Sunday, January 26, 2020

Adam Schiff appears to be Mr. January...at least

Democrats cry foul over Schiff backlash  "Democrats are pushing back at GOP backlash over a controversial line in House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff’s (D-Calif.) closing statement in Friday night's impeachment trial arguments.
"Schiff sparked an audible reaction from Republicans when he referenced a CBS News report that cited an anonymous Trump confidant saying GOP senators' heads would be “on a pike” if they opposed President Trump on impeachment.
Republicans — including Sens. Lisa Murkowski* (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) — quickly distanced themselves, with Collins overheard repeatedly saying "that’s not true" and Murkowski saying Schiff "overreached."
"But Senate Democrats are rallying behind Schiff, accusing Republicans of faux outrage or overreacting to a few sentences in an hourlong closing statement for the House managers. 
" 'The most dangerous place in America, maybe in Washington, is to stand by the exit door at the White House because when you fall out of favor with this president, he lops off your head, throws your body in the snow and buries you in vicious tweets," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). . . "
*Who will still vote for witnesses along with Romney

Demagoguery of the Democrats  
. . . It’s such an off-putting blunder that even the Times, which is seething for a conviction, reckoned that Mr. Schiff’s oration “appeared to alienate the very Republicans he was trying to win over.” The Times reported that when Mr. Schiff brought up the business about the pike, several GOP senators “vigorously shook their heads and broke their sworn silence: ‘not true.’” . . .    . . . “I hope it’s not true,” Mr. Schiff dissembled." . . .
This is an example of the rhetorical tactic of preterition — advancing a libel by denying it or, in this case, claiming to hope that it’s untrue. The trick is warned of in “The New York Sun Reporters Handbook” with a limerick: “The reporter was full of contrition / For putting him under suspicion: / ‘Far be it from me / ‘To suggest that he / ‘Is a crook.’ It was pure preterition.”
At a time when President Trump needs the support of all Republicans, conservatives, and others, N.R. gives its support to Shifty Schiff.

Quote of the month: Same Schiff, Different Dais;  "The media fawn over him, but he’s the same guy who bungled the House impeachment inquiry."
"It’s hard to say which has been more difficult to endure, Rep. Adam Schiff’s tedious and deceptive performance during the Senate impeachment trial or the emetic accolades it has received from the “news” media. By some marvelous coincidence, dozens of major news organizations were able to conjure but one word to describe it: “masterful.” Indeed, this adjective has been used so frequently by so many outlets during the past 48 hours . . ."
. . . The Fourth Estate’s fawning over Schiff’s performance during the Senate impeachment trial won’t enhance his skills as an orator and advocate, which simply don’t equal his zeal for getting President Trump. He is a masterful liar who long ago learned to control his body language and voice production such that his most outrageous lies seem plausible. Yet, as E. Donald Elliott wrote in this space Thursday, “Schiff provided absolutely no factual support for the crucial premise on which his entire case depends.” In the end, the evidence is against him and his mendacity will destroy his credibility. He’s the same Schiff on a different dais, and every senator knows it. . . .
 If the link fails to open, try this.


Dark Angel Politics

‘Blood Drained From Adam Schiff’s Face’: John Barrasso Says Schiff’s ‘Parody’ Backfired

Daily Caller  "Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso said Saturday that House impeachment manager Adam Schiff turned pale when President Donald Trump’s defense team played video of his Ukraine call “parody.”
"Barrasso joined several of his Senate colleagues in speaking to reporters after Trump’s defense team wrapped up their opening arguments — which included a video of Schiff, in a House Intelligence Committee hearing, fabricating his own version of the July 25th phone call between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Schiff had later dismissed the fabrication as “a parody.” . . .   (Which Rachel Maddow defended)

Today saw the premiere of two videos, each with a different vision of America

Andrea Widburg  . . . "Because videos have such a profound effect on the way in which we perceive things, it's noteworthy that two videos dropped today, both of which are getting positive buzz and both which make statements about what America is or what it could be.
"On the serious side, the GOP released a video entitled "For Democrats, It's All about Power."  The video is a compilation of all those moments when Democrats said something that made conservatives think, "Oh, my!  The commercials practically write themselves."  The ad intercuts power-hungry Democrat statements with Trump's warning to voters about the freedoms the American left wants to take from the American people.
"The Daily Wire helpfully assembled a list of the top moments included in the video, all highlighting the way in which Democrats want raw power:" . . 

A bit of snark from the Babylon Bee: Sanders Clarifies His Gulags Will Be Democratic Gulags

Antifa thugs can cite Obama as one inspiration

Antifa fights for love,
The mask slips: On a phone call, Obama called Trump a 'fascist' from the start

. . . "Three things stand out about this telling little conversation:
"One, Obama is an ideologue. Claiming that Trump is a fascist has zero, repeat zero, basis in reality. Fascists don't cut taxes and regulations, for one, fascists are all in for state takeovers of industry to start, quite similar to what was attempted in the Obama administration, actually.
"To call Trump a "fascist" is the statement of a far-left fanatic. "Fascist" is an old-time Communist Party U.S.A. epithet hurled by that crowd since the 1941 Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, derived from the USSR's party line after Hitler's betrayal of Stalin's Molotov-Ribbentrop pact of 1939. Up until that date, Communists and fascists (read: National Socialists) were pretty comfortable with one another. "Fascist" became an epithet hurled by communists all down the Comintern clientele abroad despite both sides being socialist in character. The term was then carried forward by the red diaper babies who first led the "filthy speech" movement of the early 1960s and then the "New Left" of the late 1960s, particularly in its truly crazed fringes such as the Weather Underground movement. Surprise, surprise, that was led by Obama's mentor, Bill Ayers.
"Fanatic is right. So despite that "Mr. Cool" exterior, Obama was a fanatic all along." . . .
Rich Terrell

Perjury? Schiff ‘star witness’ LTC (Mister) Vindman claimed Obama shipped lethal aid to Ukraine but…it was Trump

Stantis
Whatfinger News  "(TNS) When President Donald Trump, at the urging of his national security team, agreed to provide “lethal” assistance to Ukraine in order to assist the country in its battle against Russian-backed separatists in the east, it was a significant development.
"Trump made the decision in December 2017, which was a major policy shift from the Obama administration, which regularly threatened to send lethal aid but never did. Obama drew a couple of “red lines” that he never enforced though.
"At the time of Trump’s decision, The Hill reported:
The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the administration approved the sale of Model M107A1 sniper systems and associated equipment to the country at a value of $41.5 million. The administration has not yet moved to approve sales of heavier arms requested by Ukraine’s government, including Javelin anti-tank missiles.
"The move from the White House is a departure from the Obama administration, which frequently condemned Russian aggression in the Ukraine but refused to approve the sale of arms to the country’s Western-aligned government.
"So there’s that.
"Why, then, would one of Adam Schiff’s star witnesses in his secret squirrel impeachment inquiry hearings testify to the opposite?" . . .