Originally published at: Trump and Republicans Ensconce Themselves in 2020 in Lieu of Any 2026 Midterms Strategy
By now, you may have seen the headlines about Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) dragging former Trump and Biden administration health official Dr. Anthony Fauci before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — during which he berated him for pleading the fifth and kicked Fauci’s attorney out of the hearing. While the senator is…
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Reports reveal Russia and China supply Iran with drones and in other way aid them in killing Americans. Trump was asked today about this at one of his dog and pony shows and feigned ignorance. The reality is Trump has known this for a while and has greater regard for Putin and Xi than American soldiers.
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If Rand Paul wants to know what Fauci has to say, he can look at past statements. If he wants testimony, he can compel that testimony by giving Fauci immunity for his testimony.
But Rand Paul doesn’t want testimony. He wants to prosecute Fauci for any slip up or anything that in any way can be said to not match up with his prior testimony.
Fauci was right not to testify.
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I am not a lawyer, so if there are any lawyers here I have a question: Is there any chance that Dr. Fauci can face any legal jeopardy? Or would a Judge laugh it out of the court room?
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Why am I not reading anything about any Democrat saying anything in Fauci’s defense?
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Anthony Fauci is an internationally respected scientist. Bland Fool had to create an alleged specialty. Anyone see small dick here?
ETA. Forgot the part where Fauci is a guy from a Brooklyn (?) neighborhood. Fool rode daddy’s infamy to his place.
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Something is really wrong with Nate Silver and it is great that Josh Marshall called him out.
Specifically
Josh:
‘Nate Silver yesterday published a banger of a tweet, the kind only made possible by an indefatigable confidence that you know literally everything.
Brad Delong’s comment:
I suppose a generous reading of Silver is that he is referring to things Trump is literally, actively doing and saying — his bids to control the news. That’s not the same as the news. Dismissing the WAR HE STARTED IN IRAN does a lot of work. But even setting that aside, there is more tariff nonsense, he’s been trying to steal the midterms for about a year, and his administration continues to break countless laws…
But really, why stop there. We have oligarchs attempting to transform the global order and move quickly to a very different world.
In Silicon Valley, influential figures routinely discuss AI as either humanity’s salvation or an extinction event. Palantir CEO Alex Karp has described the AI race as “our Oppenheimer moment”, when the world’s rich nations must decide whether to halt the development of a dangerous technology or tip the balance of power in its favour.
If you listen to Peter Thiel, he’s going more for a semi-extinction event, a drastic reduction in the global population. And these crazies have insinuated themselves into government agencies and the highest levels of power (JD Vance is a Thiel creation), Musk temporarily moved into the White House). It’s certainly true that a world with a total population of 5 billion, 2 billion, or even 200 million in nine generations. creates a completely different set of challenges. Musk, Thiel and their ilk see most humans as superfluous meat puppets.
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Toyota is testing a motorcycle that runs on hydrogen, and has a range of patents envisioning the creation of a hydrogen transportation economy based on swappable fuel cells. Green hydrogen is a fuel made from renewable sources such as wind and solar. The problem for my generation is the Led Zeppelin album cover of the Hindenberg disaster at Lakehurst naval base in New Jersey in May 1937.
Worst hydrogen ad ever.
Before scaling up to cars and trucks, Toyota apparently will roll out hydrogen scooters and motorcycles with swappable fuel cells for proof of concept. Small fuel cells. The bigger risk would be at the fuel cell depots. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure the boomers who remember this album will reflexively resist hydrogen vehicles.
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Yeah, it’s been a while since I read up on the progress of hydrogen power, but it faces two major problems (besides the Hindenberg): The lack of refueling stations, and having to compete against the declining cost of EV cars and trucks.
On the other hand, there were hopes that it might be the answer to green power for airliners, because there are no electric equivalents to the speed you get from jet engines. And even if there were, planes are designed to land more lightweight than they take off after burning fuel. An EV plane’s batteries weigh the same on landing, and recharge times are a problem that delays flights.
With hydrogen power, there isn’t a drastic change in the type of jet engine (still internal combustion), the fuel is liquified and burns off during the flight so landing is lighter in weight. The main obstacle was the extra weight of refrigeration and insulated wing tanks to keep the fuel in a liquid state. I don’t know if there is any progress on that front.
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Reality is a Communist Plot - Paul Krugman
The Covid vaccine didn’t work, and vaccines cause autism. But hydroxychloroquine worked, and so did ivermectin. Anthony Fauci killed millions of people.
Climate change is a hoax. Wind power caused a massive TV blackout during the Trump-Biden debate. Solar power is useless because the sun doesn’t shine at night, and batteries don’t exist. Smoke blanketed North America, not because of climate change, but because Canada didn’t rake its 2 million square miles of boreal forest.
We’ve destroyed Iran’s military, and the Iranian regime is begging for a deal. Also, the U.S. isn’t running out of precision weapons as a result of the Iran war, and furthermore the shortage is Joe Biden’s fault.
The economy is in a “golden age.” Prices are down. And Trump has a 59 percent approval rating.
Trump won the 2020 election.
Communism is the greatest threat facing America.
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I disagree somewhat with Krugman’s take here:
Do Trump and his followers actually believe these things? As I see it, that’s a category error, starting from the presumption that they even accept that objective facts exist. All the evidence (Hah! “Evidence!”) says that they don’t.
The problem I have with this framing, is that it’s difficult to separate the believers from those who will say these things without believing it’s true, in order to pwn the libtards. Or for purely political purposes.
It’s at every level; from the guy in a MAGA hat interviewed by media in a trailer park, to TV pundits, to Republicans in Congress. A certain number of them are probably saying this shit because they know it makes progressives crazy to hear it. And it wins elections!
Anyway, I’m not that willing to think 100% of Trump supporters are living in an alternate reality. I believe many are faking it, because it’s either fun or useful.
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The way I see it (IANAL) : Fauci did show up just as he ha done before. He did give a statement. He followed his lawyers advice. He claimed the 5th. So every question was answered just not what Rand Paul wanted to hear.
How is that contempt? Contempt is ignoring congress and not showing up to the latest farce of a demand for the ‘truth’.
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No and yes. Yesterday’s hearing was political theater.
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Agreed.