Daily Archives: August 4, 2021

So, will Chris Cuomo, CNNs most favored blowhard, report tonight on the bombshell findings into his brothers long-term sexual predation?

My educated guess: No. Why would he? He didnt last night, he wont tonight, and he never will, no matter how his brother goes down.

Cuomo the Younger is but one example of privileged, liberal men, high on their own self-regard, who have really outdone themselves this week.

Lets look at our disgraced governor Andrew. The deluge of credible accusations leveled against him months ago truly despicable stuff wasnt enough to shame him from office. (Nor were the nursing home deaths he covered up, but thats another story.)

No, this self-styled feminist doubled down, seeming to out one of his own family members in telling the attorney generals independent investigators that he only kept asking one young staffer about her sexual assault because a very close family member had been sexually assaulted in high school and this had made him extra-sensitive.

A new low, even for him.

There is no longer any debate as to what Gov. Cuomo did, how he abused his power, and what he truly thinks of women.

If #MeToo is to mean anything, Andrew Cuomo must go.

So too must Chris be ousted from his perch at CNN. As we now know, Chris secretly advised his brother to gut out this scandal, over a series of crisis talks, despite a pronounced conflict of interest.

Not only that the AG report reveals that Chris was also given secret and privileged information from the Executive Branch during the crisis, helped draft at least one of his brothers denials, and made decisions that impacted employees of the State. These are serious breaches of journalistic ethics.

I know, I know: Chris isnt really a journalist. He just plays one on TV. But still how can CNN expect to be taken seriously with this guy still on the air?

Remember, it was Chris who told his audience, with his usual soupon of smugness, that he couldnt cover the governors scandal because they were brothers. This, despite Chris hosting his brother near-nightly at the height of the pandemic.

If logic has no place in Chris Cuomos ethical code, how can he be trusted to deliver the news?

And lets not forget Chris faking his re-entry from the basement, where hed been isolating with COVID, even though hed been breaking quarantine all over the Hamptons like the entitled, virtue-signaling hypocrite he is.

But this was Tuesday, and the news cycle can give you whiplash. Perhaps the Cuomos were hoping reports of President Obamas massive, 500-guest birthday blowout at his $12 million Marthas Vineyard estate this weekend, with 200 servers on hand, might become the next focus of public outrage.

After all, as one set of rules for me, another for thee goes, this was pretty egregious stuff.

But Obama, in an unusual show of humility, reconsidered. Hes reportedly scaling way down. Perhaps this howl from a local worker resonated:

His birthday party is insane, one of Obamas caterers told The Post on Monday. His bash is a nightmare to pull off this time of year on the tiny island especially due to the lack of labor due to the coronavirus. What is he thinking?

Obama was probably thinking that super-spreader events are only for Trumpers and that he, of course, was doing it right. But if theres one thing weve learned about Obama in his brief time since leaving office, its that he cares more about wealth, celebrity and Netflix deals than lending his halo effect to any substantial, non-profit-making post-presidential work.

Alas.

And this brings us to Matt Damon, last week the subject of glowing profiles as the savior of movies for grown-ups. So confident is Damon in his greatness that he told the UK Sunday Times that, up until a few months ago, he often tossed around what he called the f-word for homosexual until his daughter told him it was wrong.

Matt Damon, 50 years old, raging liberal and self-identified intellectual one who preaches to us all on climate change while flying private, or the importance of public schools while sending his kids to private ones expects us to believe that he didnt know the meaning and weight of this word?

It gets even better. After massive backlash online Damons new movie, in which he plays an American oil rigger in MAGA drag, already a bomb he issued a statement claiming that he never, ever, ever used the f-slur. Ever.

Heres the thing: If Matt Damon had never said that word or told that story, if the UK Sunday Times got it wrong or made it up, Matt Damon would be suing that paper for millions in libel damages and not for nothing, libel laws in the UK are harder on the press than they are here.

If Damon had a case, youd better believe hed make it.

But hes not. Instead, Damon is running to Variety and after reading this fantasy version of events, you have to wonder why any publication would dare give it their imprimatur.

During a recent interview, I recalled a discussion I had with my daughter where I attempted to contextualize for her the progress that has been made though by no means completed since I was growing up in Boston and, as a child, heard the word f-g used on the street before I knew what it even referred to, Damon said in part. I have never called anyone f-t in my personal life and this conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening.

If you believe that, Chris Cuomo has a story tonight hed rather not tell you.

Continue reading here:

The Cuomo brothers and other liberal, privileged men have finally outdone themselves - New York Post

Mr. Nader and his allies were right about the dangers of a government captured by industry and labor and unchecked from the outside. In their time, the government was testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, encouraging the spraying of millions of tons of pesticides across the land and plowing highways through urban neighborhoods. The government was allowing strip mines to ravage the Appalachian Mountains and leaving coal miners to suffer from black lung disease with little compensation. Government policies were letting oil refineries, factories and power plants to discharge toxic emissions into low-income communities and communities of color.

But as the liberal coalition that supported and relied on a strong and active federal government broke down, it became harder for the government to do big things. The liberal attack on big government, big business, and big labor all combined into one giant coalition, as the 1972 best seller Who Runs Congress, phrased it, left the administrative state vulnerable to challenges from the right.

When Ronald Reagan announced his first presidential campaign in 1975, he mirrored this liberal critique by framing his candidacy as an attack on Congress, the bureaucracy, the lobbyist, big business and big labor. The survival and progress of the American people, Mr. Reagan declared, depended on a leadership that listens to them, relies on them and seeks to return government to them.

