S16.E03: Richard Haass, Donna Brazile, David Frum and Anthony Scaramucci

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Richard Haass is the President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Donna Brazile is former Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee; David Frum is the Senior Editor of The Atlantic; and Anthony Scaramucci is the former White House Communications Director under President Trump and founder of The Scaramucci Post.

[lexytheblasian]

Why is Anthony Scaramucci still getting airtime? 

I’m watching it right now and all he’s doing is talking over everybody.

Edited February 3, 2018 by lexytheblasian

[GHScorpiosRule]

12 minutes ago, lexytheblasian said:

Why is Anthony Scaramucci still getting airtime? 

I’m watching it right now and all he’s doing is talking over everybody.

UGH. I detest that fool. And he was acting as if he was on Crossfire.?? And of course he sees what The Access Hollywood tape revealed as a “flaw.” 

 Frum’s repeated lines about how Republicans were “being dragged like hostages” was very disingenuous and something that infantilized them as if 45 was The Pied Piper.

Again with the “brave” and having “balls” to come on his show bullshit from Bill. The show went totally off the rails with that smarmy jackass Scaramucci.

Not even going to bother with Overtime.

[alias1]

As soon as Bill started praising Scarface for being brave enough to come on the show, I knew it was going to be a disaster.  No Bill, these people love being on your show because they know they can take it over completely.  What a train wreck.

[sistermagpie]

5 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 Frum’s repeated lines about how Republicans were “being dragged like hostages” was very disingenuous and something that infantilized them as if 45 was The Pied Piper.

Yeah, that drove me nuts. They're not getting dragged along like hostages, they're marching along like Nazis. There's no actual excuse a lot of these choices.

I still can't understand how Bill thinks it's still time to invite on guys like Scaramucci to spout propaganda to fill up all the time and space so no one can get a word in and or have an actual conversation. How many times did he launch into a long-winded description of his blue-collar father that was supposed to suggest Trump was a salt of the earth guy who understood him? The whole country was summed up in the moment of Frum being genuinely upset at the real danger and saying that for him this isn't performative happening while Scaramucci told him the anger wasn't "coming across well" on TV before spewing out another ocean of irrelevant words.

I would love it if one time after Bill fawned over a conservative being brave to come on his show the audience actually ignored all his orders to be nice and just roared at the guy when he went off.

1 minute ago, SierraMist said:

As soon as Bill started praising Scarface for being brave enough to come on the show, I knew it was going to be a disaster.  No Bill, these people love being on your show because they know they can take it over completely.  What a train wreck.

Yup.

[angelamh66]

Overtime was even more weird if you can imagine. I really never need to hear Scaramucci speak again. Shut the eff up with that tired Trump is the champion of the working class nonsense. Who is still buying that line of crap? Oy! Bill was a little deer in the headlight while the panel just went at it amongst themselves. Don't think I've ever seen him like that.

[lexytheblasian]

24 minutes ago, angelamh66 said:

Bill was a little deer in the headlight while the panel just went at it amongst themselves. Don't think I've ever seen him like that.

He didn’t seem to have control of this panel.

[Mr. R0b0t]

Isn't a little early for the Donna Brazile reputation repair tour?  It's as if we're supposed to forget how she shamelessly executed a hit piece slash cash grab with her latest book.

What a terribly awkward exchange between the Mooch and FRUMpy!  

Pretty awful show all around.  

[Caseysgirl]

I'm so depressed.

[amsel]

That was one of the worst episodes in the show's history, ruined by one guest.

I just wish that, at some point, someone would have told the audience that the Mooch doesn't believe in any of that nonsense and that he simply wants publicity (the closest anyone came was when Frum said that his anger is not a performance, implicitly saying that the Mooch is just performing). But they treated him like a rational person. All that nonsense about the working man and this that, the guy couldn't even make the whole act believable. 

Either Bill didn't foresee the possibility that the Mooch would take over the show, or maybe he just wanted that chaos to happen. 

