the unfocused angry voter continue to spotlight the Trump chaos circus campaign.

Paul Ryan on Rallies and Responsibility

Observe What Tolerance Is Left

During a panel discussion on Dr. Drew about ESPN honoring "Caitlyn" (ne Bruce) Jenner, a transgendered panelist physically threatened conservative author and media figure Ben Shapiro.

Shapiro pointed out that Jenner had not yet undergone any gender reassignment surgery.  Nevertheless, such a medical procedure still does not change one's DNA which is either male or female.

To drive home the point, Shapiro asked his trangendered panelist Zoey (ne Robert) Tur "What is your genetics, sir?".  Of course, that was an uncomfortable scientifically based question.  But what seemed to set off Tur was the use of the title "Sir". Thus, Tur put a hand on Shapiro's shoulder and threatened to send him home in an ambulance.


 Aside from the fact that Tur's threat was not a very ladylike of a response, it underlined the thesis of Shapiro's book "Bullies: How the Left's Culture of Fear and Intimidation" (2014).  Shapiro was outnumbered on the panel and was physically threatened for stating his opinions, which are scientifically unimpeachable.

It should be noted that Tur is the father of Katie Tur, the NBC News reporter who recently conducted a hard hitting extended interview with Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump  So Zoey Tur's indignation may not have only be based on honorifics but also pent up partisan frustration.

Several years ago, after the 2011 Tuscon shooting which seriously wounded former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ 8th), Democrats like President Barack Obama pushed for civility in public discourse. This Dr. Drew dialogue again shows that so called civility is but a one-way street.  Those not espousing the current progressive shibboleth are targeted to be bullied and silenced. Even liberal pundit Camille Paglia condemns the fascistic tendencies among liberals which imposes silence on those who are not politically correct.  Alas, as Tom Nichols suggests in "The New Totalitarians Are Here", progressives want more than silence, but the expect not only to win arguments but make the loser love it.

What makes Tur's threats remarkable is that they were done physically on camera with a principled person who will not back down.

Washington Archbishop Cardinal Donald Wuerl on Same Sex Marriage

Tammy Bruce on Same-Sex Marriage

George Pataki Comes Out of Social Media to Defend Caitlyn (ne Bruce) Jenner

 What a way for a Republican Presidential candidate like former Governor George Pataki (R-NY)  to attract attention.  Pataki took to social media to indirectly criticize former Governor Mike Huckabee's (R-AR) snarky cultural comment and allying with a celebrity celebrating his/her transgender metamorphosis.

 Somehow, this seems even less likely to score with the Republican base than Senator Rand Paul implying that the GOP was responsible for ISIS. While Huckabee's flippant comment may mock, it does so to bolster a broader theme about defending traditional values, offers a reductio ad absurdum over the California transgender bathroom choice law and shows a sense of humor.  Pataki's comments seem steeped in political correctness, play upon celebutard worship and seem desperate for attention.

If Bruce Jenner wanted to preserve his dignity and be a positive role model, perhaps he should have avoided posing for Playgirl in 1982 or not starred on E! television's Keeping Up with the Kardashians or allowed himself to be exploited by the media as he finalizes his transgendering process.

Civility is a much needed quality in public discourse and unwarranted ad hominem insults ought to be avoided. But it is distressing that a conservative governor like George Pataki would be afraid to allow anyone to voice opinions on behaviors that are contrary to their own druthers.

Charlie Rangel on "Terms of Endearment"

Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY 13th) took to the airwaves after the Midterm Elections to malign the Tea Party.

    

 At least  Rep.  Rangel  did not label Tea Party types as terrorists this time. 

 But purporting that "White Cracker" is a term of endearment was as laughable as considering the 84 year old, 22 term incumbent from Harlem is a paragon of ethics. 

Nevertheless, the racialized rhetoric seems to fan the flames as Ferguson is ready to erupt if the Grand Jury does not do what the mob demands.  Moreover, Rangel's rant makes a mockery of President Barack Obama's call for civility in civics.  Furthermore, Rangel's provocative epithet neither reflects reality nor sounds constructive. 

Harlem has a history of sending charismatic yet slimey and cantankerous Congressmen to represent them.  Rangel replaced Rep. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.  (D-NY 1st), who  was not seated by a Democrat led Congress in 1967 after it became clear that Powell bilked taxpayers for six years by having his wife on the Congressional payroll after she moved back to Puerto Rico.  Powell was re-elected in 1969 and he was seated after winning his case before the US Supreme Court. 

 Although Congress and the public may not  be able to exclude Rep. Rangel from his seat in Congress, they can deny him authority and attention.  Rangel took a leave of absence from being Chairman of the power the Ways and Means Committee during his Ethics investigation in 2010.  Rangel did not return to the top Democrat spot on the Ways and Means Committee after he became the 23rd Congressman ever censured.  

