S16.E22: Malcolm Nance, Nancy MacLean, Kristen Soltis Anderson, Charles Blow, and Steve Schmdit

[formerlyfreedom]

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Counterterrorism expert Malcolm Nance is the top-of-show interview guest. The roundtable guests are political analyst Kristen Soltis Anderson, columnist Charles Blow and political analyst Steve Schmidt.

Airing Friday, 8/3/2018.

[Drumpf1737]

Wow everyone was very rehearsed except the professor.

[GoldenGirl90]

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Edited August 4, 2018 by Alexis2291

[DrScottie]

3 hours ago, Drumpf1737 said:

Wow everyone was very rehearsed except the professor.

To be fair, they've had a long time to prepare for this and are used to being on national television on a regular basis. I would imagine that the same isn't true for the professor. It was downright disturbing hearing from her what Charles Koch's plan is for the country. I was completely unaware of that and now I'm even more concerned than I already was about the future of the country. 

[Caseysgirl]

Good show but I’m very disturbed and feel more depressed than ever. The Koch’s have been playing the long con and it’s working! 

[crookedjackson44]

As a retired professor, I was very disappointed that the professor on the program was so vague.  Is that supposed to prompt me to buy her book?

[sugarbaker design]

That's why she was on the show.  I plan on checking it out of my local library.

Everytime I see Steve Schmidt I remember his appearance on Morning Joe shortly before the 2016 election when he told a shocked Joe and Mika that not only would HRC win the electoral college, she would win it in a landslide.

I'm less certain of a 2018 Blue Tsunami than SS.

[Victor the Crab]

I know Bill was trying to make a pun in calling Fox News "the enema of the people". Except that it came off as being counterproductive. Enemas tend to be helpful, cleansing, and sometimes necessary. Wouldn't surprise me if some talking head at Fox News pointed that out.

Liked the New Rules sermon. But I'm not sure Drumpf's zombie supporters see the connection between Russia's lily white populace and the browning of other European nations as the reason for supporting their Dear Leader's sucking up to Putin. I think race and their overall bigotry is the main reason for their support and that Putin is part and parcel of that support.

[arachne]

"Hillbilly Nuremberg rallies." Ha! Gotta remember that one. 

[sistermagpie]

13 minutes ago, Victor the Crab said:

Liked the New Rules sermon. But I'm not sure Drumpf's zombie supporters see the connection between Russia's lily white populace and the browning of other European nations as the reason for supporting their Dear Leader's sucking up to Putin. I think race and their overall bigotry is the main reason for their support and that Putin is part and parcel of that support.

Oh, I think they totally know it, even if they never say it in those terms. I think Putin has been the darling leader of the neo-Nazis for a while. Bill pointed out that Ann Coulter quote too--they get it. Putin also makes a big point of being Christian, there's Russian people at NRA and pro-gun events etc. These guys absolutely think it's natural to ally with Russia at this point because they're the white European country that isn't liberal. (Even though I think the Nazis classified Slavs as a different race--whiteness is in the eye of the beholder.)

[BetyBee]

I liked the professor and wouldn't mind hearing more from her.  I'll check out her book.  Looking at the long con is far better than just reacting the Drumpf and his latest idiotic tweet.  The evil Koch brothers plan is frightening, especially the part about repealing the 17th amendment.

[iMonrey]

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"Hillbilly Nuremberg rallies." Ha! Gotta remember that one. 

I liked that too. I thought Kristen made a good point about Sarah Palin coining the term "lame stream media" ten years ago but Bill seemed to want to brush her off for some strange reason. She's right, this isn't a new thing with Republicans - it's just gotten worse. 

[atlantaloves]

You are totally correct Imonrey! How soon we forget. 

[Moxie Cat]

Kristen bugged me early on, but she was dead on about Palin and Bill did not want to hear it - not only about the "lame stream media" but also the level of ignorance some are not only willing to accept from politicians but outright WANT. Somehow, Palin's ignorance was seen as a drawback for McCain and a reason why he didn't win. Yet 8 years later, many elected a man who is arguably more willfully ignorant. At least in Game Change, we saw that Palin was just largely uneducated and in over her head, while Trump actually boasts about never studying or preparing. How far we have fallen since 2008.

[meowmommy]

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I thought Kristen made a good point about Sarah Palin coining the term "lame stream media" ten years ago but Bill seemed to want to brush her off for some strange reason. 