Overtime was even worse. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by amsel

[navelgazer]

Take away the "what-about-ism" card and Mooch would literally have had nothing to say.  I think Donna Brazille did a yeoman's job not letting Mooch get the better of her.  She was determined to get her point across no matter what.  I was like "go Donna, go Donna."  Seemed to me like Frum was just a waste of space once Mooch made his appearance. 

Thanks to those who shared their suffering on Overtime.  I'm skipping that. 

[Robert Lynch]

15 hours ago, angelamh66 said:

Overtime was even more weird if you can imagine. I really never need to hear Scaramucci speak again. Shut the eff up with that tired Trump is the champion of the working class nonsense. Who is still buying that line of crap? Oy! Bill was a little deer in the headlight while the panel just went at it amongst themselves. Don't think I've ever seen him like that.

Anybody who leaves their pregnant wife for a man with a questionable reputation and uses his mantra that he is one of the working class deserves ridicule. Especially his New Yorker comment making him one of us, which is a flat lie. He is a elite lucky enough that daddy gave him money. I am sorry, but that man is full of hot air and nothing more. Mooch, go away.

Edited February 3, 2018 by Robert Lynch

[revbfc]

Frum pulled his punches during Overtime, and that was a mistake.  I could tell by Scaramucci’s pursesd lips that he just about to lose it, but Frum stopped just short.  Too bad.  I would have loved to see Scaramucci  in an unhinged rage.   His #1 agenda item for that show was to anger and provoke, and that only works if your own anger is kept in check.  That was not happening, and someone needed to pop that boil of wrath.

[attica]

Not only was Scaramucci absorbing all surrounding light, he was playing to an audience of one. Please, daddy, let me come home!  He's obviously been stress eating since leaving the WH!

[ganesh]

12 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Frum’s repeated lines about how Republicans were “being dragged like hostages” was very disingenuous and something that infantilized them as if 45 was The Pied Piper.

I thought he was saying that there's no leadership in congress at all. I think they're all culpable though.

11 hours ago, lexytheblasian said:

He didn’t seem to have control of this panel.

He's always been a terrible moderator.

I have no idea why Bill would bring on that idiot either. 

Is Bill so shortsighted that he doesn't know these people come on his show to promote their brand? It isn't brave, it's self-serving. 

Bill should have stopped interrupting Frume. Scaramucci didn't have a leg to stand on and had to resort to interrupting and insulting him. 

Edited February 3, 2018 by ganesh

[revbfc]

22 minutes ago, ganesh said:

I thought he was saying that there's no leadership in congress at all. I think they're all culpable though.

He's always been a terrible moderator.

I have no idea why Bill would bring on that idiot either. 

Is Bill so shortsighted that he doesn't know these people come on his show to promote their brand? It isn't brave, it's self-serving. 

Bill should have stopped interrupting Frume. Scaramucci didn't have a leg to stand on and had to resort to interrupting and insulting him. 

I wouldn’t say terrible, I’d say uneven.  Tonight was a night he screwed up.

 

As for him interrupting:  SOMEONE NEEDS TO DRILL INTO BILL’S HEAD THAT THE AUDIENCE WANTS TO HEAR WHAT HIS GUESTS HAVE TO SAY!!!

So, yes.  We’re in agreement on that.

[iMonrey]

I've never seen anyone with a more punchable face than Anthony Scaramucci.

Quote

Shut the eff up with that tired Trump is the champion of the working class nonsense. Who is still buying that line of crap?

No one is buying it, but it's the go-to rationalization for right wing pundits in the clear face of bigotry and racism. Yes, indeed, Trump did tap into a segment of the population and most indeed are working class. That's not why they voted for Trump though, and those pundits know it. But what else can they say? "We won the racist vote!" We all know what "white working class" is code for.

