Against my better judgement, I watched a little bit of Senator Kennedy’s appearance on Beat the Press this morning. He honestly believes the Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections because the Washington Examiner and the Financial Times said so. He also thinks the impeachment inquiry is a trial.
These are the people running the country and they are dumb as a stump. It’s horrifying.
zhena gogolia
He doesn’t believe any of those things. He’s doing black propaganda for Putin.
John Cole
@zhena gogolia: I disagree- he has the zeal of a true believer. Kevin McCarthy and Lindsey know they are spewing bullshit, but Kennedy believes.
debbie
@zhena gogolia:
You give him too much credit. He knows he’s lying, but he doesn’t care.
zhena gogolia
I’m more terrified by “journalist” Martha Raddatz on ABC pretending she doesn’t understand that Ukraine only got the aid because Drumpf got caught, and that impeachment is just a political exercise because not a single Republican has signed on.
zhena gogolia
@debbie:
I think you’re replying to John? I agree with you.
Mike in Oly
I don’t think he believes any of it. But he knows his career is over if he doesn’t to the line. They all saw what the tea party did and they don’t want the primary challenge.
Anne Laurie
Yeah, I’m informed dude was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. Unless he’s gone senile unusually early, he doesn’t “think” these lies are true, he just believes that the words of his Lord Murdoch are holy dogma, and not to be contested.
Appropriate in its way for a Sunday morning, but *not* as a method of policy-making.
trollhattan
He’s legit the worst Kennedy*, and RFK Jr. is on the list so that’s a low bar.
*Yeah, I know.
debbie
I’m curious to see how this demand that Adam Schiff testify turns out.
CliosFanBoy
@trollhattan:
What about the woman from MTV who’s on Faux now??
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
Wait, what did the Financial Times do? They’re a legitimate journalistic outfit as far as I was aware
Cheryl Rofer
Kennedy was one of the eight Republicans who decided to celebrate Fourth of July in Moscow this year.
Steve in the ATL
@trollhattan: I rank Anthony worse
JPL
@Anne Laurie: Since he was Putin’s guest on July 4th, could it be possible that he left evidence behind. hmmm
bbleh
Well, as they say, if there were no idiots in Congress, it wouldn’t be a representative institution.
As to whether Kennedy “believes” or not, it’s irrelevant. He acts like he believes, and it’s his actions that matter, not his true inner beliefs. He may not actually be dumb as a stump, but he acts that way, and that presumably is because he thinks his constituents truly are dumb as stumps.
One hears Republicans complaining that they believe Democrats think they’re stupid, but they never seem to mention the abundant evidence that their own representatives think so.
dmsilev
@debbie: Well, in that case obviously Devin Nunes should be called as a witness as well. Ok, maybe he’d take the Fifth, but still.
Nicole
@Anne Laurie:
Seriously? Maybe Pete B. should stop including in his press that he was one, too. Doesn’t seem to make for an advantage.
sukabi
@John Cole: could be that the repub senate spaces are covered in chipping lead paint and the methane from all the bullshit they’ve been shoveling for the last 50+ years has lead to brain damage…or it could be all the $$$ from their billionaire benefactors.
Mostly I go for the “if their lips are moving they’re lying” explanation.
patrick II
@debbie:
call Lindsey to testify in extended House hearings. See how that goes. Hell, call Mcconnell too.
Yarrow
@John Cole: He’s not a “true believer.” Putin owns his ass, as was evidenced by the 4th of July trip to Russia he made. He knows he’s got to sell it and sell it hard. That’s what he’s doing. He’s terrified whatever his secret is will be made public and he’s dancing as hard as he can to keep that from happening.
Bobby Thomson
@zhena gogolia: correct. He has a degree from Oxford.
rikyrah
I don’t believe that he believes it.
Kennedy went to RUSSIA ON JULY FOURTH.
Never forget that.
He should be asked about this everytime he comes in front of the television.???
germy
SFAW
@patrick II:
I like the way you think
mrmoshpotato
A stump wouldn’t say Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election against all evidence.
SFAW
@rikyrah:
But Obama wore a tan suit!!!