Maybe because the chief instrument of Sarah Palin's rise to prominence was sitting right next to Kristen.  Although he more than likely never expected the hideous trajectory Sarah Palin would take, and probably regrets ever having heard of the woman.  

6 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

Everytime I see Steve Schmidt I remember his appearance on Morning Joe shortly before the 2016 election when he told a shocked Joe and Mika that not only would HRC win the electoral college, she would win it in a landslide.

I'm less certain of a 2018 Blue Tsunami than SS.

Of course, just about everyone predicted it in 2016.  I'm also worried that the blue wave might not happen.  I'm even worried about the "slam-dunk" verdict everyone's predicting in the Manafort trial.  

5 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

I know Bill was trying to make a pun in calling Fox News "the enema of the people". Except that it came off as being counterproductive. Enemas tend to be helpful, cleansing, and sometimes necessary.

I wish, when they report on the "enemy of the people" bullshit, the media would bring up Ibsen's "An Enemy of the People," in which a brave whistleblower is pilloried for exposing lies and corruption, and labeled an enemy of the people.  I doubt a single Trumpette has ever heard of it, much less read it.  

[atlantaloves]

All in all I thought it was a great show. I never thought I would ever agree with Steve S., but I have the past year.  

[scrb]

14 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

That's why she was on the show.  I plan on checking it out of my local library.

Everytime I see Steve Schmidt I remember his appearance on Morning Joe shortly before the 2016 election when he told a shocked Joe and Mika that not only would HRC win the electoral college, she would win it in a landslide.

I'm less certain of a 2018 Blue Tsunami than SS.

Me too.  He’s putting too much faith in college educated and suburban women, many of whom are Republicans, to vote against their party.

 

Soltis said that among millennial women, Democrats have a +50 advantage.  But do they vote reliably?

[charmed1]

I have such a crush on Malcolm Nance. I listen to him every Wednesday on the Stephanie Miller Show. I’m glad he got his own segment this time, instead of having to sit on a panel with an idiot like Milo. I’ve started reading my copy of The Plot to Destroy Democracy and it’s terrifying.

Edited August 5, 2018 by charmed1

[wknt3]

I really liked this show. I thought the panel was solid, if a bit predictable (the show has started to suffer from Cable News Booking Syndrome where they prize reliability and television skills over all else and seem to keep rotating the same pundits over and over) the scripted bits were really good and we got a lot of Bill at his best, with some insightful and funny riffs on Q-Anon and the reason behind the right's recent embrace of Russia. My only major complaint was that I wish Bill had the self-awareness and intellectual integrity to admit that he is trying to have it both ways when it comes to Trump's supporters and how we should react to them. We can't meet bigotry halfway and we must call out stupidity except when their prejudices align with Bill's then it's the left's arrogance that's causing the problem and women, Muslims, transgendered people, etc. are engaging in identity politics run amok and we need to engage with these people respectfully. I'm hoping that maybe he has thought things through over the hiatus and come to a firm conclusion, but somehow I doubt it, and if I had to bet I'd put my money on hearing how unfair we're being to Middle America within the next couple shows...

[GoldenGirl90]

Okay, I rewatched the show and I like what Charles Blow said about the rise of people like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich - back then, Republicans said they were only a fringe part of the party, that their type of conservatism wouldn’t pick up steam. Well, fast-forward and it turns out it didn’t just die off because look who we have in office. They were in plain sight the whole time but didn’t have a leader who gave them the courage to speak their ignorance so freely and publicly. They finally found that in Trump.  

[Victor the Crab]

I was wondering - hoping - if Bill was going to bring up the story of the pride of lions eating up those rhino poachers and somehow tie it in to the Drumpf spawn of cruel hunters. Glad he did not disappoint.

[scrb]

Is Schmidt right that someone who can mock Trump on stage, take his bluster and insults and turn it into a joke at his expense, have the audience laugh at him, would be the candidate the Democrats would want?

Maher said that's why he was sad that Franken was ejected but I don't know if Franken could garner a huge following.

I don't know if there are any politicians who have that sense of comic timing and quickness of wit.  Obviously Obama did it to Trump at the WH Correspondent's Dinner that one year.

 

IIRC, Clinton got a laugh when she called Trump a puppet to be for Putin.  But it wasn't enough.