Frum was ill-equipped to take on Scaramucci. Ordinarily I wouldn't mind because Frum is something of an asshole himself but someone needed to shut that idiot down and nobody there had the wherewithal to do it.

I'd be interested to know what Frum was getting at in regards to this company Scaramucci tried to sell to the Chinese.

[ganesh]

Bill's always said he likes the yelling, so I don't know why he was trying to get them to stop.

I did like Haass. He's always good. I think he was saying that a palenstinian state could provide more security for everyone in the region, and moving the embassy to Jerusalem gets in the way of that. I don't think it's actually going to happen.

12 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Frum was ill-equipped to take on Scaramucci.

I thought he was doing ok until Bill got in his way. The crack about working in an administration longer was killer, and I like the are you going to play the working class card or drop Harvard?

If Bill didn't interrupt him I wanted to hear about the Chinese connection too. I think Frum was gearing up. 

 

OT - I've been seeing a lot of this "who hasn't told a lie" nonargument. This needs to be put down too.

Edited February 3, 2018 by ganesh

[sistermagpie]

25 minutes ago, ganesh said:

If Bill didn't interrupt him I wanted to hear about the Chinese connection too. I think Frum was gearing up. 

And Scaramucci was very defensive about it. I assumed he was getting to the point that so many people go into government just to sell their government access or make money from it. Which is pretty relevant given current events.

[ganesh]

Yeah. Frum was getting under his skin right from the start until Bill ruined it. There's no doubt he was going to sell access or something along those lines. I don't know why Bill was protecting him.

[Caseysgirl]

Do we have to give all these former employees of Trump who are still on his gravy train (Scaramucci, Spicer, Lewandowski) a place for their propaganda? I don't see any of the former Obama employees peddling their wares on Fox News. Bill has lost his edge and savvy and these people are playing him. I used to think that he  was an apt debater, but now I'm just embarrassed by his ineptitude.

[Queena]

Scaramucci will be on Celebrity Big Brother. I may have to not watch because my God is that man overbearing. Someone said that he stole all of the light in the room... He's like a robot that has one mission, get those talking points out! I really wish that Bill and Donna had let Frum go at him. Frum is pissed and he doesn't like the toad. Scaramucci kind of looks like Pepe the frog which is used by the alt right. 

[ganesh]

Is "lunch pail" and actual thing or just something people say?

[Medicine Crow]

17 minutes ago, ganesh said:

Is "lunch pail" and actual thing or just something people say?

Years ago, usually a working man, carried his lunch & thermos in a lunch pail.

[ganesh]

That's not a pail though. 

[attica]

Prior to the lunchbox, covered pails were used by laborers, yeah. You can find a bunch on vintage ones on etsy, if you're so inclined.

[ichbin]

2 hours ago, Queena said:

Scaramucci will be on Celebrity Big Brother.

He was only rumored.  The official cast has been announced and he is not in it.

[ganesh]

51 minutes ago, attica said:

Prior to the lunchbox, covered pails were used by laborers, yeah. You can find a bunch on vintage ones on etsy, if you're so inclined.

All right, but I'm saying, I'm doubtful all the people who say "I remember by uncle/father taking his lunch pail to work" actually did. 

[magdalene]

This episode was unwatchable because of Scaramucci sucking up all the air.

[Pippin]

4 hours ago, ganesh said:

All right, but I'm saying, I'm doubtful all the people who say "I remember by uncle/father taking his lunch pail to work" actually did. 

My dad had one; he was a bricklayer at INCO.  I remember it clearly.  It was squarer than the one in the picture and I think it was made from steel.  He as a working class guy and he would have hated Trump like poison.  Here, in Canada, most working class folks tend to support left wing parties, like the NDP.  (We have a bunch of recognized parties in our system, like most countries.  Liberal, Conservative, New Democratic Party, the Greens, the Bloc Quebecois, Communist and even the Marijuana Party.  Me, personally, I miss the Rhino Party in the last election.)

