Tag: Barack Obama

Rolling Stone Ranks Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 Days in the White House

Anthony Scaramucci
Anthony Scaramucci

Anthony Scaramucci

Yes, it happened.

Turning Left readers are always very well informed, so this is not a breaking story.

Anthony Scaramucci was fired by President Donald Trump.

Rolling Stone ranks his 10 days in the White House, from “biblical murder analogies to denials of auto-fellatio, the Mooch’s brief tenure will be, at the very least, memorable.”

There was a false report today that Scaramucci’s wife was leaving him, filed for divorce, because he posted nude photos of her and loved politics more than she.

But that was satire.

What’s real?

Anthony Scaramucci lasted 10 days in the White House.

Here are notable firings and resignations from the Trump Administration, from our friends at LATimes.com:

  • Anthony Scaramucci, Director of communications (fired), 10 days
  • Reince Priebus, White House chief of staff (resigned), 189 days
  • Derek Harvey, National Security Council Middle East advisor (fired), 186 days
  • Michael Short, Assistant press secretary (resigned), 186 days
  • Sean Spicer, White House press secretary, White House director of communications (resigned), 182 days
  • Walter Shaub, Director of the Office of Government Ethics (resigned), 180 days
  • Robert Iger, Advisory council (resigned), 133 days
  • Elon Musk, Advisory council (resigned), 132 days
  • Mike Dubke, Director of communications (resigned), 85 days
  • K.T. McFarland, Deputy national security advisor (reassigned), 177 days
  • James B. Comey Jr., FBI director (fired), 109 days
  • Angella Reid, White House chief usher (fired), 105 days (and the only Person of Color on the list)
  • Katie Walsh, Deputy White House chief of staff (resigned), 69 days
  • Craig Deare, National Security Council senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs (fired), 26 days
  • Mike Flynn, National security advisor (resigned), 22 days
  • Sally Yates, Acting attorney general (fired), 10 days

That’s a list to rival, well, any previous administration.

More details here.

Candidate Donald Trump, The Don, Donnie “Make-America-Great-Again” T., boasted that he knew the best people. He would hire only the best people.

But he’s treating the West Wing like an episode of that little-watched The Apprentice, even calling the Cabinet Room as the “boardroom.”

Donald Trump, the most insecure man in America, governing, if you can call it that, out of spite for President Obama.

Who is next to go?

Bingo, anyone?

next to go, Trump administration

Who will be next to go in the Trump Administration.


Eight Years Ago? Fox News Attacked Pres. Obama For Using Dijon Mustard

Barack Obama eating hamburger
Barack Obama eating hamburger

Barack Obama eating a hamburger.

Here’s some perspective for you.

At this point in his presidency, Fox News was attacking Barack Obama for using — gasp! — Dijon mustard on a hamburger.

Think about that.

And then think about the Comey hearings, Lyin’ Donnie T., and all that noise coming from The Big Oval these days.

Did the Predator In Chief invite you to dinner recently. After you arrived, did you suddenly feel uneasy because you were the only two in the room?

Creepy. Creepy. Creepy.

From Newsweek via Yahoo! News:

In news from eight years ago that appears to be from some alternate reality, Obama left the White House and went out for a local bite to eat with vice president and BFF Joe Biden in May. The two politicians ordered hamburgers, MSNBC journalist Andrea Mitchell reported at the time, with the sitting president requesting mustard on his red meat.

The story was featured on Sean Hannity’s show, Hannity’s America, as a screen showed a photoshopped image of Obama surrounded by bottles of mustard with the words “PRESIDENT POUPON” plastered on a red and white banner.

Let that soak in for a minute. Trump tweeted his support for Fox News Friday, commending them for the network’s morning show Fox And Friends’ “great reporting” job on ex-FBI Director James Comey’s Thursday testimony. The network’s rejection of Obama’s taste palette compared to its incredible support of the embattled Trump White House was seen by Twitter users as shocking at best, and propagandistic at worst.