Steeplejack
@Cheryl Rofer:
That was in 2018.
germy
When the hell did Chuck Todd start pushing back at Republicans? I thought his job was to nod along quietly and then say “We’ll have to leave that here…”
Yarrow
Gary Kasparov disagrees with you, John.
mrmoshpotato
@germy: Chuckles’ pushback won’t last.
Yarrow
@germy: I find this sort of comment completely ridiculous. WHY are people whose job is politics so surprised by someone like Sen. Kennedy spouting Putin’s line? Have they no curiosity about why he along with many other elected reps went to Russia on the 4th of July? Can they not draw lines between things like that? It’s embarrassing that our so-called political experts are either this stupid or bought and paid for by some entity that requires them to tweet out fakes shock and surprise.
SFAW
@Cheryl Rofer:
Sen. Shelby (AL)
Sen. Daines (Montana)
Sen. Hoeven (ND)
Sen. Kennedy (LA)
Sen. Moran (KS)
Sen. Thune (SD)
Sen. Johnson (WI)
Rep. Granger (TX)
People should be reminded of these Russian assets’ (or useful idiots’) traitorous behavior on a weekly basis, if not daily.
jk
Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee terrifies me because he’s the easiest candidate for Trump to beat. He’s an uninspiring dumbass politician who, at 77 years old, already looks and sounds like he has one foot in the grave. When the Ukraine / Hunter Biden story broke, Biden was a deer caught in the headlights. He stumbled and bumbled his way through several news cycles without effectively responding to reporters’ questions. He’s the worst goddamn political counterpuncher I’ve ever seen. Even when the facts are on his side he’s too fucking clumsy and clueless to get out in front of a story and put things in their proper context. Once the Republicans fully crank up their opposition research machine, Biden will fold like a cheap motherfucking lawn chair under their withering assault.
patrick II
@Yarrow:
Time to bring out the old Upton Sinclair quote “people believe what they are paid to beleive”
Bing in debt to Putin and believing modern Republican mmythology are not mutually exclusive. Trump is the Chasen one, any truth has to be consistent with that primary. Therefore, for many of the type of people called true believers by Eric Hoffer, Their logic requires Ukraine efforts to undermine our election are true, and they believe it from the bottom of their simple hearts. As anyone knows, he have always been at war with Ukraine.
germy
@Yarrow:
Maybe she wants us to be shocked and surprised.
numfar
Don’t let Kennedy’s cornpone act fool you.
CliosFanBoy
@SFAW: Both sides!!!! ;)
germy
patrick II
@patrick II:
I apologize for mistakes in that past. Old, fat thumbs and cell phones don’t mix.
Steve in the ATL
@SFAW: you didn’t indicate which party each belongs to so I’m going to assume it was a bipartisan group
germy
@SFAW:
Nunes wasn’t even invited??
Yarrow
@germy: By what? Her response? Anyone who is still shocked and surprised by Sen. Kennedy’s comments is not paying attention. The only thing shocking about this exchange is that Chuck Todd pointed out that Kennedy was spewing Russian disinformation.
Yarrow
@germy: The obvious Russian assets weren’t there. Must have been a mandatory meeting for the marginal assets to keep them in line.
germy
@Yarrow:
I don’t know what to tell you. Panelists who appear on shows like Meet The Press are emotionally and intellectually invested in the notion that the system works, that Republicans and Democrats, although they may disagree about certain details of governance, are both committed to doing what’s best for the country.
We’re jackals and we know what’s what, but the professional class of pundit doesn’t seem to know. Maybe if they talked on-air the way we commented here, they wouldn’t be invited back on the morning shows.
Yarrow
@germy:
They are? I think there are many types of panelists, from elected officials to lobbyists to campaign managers and so forth. Some are invested in the system and doing what’s best for the country, some are devoted to their wallets and some are working for our enemies. Anyone who is naive enough to believe that everyone in politics is doing what’s best for the country needs to find another line of work.
Patricia Kayden
mrmoshpotato
@germy:
That would definitely be the result if someone told Kennedy to his face that he was full of shit.
James E Powell
Really? He’s a Republican. When are they ever honest?