Scaramouche the douche.  Gad, I was hoping someone would perform a manual cognitive reset upside his head with a coffee mug.  I would have.  Someone needed to yell shut up! and no one did.  What a trainwreck.  Someone should take Bill to moderating class, and if there isn't such a thing, invent it for him.  Sheesh.

Here's an article about the whole company thing.  Sounds fishy to me, but what else could I expect from this White House. 

[CatMomma]

As soon as I saw Scaramucci was a guest, I deleted from my dvr.  Nope,  not interested. 

Bill constantly bangs the drum that we have to hear from the other side.  The President never shuts up,  so we hear it.  All. The. Time.  And,  Bill never calls them out.  He just lets these Trump apologists run off at the mouth. Sorry Bill,  but if I want to hear that shit,  I will watch Fox news. 

Based on the comments here,  the show was exactly what I expected. No thanks. 

[wknt3]

On 2/3/2018 at 12:29 PM, ganesh said:

Bill's always said he likes the yelling, so I don't know why he was trying to get them to stop.

Bill likes yelling and interrupting when it suits his purposes by providing an appearance of spirited debate (even if it is just two blowhards trying to prove they are tougher/get more airtime and increase recognition by reciting prepared talking points at ever increasing volumes without actually engaging with the others arguments, and he can cut in at the appropriate time with a joke. It actually works with a lot of viewers and it means he doesn't have to be prepared or engaged. This was yelling during what was supposed to be his time about a subject he didn't care about and that he thought was boring. If they were yelling about Trump being stupid or something "sexy" I don't think Bill would have been so eager to cut it off.

[Queena]

On 2/3/2018 at 6:41 PM, ichbin said:

He was only rumored.  The official cast has been announced and he is not in it.

Oh thank God! 

[charmed1]

For some reason, watching Scaramucci made me immediately feel sorry for all his teachers. “Anthony, please sit down...Anthony, please stop talking...Anthony, if you turned in an A paper, you would’ve received an A grade.” I can’t imagine how much worse he was as a child. My goodness, he’s insufferable. He’d be the perfect addition to one of the Real Housewives shows. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

So that fool Scaramucci mentioned his wife--guess she changed her mind about divorcing him after he was booted? He opened the door when he mentioned his wife and children, and I thought for sure Bill would ask him-because that's just the juvenile kind of thing Bill does.  It's been three days and I still don't understand why Bill had him on the show. Aside from wanting the yelling and talking over.

And again, Brazile didn't contribute anything either.

[Hanahope]

We just cut the cord in our house and decided not to add HBO through Sling right away. I thought I'd miss Bill, but not with this cast.  We'll probably sign up for HBO sometime in the spring when Westworld starts, so I'll  binge on good episodes of Bill during that time.  Doesn't sound like this is one to watch.

[sugarbaker design]

4 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

And again, Brazile didn't contribute anything either.

She never does, she should be permanently retired as a pundit.

[Janc]

On 2/4/2018 at 7:52 PM, Queena said:

Oh thank God! 

But Omarosa is... just as bad or worse

[IvySpice]

Well, that was a trainwreck, and not an entertaining one. I need to just delete the episodes with screaming Trump apologists. They're not worth our time.

[ganesh]

I don't know why he bothers. They didn't have those kind of people on much at all last season iirc. At least he wasn't on the panel.

[DollEyes]

Go fuck yourself, Mooch-preferably with an old, rusty chainsaw. 

[DXD526]

It's simultaneously impressive, disappointing and maddening how fast a horrible guest can throw this show off the rails and make it nearly unwatchable. Mooch did that in record time. 

[J0nas3]

So in Overtime, there's a foreign policy question for Haass, and he answers, and immediately Mooch says, "Can I rebut?" Bill, "Sure!" No! I can't believe that after he filibusters after coming on that you'd let him comment on something (else) he's staggeringly unqualified to speak to. But, I shouldn't be surprised on this show.