That was “news” eight years ago.

And, now, Trump.


Where Is The Army Of U.S. Census Protestors?

Watching Tina Fae in a rerun on Saturday Night Live tonight made me wonder: where are all the people — G.O.P. and Tea Party — who were protesting the United States Census? This was a life or death issue, as far as they were concerned – or so it appeared.

They screamed bloody murder. Obama was asking too much! Here comes Socialism! And, most of all, the cry: DON’T FILL OUT THE CENSUS!!!

So the United States Census has ended.

Where are the protestors?


Is your middle name “Hussein” too?

Some Barack Obama supporters are informally adopting the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate’s middle name as their own.  According to the New York Times:

Emily Nordling has never met a Muslim, at least not to her knowledge. But this spring, Ms. Nordling, a 19-year-old student from Fort Thomas, Ky., gave herself a new middle name on Facebook.com, mimicking her boyfriend and shocking her father.

“Emily Hussein Nordling,” her entry now reads.

With her decision, she joined a growing band of supporters of Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, who are expressing solidarity with him by informally adopting his middle name.

Very cool.  Reminds me of the end of Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, where children declare one at a time, “I am Malcolm X!”

Barack Obama is an intriguing personality.  By all rights, he has the absolute worst name for politics in the United States.  But here we stand, in classic Americana, embracing the other.

I’ll change my Facebook profile also, proudly adopting the Senator from Illinois’ middle name as my own.

You should consider doing the same.


David Brooks is an idiot

For some reason, I used to enjoy reading David Brooks in the New York Times. I don’t know why. He’s a smart guy. Perhaps it’s my liberal leanings that cause me to thirst for news from all perspectives, not permitting myself to be limited to one point of view.

Brooks’ mere presence in the NYTimes is proof they don’t pander to liberals.

But this one really takes the cake. I’ve watched Brooks give commentary on television. Whether it’s This Week with George Stephanolopous or the pages of the NYTimes, commentators want to tell you what to think as much as they tell you what they think.

Well, Mr. Brooks slipped this time. Regarding Barack Obama, Brooks said:

“Obama‘s problem is he doesn‘t seem like a guy who can go into an Applebee‘s salad bar and people think he fits in naturally there. He has to change to be more like that Applebee‘s guy and as he‘s done that he‘s become much more transactional. Much more, I‘m going to deliver this and this and this to you on policy.”

David, Applebee’s doesn’t have a salad bar. I know you know this by now. Face it, you looked downright silly on this one.

As someone who’s had the pleasure of meeting the Senator from Illinois on more than one occasion, I can say with confidence Barack’s a good guy.

You know, Barack Obama does look like someone who could go into an Applebee’s and have lunch or a good dinner.

You don’t.


How Hillary got her groove back

“Today I am standing with Senator Obama to say: Yes we can!”

With those words, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton ended her historic run for the White House and endorsed Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States. Senator Clinton said everything she needed to say, and more, with her sound endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for president Saturday.

While some supporters called for Clinton to form a third party and challenge both Democrats and Republicans for the White House, there’s no indication that Mrs. Clinton took any of these ideas seriously.

Instead, Mrs. Clinton graciously thanked her supporters, strongly urging them to support Obama’s candidacy.

To all those who voted for me, and to whom I pledged my utmost, my commitment to you and to the progress we seek is unyielding. You have inspired and touched me with the stories of the joys and sorrows that make up the fabric of our lives and you have humbled me with your commitment to our country.

Some have said Hillary dallied too long on her campaign, that she should have spent more time talking about Barack.

But those words ring hollow.  Her supporters stood by her even as she spoke Saturday, and this was their time as much as it was hers.

This has been an extraordinary primary campaign season.  For the first time in the history of the United States, a woman and a black man stood as the front-runners overall in the primaries.  Both Clinton and Obama top John McCain in national polls throughout the primary campaigns.  Senator Clinton stood strong until she decided that it was time to suspend this campaign, and endorse another.