Bill Arnold
@Cheryl Rofer:
Some links because this thread needs more links. :-)
Reporting at the time (July 2018) says that Kennedy said that he thought that Russia was the meddler. Or at least a meddler. (Assuming he was included in the “consensus”)
GOP Senators Tell Contradictory Stories About Moscow Trip – A key Republican came back from the Kremlin seemingly shrugging off Russian aggression. His colleagues are confused as hell by his talk. Inside a controversial mission to Moscow. (Andrew Desiderio, Jul. 10, 2018)
For completeness, the list:
Republicans on Russia trip face scorn and ridicule from critics at home (Karoun Demirjian, July 5, 2018)
I also like Charles Pierce’s piece at the time:
This Ought to Run in Campaign Ads from Now Through Eternity -Attention Optics Police: a crew of Republican senators spent the Fourth of July in…Moscow. (Charles P. Pierce, Jul 5, 2018)
Jay
zhena gogolia
@Yarrow:
When he gets the direct question, look at the first emotion that comes into his eyes — fear.
zhena gogolia
@Yarrow:
And Kasparov is wrong about Trump. He knows perfectly well what’s going on.
Ascap_scab
As always, follow the money.
Ella in New Mexico
Which leads one to think that all those “folksy chucklehead jokes” he uses in every interview are a big fat act.
zhena gogolia
I also notice that John said “the Ukraine.”
Yarrow
@zhena gogolia: Yep, you can see the fear. Also, agree with you re: Kasparov and Trump generally. Although Trump’s diminishing mental capacity makes him a bit more of a wildcard than he would have been a decade ago.
Jay
Or does this belong in the Student Loans thread?,……….
sukabi
@Steve in the ATL: all repubs.
Bex
@Nicole: Really cheap shot.
Jay
@Ella in New Mexico:
keep in mind, that like Yale and Harvard, the institution isn’t what it was anymore. Too many entitled rich ruined the brand.
wvng
I’m surprised no one has noted thst, although Todd pushed back on one thing, that he allowed Kennedy to spin an utterly false narrative about what has happened in the investigation and hearings so far. Todd let that all slide as if Kennedy wasn’t just lying about all that.
TS (the original)
Completely off topic – testing new computer. My favorite Win7 – 11 years old – decided it didn’t want to work any more.
Jay
@Bex:
not really, Pete visited some strikers today and asked them how the “bridge funding” was doing,……
not the “strike fund”,…… the “bridge funding”.
Yarrow
@zhena gogolia: Good Lord. I’d missed that.
I’m legitimately disturbed that someone like John who is ostensibly politically astute and even has his own political blog is convinced by Sen. Kennedy’s act on MTP that Kennedy is some sort of true believer. Come on. We’ve been aware of this stuff since at least 2016. Look deeper. Don’t buy the PR. Don’t fall for their words. Look at their actions and their relationships, financial and otherwise. This stuff isn’t that that hard. I’m really disappointed that people haven’t learned this sort of thing by now. Adam posts about it all the time on John’s very own blog. This is Russian disinformation 101. Wake up!
J R in WV
@wvng:
Hi WVNG — are you from or in W Va? just asking because of your Nym…
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Bex: I suspect that that was what the kids are calling the snark.
And list me with those who think Kennedy knows damn well he’s spewing nonsense, he’s doing it to keep the goobers riled up and confused. Lindsey also knows what he’s doing.
Kevin McCarthy enough is oatmeal-brained enough to not know.
Bex
@Jay: Cheaper shot.
Anne Laurie
Mary Ellen Sandahl
@Nicole: So was Bill Clinton.