Mr. Reagan and the conservatives broke with the liberal critics, however, in questioning whether the federal government had any productive role to play in so-called free markets. When former President Donald Trump chose appointees who were actively hostile to the missions of their own agencies, his administration embodied this decades-long conservative attack on government.

Now, liberals want to do big things again, including remaking American energy and transportation systems to address climate change. The lessons of the 1970s show why the better is so vital in President Bidens Build Back Better slogan. Some parts of the new bipartisan infrastructure bill would still lock us into old errors, like the highway network that traps us in a petroleum-centered landscape. Other provisions would do more, by fixing the messes of the past: reconnecting communities divided by those very same highways, for example, and replacing lead pipes that can poison drinking water.

Thats welcome, but the best parts of the proposed new spending and regulating would actively move the country forward. They would create new systems, like an energy grid that could better distribute wind and solar power and a clean energy standard that slashes air pollution and improves public health. Thats how liberalism responds to its own critique of government and propels itself into the future.

Paul Sabin is a history professor at Yale. He is the author of the book Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism, which will be published this month.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com.

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Continued here:

Opinion | How Liberals Can Attack From the Left and Win - The New York Times

This is an opinion column.

One of the unexpected consequences of regularly sharing my opinions in print and online is that Im frequently asked to respond to my colleagues columns. I totally understand it. Conflict drives entertainment in the media. Without it, theres no story arc, no villains, and no heroes. Those interesting clashes prevent the drone of an endless monologue. While we can learn from our disagreements with liberal friends and colleagues, conservatives are losing way too much headspace to meaningless outrage.

You would not believe the number of emails I get when Kyle Whitmire begs Kay Ivey to expand Medicaid...again. When Roy Johnson writes critically about race or John Archibald shakes the gates of hell, somebody invariably asks me to attack them or accuses me of being less conservative because I write on the same pages they do. I even received a message today letting me know that Josh Moon, who writes for a completely different publication, got upset that Dana McCain criticized the Alabama Education Association (AEA). Im puzzled how this concerns me, but apparently, I should get bent out of shape over it.

Thats a path for folks without any sense of priority or purpose. Conservatives shouldnt lose sleep over Whitmires Medicaid perspectives, but its not a bad idea for legislators to be able to address his arguments competently. I dont always agree with Johnsonss takes on racial issues, but hes taught me plenty about race relations. Ive learned to be a better writer by reading Archibalds columns.

Each of them are my friends and quality men who make me think deeply even where I disagree with them. When we clash, sometimes we talk about it. I learn what I can and move on. I dont lie awake at night and think about Whitmires musings because that would be super creepy.

But thats exactly the kind of crazy thats beset so many conservatives. We cant tell the difference between social media battles and actually governing. We have deluded ourselves into believing that slap fighting with liberals on cable news is useful in advancing our real priorities. Were outraged when President Joe Biden acts like a progressive liberal. Whoa, Nancy Pelosi wants to advance policies only a San Francisco Democrat would love? How dare Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez behave like a New York socialist!

We can and should point out the Democratic policies that arent working. Bidens mishandling of Americas immigration crisis is a perfect example. But its not sufficient to simply repeat that on a loop and believe were somehow winning. Its like trying to play football with only a defense.

Who cares if I ring up the score with people who are already inclined to agree with me by telling them that their political opponents are the worst? We need to figure out what were actually going to do about it. Conservatives should be proactive.

The conservative obsession with liberal Democrats is tremendously toxic. Imagine that Alabama football players spend all their time explaining why Auburn is awful. As much as Bama fans might enjoy watching the Crimson Tide engage in a battle of words with the Tigers on social media, those arent the wins we actually care about.

Nick Sabans famous process keeps players focused on areas of the game where they have personal control and accountability. Dont think about the national championship, he says. Think about what you need to do in this drill, on this play, in this moment. Thats the process: Lets think about what we can do today, the task at hand. For conservatives, the task is building an agenda and the majorities to advance it rather than securing rhetorical victory or owning the libs. We must learn the difference between entertainment and effectiveness.

To borrow another Saban metaphor, the vain slap fights on cable news and social media are rat poison that distracts conservatives from building coalitions, taking over swing districts, and enacting legislation. If conservatives won decisively over the last several decades, all wed have to do is put people in charge who could vote no on liberal policies. Now were in a situation where conservatives must actually move legislation to rein in government and expand liberty. Yes, its a dark irony that conservatives rightly skeptical of government power must now use it effectively to contend for our future.

Next time youre letting a liberal friend or colleague get you all spun up, ask whether you care more about getting a snap reaction or actually doing what it takes to win where it matters. The answer makes all the difference in the direction of our nation.

See the original post here:

Cameron Smith: Too much conservative headspace is lost to liberal outrage - AL.com

Regarding S.E. Cupps column Officers testimony at Jan. 6 hearing exposes GOPs shame (July 29, TribLIVE): The real shame should go to the liberal state governors and city mayors who turn their backs when out-of-control rioters loot, burn and assault people, and yet support defunding the police. I would bet theyre not members of the GOP, and I would bet protesting was just an excuse to steal, destroy and cause havoc. Some admitted to being bused in and being paid.

Some bad examples were set, and now that its Washington, D.C., that experienced a riot by a conservative group (if in fact they were), now its not to be tolerated. Barricades were installed, police and military reinforcements called in, and people arrested and charged, all done to protect politicians who I believe want to take away our Second Amendment rights and weaken our law enforcement officers.

In other words, you dont need protection, but they do. Where does the shame belong?

Ron Maxson

Hempfield

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Letter to the editor: Real shame goes to liberal politicians - TribLIVE