I would caution Democrats who might resent Hillary staying in the campaign as long as she did.  Some, I know, have become angry that she didn’t “get it” like they thought she should and bow out, leave the once crowded stage so Barack could concentrate on November.

But I disagree.

What she did, in fact, was extraordinary, and we owe her our gratitude.  Senator Clinton fought.  This was not ego — this was history in the making.

Hillary did not “get her groove back” by endorsing Senator Obama.

The Senator from New York had it all along.


It’s Hillary-day

Today, it’s all about the Senator from New York.

Today, Senator Clinton endorses the Senator from Illinois for President of the United States. Today is Hillary-day.

The Associated Press reported Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton met Thursday at the Washington home of California Senator Dianne Feinstein, and emerged from the meeting laughing.

They spent one hour alone, without aides, without Senator Feinstein, “in two comfortable chairs facing one another.”

No one else was present during the meeting and nothing was served except water.

“There was a desire on both sides, I think, to have private meeting,” Feinstein said.

This has been a spectacular campaign season.

“They called me when it was over,” Feinstein said. “I came down and said, `Good night everybody, I hope you had a good meeting.’ They were laughing, and that was it.”

Today, it’s all about the Senator from New York.

Mrs. Clinton, thank you. Thank you for hanging in there. Thank you for fighting.  Thank you for taking this nation where it has never, ever gone before. Thank you for taking the challenge and not giving up. Thank you for fighting to the end. Thank you demonstrating strength, integrity, and class.

Madame Senator, thank you.

Today is your day.

The best is yet to come.


Hillary Clinton will ‘strongly’ back Barack Obama

From HillaryClinton.com:

Dear Friend,

I wanted you to be one of the first to know: on Saturday, I will hold an event in Washington D.C. to thank everyone who has supported my campaign. Over the course of the last 16 months, I have been privileged and touched to witness the incredible dedication and sacrifice of so many people working for our campaign. Every minute you put into helping us win, every dollar you gave to keep up the fight meant more to me than I can ever possibly tell you.

On Saturday, I will extend my congratulations to Senator Obama and my support for his candidacy. This has been a long and hard-fought campaign, but as I have always said, my differences with Senator Obama are small compared to the differences we have with Senator McCain and the Republicans.

I have said throughout the campaign that I would strongly support Senator Obama if he were the Democratic Party’s nominee, and I intend to deliver on that promise.

When I decided to run for president, I knew exactly why I was getting into this race: to work hard every day for the millions of Americans who need a voice in the White House.

I made you — and everyone who supported me — a promise: to stand up for our shared values and to never back down. I’m going to keep that promise today, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life.

I will be speaking on Saturday about how together we can rally the party behind Senator Obama. The stakes are too high and the task before us too important to do otherwise.

I know as I continue my lifelong work for a stronger America and a better world, I will turn to you for the support, the strength, and the commitment that you have shown me in the past 16 months. And I will always keep faith with the issues and causes that are important to you.

In the past few days, you have shown that support once again with hundreds of thousands of messages to the campaign, and again, I am touched by your thoughtfulness and kindness.

I can never possibly express my gratitude, so let me say simply, thank you.

Sincerely,

Hillary

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Full-speed ahead to the White House.  Republicans are terribly overconfident, and Democrats have a ton of work to do.  Focus must remain on policy differences: McCain/Bush II, or a strong voice for diplomacy and common sense in Barack Obama.

The candidates couldn’t be more different.


Pfleger Pflummoxes with Pfustian Prelection

Archbishop George must have turned Cardinal red.

What was the Rev. Michael Pfleger thinking? Was he jealous of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright? Did he really want to make his debut on the world stage on You Tube?