[littlecatsfeet]

Ted Lieu would be great...IS great...at ridiculing Trump, but unfortunately he was not born in the U.S. :(

[Medicine Crow]

2 hours ago, scrb said:

Is Schmidt right that someone who can mock Trump on stage, take his bluster and insults and turn it into a joke at his expense, have the audience laugh at him, would be the candidate the Democrats would want?

Maher said that's why he was sad that Franken was ejected but I don't know if Franken could garner a huge following.

I don't know if there are any politicians who have that sense of comic timing and quickness of wit.  Obviously Obama did it to Trump at the WH Correspondent's Dinner that one year.

 

IIRC, Clinton got a laugh when she called Trump a puppet to be for Putin.  But it wasn't enough.

Obama had writers (not taking anything away), but his delivery was scrumptious!!!

[Gulftastic]

Whilst I appreciate the point that Bill was trying to make, saying that in the 80's there were no people of colour to be seen in London is just plain nonsense.

 

For example:

 

[ganesh]

I find it delicious that the NRA is going broke. This whole QAnon issue is patently ridiculous too. 

The top of the show interview was good - what resonates with me was when they were talking about how half the population doesn't vote. That's really the key point. No one needs to hack a voting booth to change anything, just press the false equivalence about how both sides are just as bad so it doesn't matter. 

I take the point about getting a better 'gatekeeper' for Facebook, but I'm not confident that Facebook is the entity to do that.

On 8/4/2018 at 2:46 PM, Moxie Cat said:

Kristen bugged me early on, but she was dead on about Palin and Bill did not want to hear it - not only about the "lame stream media" but also the level of ignorance some are not only willing to accept from politicians but outright WANT.

I thought that was a good pov. I do think Trump has taken the concept to a much higher level than anyone expected. 

I liked Bill's point about the lack of a "level of ire".

On 8/4/2018 at 2:14 AM, DrScottie said:

To be fair, they've had a long time to prepare for this and are used to being on national television on a regular basis. I would imagine that the same isn't true for the professor.

I liked that Bill got out of the way and let her talk. He seemed very interested. She's right of course - everyone is going on and on about the tweets and is missing the long game.

On 8/4/2018 at 10:45 AM, BetyBee said:

The evil Koch brothers plan is frightening, especially the part about repealing the 17th amendment.

Check out those liberty amendments. Yeesh.

On 8/4/2018 at 9:09 AM, sugarbaker design said:

I'm less certain of a 2018 Blue Tsunami than SS.

I was never certain. It sounds like 2016 again. 

I liked how Charles was not having anything about 'reaching out.'

Edited August 6, 2018 by ganesh

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

I find it delicious that the NRA is going broke. This whole QAnon issue is patently ridiculous too. 

 

I wonder if that's actually true or just a way for them to energize their base to donate or whatever they do. 

 

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

I take the point about getting a better 'gatekeeper' for Facebook, but I'm not confident that Facebook is the entity to do that. 

I was just listening to podcast where a guy who wrote on a book on it basically thought Facebook was the perfect delivery system for propaganda and couldn't see any way to really fix it so yeah, it's probably still a problem.

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

I liked how Charles was not having anything about 'reaching out.'

Me too. It's just become such an empty thing to say. Especially since it's always about reaching out and never anything about how you actually deal with the problem once you get them to like you. Like of course Conservatives will be willing to talk to you if you agree that they're not racist at all and are actually really smart.

[Drumpf1737]

19 hours ago, scrb said:

I don't know if there are any politicians who have that sense of comic timing and quickness of wit.  

Is there a younger less problematic Joe Biden? It would do the Dems a lot of good if the 2020 candidate goes to one-liner bootcamp with Biden.

When I mentioned them sounding rehearsed I should have explicitly said Steve Schmidt. He seemed very stiff and very rehearsed. Malcolm Nance is a treasure. I was very annoyed the professor wouldn't acknowledge how much racism had to do with where we are now in her back and forth with Charles Blow. The irony of Bill Maher talking about race relations wasn't lost on me.  Maybe he and Michael Moore should sit the next election cycle out.

[b2H]

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Is there a younger less problematic Joe Biden? It would do the Dems a lot of good if the 2020 candidate goes to one-liner bootcamp with Biden.

 

Sadly, Beau Biden was supposed to be the next generation, until brain cancer had other plans.  Like his dad, served as AG in Delaware, military background.  All-round great guy.  His passing just devastated Joe.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beau_Biden

Edited August 7, 2018 by b2H

[atlantaloves]

beH --- you are so correct, this was a great loss.....like the Kennedy clan.