ChristianPinko
@bbleh: I’m from Louisiana. Kennedy is a fraud. He went to Oxford and Vanderbilt, yet every word that comes out of his mouth is a straight-up Foghorn Leghorn impersonation. His supporters are in fact dumb as stumps.
wvng
@J R in WV: I’m as far East in the state as John is west. Hardy county.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Anne Laurie: I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kennedy named a “Rhodes Scholar”, I think “studied at Oxford” is more accurate
ETA: Per Wiki In 1979, he earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honours from Oxford University (Magdalen College) in England, where he studied under Sir Rupert Cross and Sir John H.C. Morris
He was also a Democrat until the early 90s. Sounds like part of big class of flippers of the early Clinton years
Jay
@Bex:
nope, it’s an MBA “brain fart” and theoretically, prep that didn’t sink in. Toss in his attacks on “free college” because billionaires,….. M4A because “how are we going to pay for it” and lumping $100k families in with billionaires and millionaires,
there are huge economic justice, social justice and inequality issues that are destroying America,
and Pete and his team just don’t get it, or worse, are deliberately positioning themselves in the Bloomberg/Schultz lane.
it’s one thing for a politician to be cynical, not the problems with inequality, and state that nothing/little can be done because the Billionaires are against it,
and another thing to ,…….
sgrAstar
Google says Kennedy went to Oxford, but nowhere is it claimed that he was a Rhodes Scholar. Bobby Jindal, however….
Jay
Jay
Quality media,……..
Dk in SD
I like Jim Wright’s (@Stonekettle) take on him:
“Senator John Neely Kennedy, Republican from Louisiana isn’t stupid. He’s a highly educated and cunning man, who changes political parties and personalities at will. Anything to seize and maintain power. He pretends to be stupid, cultivating a hick Southern country-boy persona, saying deliberately stupid and wrong things to hide his background and education, playing dumb specifically so as to appeal to the ignorant and stupid that propelled him into office.”
His “base” are the same people who willingly believe that the Duck Dynasty folks are really the red-neck good-ol boys they play on TV when even a cursory look into their past shows that everyone except ol’ pappy were izod-wearing frat-boy rich kids until they figured out what the yokels wanted to see.
azelie
@Dk in SD: Yes, this is right. Our senators in Louisiana are Bill Cassidy, a former med school professor and John Neely Kennedy, a guy who went to Vanderbilt, Oxford and UVA. Both were once Democrats, and as far as I know pretty centrist, not Dixiecrat types. But they are both smart guys who know that with the Louisiana Republican electorate, if they let someone get to their right, they might get bumped out. It’s like Bobby Jindal, a genuinely intelligent guy (I know people who went to high school with him) who decided to model himself on Dubya and Rick Perry. They’re doing it because they think this is what will help them stay in office and gain influence in their party, and they’re probably not wrong.
Zinsky
I watched as much of Kennedy’s interview as I could stomach today too. He kept using the word “meddling” to describe the fact someone wrote an editorial in a Ukrainian newspaper criticizing Trump in 2016. That isn’t “meddling”, that’s free speech. These right-wing assholes misuse and distort the English language and Democrats need to counterattack them viciously and smartly and stop them in their tracks!!
SFAW
@Steve in the ATL:
You sleep-deprived or something, what with your jet-setting around the country/world? Or were you reading it on your ‘phone, and didn’t see the words “eight Republican” in Cheryl’s comment that I blockquoted?
WhatsMyNym
@Anne Laurie: No indication that Sen. John Kennedy (LA) was a Rhodes Scholar, he’s not on their database. His bio just says “earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honours from Oxford University (Magdalen College)”. This was after he already had a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Steve in the ATL
@SFAW: sarcasm, dude. I know which party is beholden to Russia and which party isn’t.
sacrablue
Just look at the frequency of Kennedy’s blinking eyes. He knows he is spewing shit and he looks scared to death. If Putin doesn’t have the kompromat then Trump does.
Ruckus
@dmsilev:
Nunes would take the quart not the fifth.
J R in WV
@wvng:
That’s nice. John in North, up in the panhandle. I am more west than John is…
Hardy county is some beautiful countryside, like much of the state.
jbrglnd
financial times?
Mary Ellen Sandahl
@Jay: The strong presence of (literally) entitled students at Oxford and Cambridge goes back to medieval times (11th century for both of them). They taught the sons of the land-holding ruling class. They’ve been a fundamental part of the English class system for hundreds of years.
Yale and Harvard are mere early teenagers by comparison, but some of the same factors were and are at work there.
brantl
@mrmoshpotato: Shrub said (and Chained-Knees with him) that the Iraqis had weapons of mass destruction, long after being proved to be full of fecal material, didn’t they?