Pfleger’s rant was juvenile and sad:

”I really don’t believe it was put on,” Pfleger said. ”I really believe that she just always thought, ‘This is mine! I’m Bill’s wife, I’m white, and this is mine! I just gotta get up and step into the plate.’ And then out of nowhere came, ‘Hey, I’m Barack Obama,’ and she said, ‘Oh, damn! Where did you come from? I’m white! I’m entitled! There’s a black man stealing my show!’ ”

Mimicking Clinton mopping tears, Pfleger added, “She wasn’t the only one crying, there was a whole lot of white people crying.”

Cardinal George clamped down:

“To avoid months of turmoil in the church, Fr. Pfleger has promised me that he will not enter into campaigning, will not publicly mention any candidate by name and will abide by the discipline common to all Catholic priests.”

Pfleger apologized:

“I apologize for the words that I chose. I apologize for my dramatization that was, for many people who do not know me, simply typical dramatics I often use in sermons,” said Pfleger, reading from a statement as nearly two dozen church leaders surrounded him. “I apologize for anyone who was offended and who thought it to be mockery, that was neither my intent, nor my heart.”

What is truly sad in all of this is, Pfleger is a good man. He is. And we desperately need a dialog on race in this country. White entitlement is real, but Hillary Clinton is not running because she feels entitled. That’s just silly. Hillary is doing something historic, and she should stay there as long as she pleases.

But the Democratic nominee will be Barack Obama, and the overwhelming majority of Democrats, whether they support Clinton or Obama not, will support Obama in November.

Pfleger will, well, pfade. He’ll be a priest again, and that is as it should be.

Barack Obama resigned his membership at Trinity, and that’s probably a good thing for now. Republicans are salivating, but that is only temporary. Only Democrats are having a dialog on race — and every other social issue, for that matter. Republicans embrace social issues and “compassion” once every four years, tops.

Look, McCain/Bush2 will no doubt fill the stage at the Republican Convention with every minority and minority child he can find in the Republican ranks, but that will be an artificial statement.

It’s still time for change. That’s the only constant in this election cycle.


Has the Well Run Dry for Clinton?

The Chicago Sun-Times’ Michael Sneed reports on rumors circulating among Democrats that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is running out of money:

Scoop du jour? Sneed hears major money problems in the Clinton camp may soon become a coroner knocking on her campaign door.

To wit: Word is the cash feeding into Hillary Clinton’s campaign coffers has not only slowed down in a big way, undisclosed campaign debts that have yet to be made public could signal the end and have insiders biting their nails.Translation: “It won’t necessarily be politics which may force her out of the race,” said a top Dem source. “There is no hanky panky going on, but Hillary needs to raise money to stay alive . . . and word is she may not be able to climb out of the money hole.”

The buckshot: “I think it’s safe to say Hillary’s not going to dip into her pocket again,” the source added. “And if her employees start taking pay cuts while chasing the dream . . . it’s usually the beginning of the body becoming totally cold.”

That would be too bad, but yet another sign that Mrs. Clinton might want to consider another path for herself.

Look, I could be dead wrong, and Hillary could somehow wrap up the Democratic nomination for President.  Mathematically, it does not appear that either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will have enough delegates to claim the prize before the convention.  However, Senator Obama has the energy right now, and I don’t see that lapsing. 

Sen. Bob Casey’s endorsement in Pittsburgh today was an extraordinary coup for Obama. Casey is a moderate, pro-life Democrat with wide appeal to the voters of Pennsylvania.  My father called me today from Pittsburgh, and he was beaming.  Dad is already a strong Obama supporter, but was especially heartened to hear about Casey’s “thumbs-up” for Barack.

I said earlier that Obama would close the gap.  I’m not foolish enough to make predictions.  Many in the media made that mistake many times in the past.  Forget Dewey Defeats Truman (Thank you Chicago Tribune for that).  I remember going to sleep late on election night in 2000 after Peter Jennings told me that Kerry had won Florida.

Oy.

I disagree with some of my friends on Facebook who say that White America will be scared off by a black face.

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. has the worst conceivable name for a politician in the post 9-11 era.

But I know he can to do it.

Americans are ready for hope again.

And this time, the path to hope does not lie with a Clinton.