| | | | MEDIA WINNER:
Mark Becker Mark Becker is a former Brown County (WI) supervisor, and former chairman of the Brown County Republican party. He's also a man who says he "could no longer stay silent" as members of his party wage "war" on "the very foundations of our democracy."
And, in an article for The Bulwark, he broke that silence by exposing a phone call with Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson, in which the senator confessed to being dishonest about Joe Biden beating Donald Trump in the 2020 election because to acknowledge it would be, in his words, "political suicide."
The revelation is devastating in detail and tenor, but also a "we knew it" moment for everyone who pays attention. “Senator Johnson knows that Joe Biden won a free and fair election,” Becker wrote. “He is refusing to admit it publicly and stoking conspiracies that undermine our democracy solely because it would be ‘political suicide’ to oppose Trump.” Though the Badger State senator has become one of the president’s most staunch defenders in Congress, Becker reveals that Johnson’s true feelings about Trump diverge quite a bit from his public stance. “Donald Trump is an asshole,” Johnson said, according to Becker.
What's so pathetic about the revelation here is not that Johnson accepts Biden won the election. Every Republican senator knows that is the case, and that is why they aren't backing Trump's loony campaign to steal it. It's that he is so paralyzed by a fear of upsetting Trump that he is resigned to living in delusion, and in turn selling that delusion to his supporters.
The honest thing for Johnson to do is come forward and admit that Biden won. He won't, and so we are left with honest men, like Matt Becker, to do such tasks on behalf of the cowardly. |
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| | MEDIA LOSER:
Brian Williams Former President Barack Obama, in talking about the slogan "Defund the Police" this week, asked an important question: "Do you want to actually get something done, or do you want to feel good among the people you already agree with?"
Perhaps someone should put that question to MSNBC's Brian Williams, who on Tuesday night closed his show by attacking Fox & Friends for telling their viewers that they should wear masks and that masks work.
"A breathtaking moment of situational awareness on live television this morning," said Williams derisively of Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy's observation that masks work.
"It's important we never forget who the deniers were," said Williams, claiming it honors the memory of those who have been lost to attack people for becoming convinced of the thing that the experts have been trying to convince them of. Never mind that Fox & Friends hosts like Steve Doocy have long encouraged mask-wearing.
Maybe when some Fox & Friends viewer dons a mask, having likewise finally become convinced it's not tyranny but sense, Brian Williams can come rip it off their face and shout "too late, sucker!" Such an act would not only match the tone of his commentary from Tuesday but illustrate the sentiment perfectly.
People should be participating willingly in Covid guidelines, in order to protect their own family and friends as well as their communities. That includes social distancing, wearing masks, and the rest. It's pretty important. That's why people like Dr. Anthony Fauci work so hard every day to convince everyone of this.
What Williams did is the opposite. He not only gave even more ammo to the "this is virtue signaling" crowd, he actively discouraged people from coming around and trying to help. Not very helpful. |
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| | Martial Law? MARTIAL LAW? A week after receiving his pardon from President Donald Trump, former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn promoted a call for the president to “temporarily suspend the Constitution” and put the country under martial law. On Tuesday, weeks after the election Trump lost, Flynn shared a press release from the right-wing We the People Convention imploring Trump to implement martial law. The statement drew a connection to what Abraham Lincoln did with his presidential authority during the Civil War.
His call echoes those from the more unhinged members of Trump's defense.
"It. Has. To. Stop."
The latest disturbing development in Trump's comically transparent attempt to steal the 2020 presidential election involves a fed-up election official in Georgia.
Georgia voting systems manager Gabriel Sterling reached a breaking point at a press conference, demanding that the election conspiracies -- fueling horrific death threats against election officials -- needs to end.
“It. Has. To. Stop,” he bellowed, before laying out examples of the threats of violence, including sexualized threats to the wife of Georgia's Secretary of State. "I can’t begin to explain the level of anger I have right now over this.”
Sterling, a Republican, addressed Trump directly: “Mr. President, you have not condemned these actions or this language. Senators, you have not condemned this language or these actions. This has to stop. We need you to step up. And if you’re going to take a position of leadership, show some.”
Trump's response
Get ready for a shocker: Trump ignored Sterling's pleas. In a Twitter response to his comments, Trump doubled down on his loony election conspiracy theories, declaring the race "rigged."
Dobbs
Unfortunately there are still people that take Lou Dobbs seriously, so we are compelled to note that last night he defended the violent threats mentioned above and suggested Attorney General Bill Barr has been compromised.
Undefeated at Losing
“Christmas has come early this year” for Stephen Colbert, who has been mocking and "reveling in" Trump's loss every night since the election. And after Arizona and Wisconsin certified their results, he reveled anew on Tuesday. "He is undefeated at losing," he said in the hilarious commentary.
Also a Media Loser today: Jimmy Kimmel Jimmy Kimmel roasted the “always sycophantic” Maria Bartiromo on his show Monday night, mocking her recent interview with President Donald Trump.
During the interview, Trump complained about the “big massive dumps” of votes Biden earned following Election Day, calling it fraud and earning zero push back from Bartiromo.
“I don’t know what happened to her, but she appears to be auditioning for the position of Donald Trump’s next wife because that was some interview,” Kimmel quipped.
Although Bartiromo certainly deserved to be called out for the softball interview, the sexist undertones of Kimmel’s joke are hard to ignore, as he really focused on the journalist’s gender more than the interview itself. For that, he earns a dishonorable mention today. 6.5.0 |
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| "Meet people where they are" Former President Barack Obama became the latest prominent Democrat to pour cold water on the “Defund the Police” slogan when he told an interviewer that the “snappy” mantra immediately loses large chunks of the electorate, and is an obstacle to the reforms it aims to enact.
As we mentioned in our Loser column above, Obama not only made excellent points but had very on-point questions applicable to people in politics in general, reaching beyond just the topic at hand.
It's a terrific clip and hard to find anywhere but Mediaite. |
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