While Rangel might make good copy and his social charms makes him a good guest, we should discern if Rangel's raspy rhetoric should be amplified in the media or shunned as bilious blathering from a hoary has-been.  Otherwise, we are condoning a Congresscritter blithely spewing polarizing politics.

h/t: Dave Granland

Donna Brazile's Bile Demonizes the GOP

Several years ago, after Blue Dog Democrat Congressman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ 8th) was critically shot by a lunatic leftist gunman, Democrats tried to shift the blame to Republicans by claiming that the GOP was fostering a lack of civility.  To that end, Donna Brazile penned a piece with a putative prayer:

[L]et us pray that our political leaders restore respect and civility in their political discourse, and beseech them to forgo the temptation to turn our plea to shun rancor into rancor. 

Noble sentiments.   But to echo a sentiment from the Democrat hustings in 2008: "Be the change you are looking for in the world."  Based upon Donna Brazile's base instincts displayed during this campaign cycle, civility is for suckers and/or the Tea Party.

Donna Brazile has a prominent progressive political pedigree, having being Press Secretary for Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Campaign Manager for Al Gore's 2000 Presidential Campaign and is Vice Chairman of the Democrat National Committee. So Brazile is a go to surrogate for Democrats, and often graces the sets of ABCNews and CNN.

This campaign cycle Brazile has gone off the rails in vitriol and vituperousness, especially in social media. Campaign operatives can be expected to figuratively demonize their opponents before an election but suggesting that the gates of Hell be locked lacks subtlety and civility. So much for her little prayer after Gabby Giffords was gunned down.

Donna Brazile bridled at being called a radical for being a liberal who makes controversial statements.




 So to play the no labels parlor game, let us consider Brazile's  two egregious Twitter comments in context and flesh them out.

Prior to the midterm elections in which President Obama is not on the ballot but Democrat Congressmen and Senators need voter approval, Donna Brazile lashes out at politicians who do not support POTUS.  Brazile suggests that those who do not let Mr. Obama dictate policy for the next two years are demonic.

This inflamatory rhetoric is intended to stoke up the liberal base to get them to the polls.  But Brazile's bluster also shows an arrogance of power, insisting that the Chief Executive ought to always have his way in the District of Calamity.  Furthermore, the strident language reveals a contemptuous countenance which does not show signs of civility or cooperative governance.

Brazile's social media rants have taken off her mask.   Now informed voters can go to the polls and vote their consciences. 

A Big F'ing Deal or Joe Being Joe?

When speaking before the Legal Services Corporation, Vice President Joe Biden referred to "Shylock" lawyers who pressed foreclosures while soldiers were serving overseas. 

From a political perspective, this was a prudent position for a prospective Democrat nominee for President in 2016. "Lunch Bucket Joe" bolstered his middle class credentials while taking a class warfare tact and aligning himself with patriots serving in the military.  Unfortunately Biden's ham-handed execution of this campaign "strategerie" was insulting to a key Democrat minority, showed an insensitivity and underlined a tendency to be gaffe prone.

Mr. Biden referred to some lawyers as "Shylocks".  This colorful language was offensive to Jewish voters, who are key Democrat voting bloc and reliable campaign contributors. 

As Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman noted: “Shylock represents the medieval stereotype about Jews and remains an offensive characterization to this day. The Vice President should have been more careful."  Surely, if a Republican or a Conservative would have uttered such an epithet, such a politico would not receive such a mild chiding and the news of the gaffe would lead the headlines in the Lamestream Media. 

Conventional wisdom holds that former First Lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (R-NY) is the putative  Democrat nominee for the 2016 Presidential election.  But Ms. Clinton's support may be a mile wide and an inch deep. But if bad news sticks on Hillary, such as the accusation that former Secretary of State Clinton's staff was complicit in scrubbing Foggy Bottom documents on Benghazi "to protect the seventh floor", suddenly opt to spend more time with her grandchild. That would make Vice President Joe Biden the default front runner. 

 Political junkies are well acquainted with Biden's tendency to bloviate and be gaffe prone, as when he told "Barack" at the announcement of Obamacare that: "This is a big f**king deal".  Being Vice President may not make you a lock to win the Oval Office, but it certainly gives advantages to gaining a party nomination.  However, other Democrat candidates would likely to use Biden's verbal gaffes as the chink in the armor to take down the leader of the pack.  If Vice President Biden has not locked down the informal media caucus, gaffes may be reported in the future more as a "Big f'ing deal" rather than "Joe being Joe."

h/t: HotAir

      Jeff Koterba

     Steve Breen

Al Sharpton on Civilization

Twenty years later, the Reverend Al Sharpton was the keynote eulogizer (with Jesse Jackson looking on) for the funeral of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.