I’m back from a brief vacation with some musings on the news of the day.
THE LAUGHER OF THE WEEK – With the two latest Democrat losses to fill House vacancies of Republicans now in President Trump’s cabinet, Democrats and Republicans jumped at the opportunity to criticize the minority leadership of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). While Democrats, like Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY), were saying Pelosi’s “time has come and gone,” Republicans were poking fun of her failing leadership. The president tweeted that he hoped the Dems would not force her out, adding facetiously that it would be very bad day for the Republican party.
In answer to a press conference question regarding her credibility to continue as minority leader, Pelosi let loose with this laugher:
“You want me to sing my praises, is that what you’re saying? Well, I’m a master legislator. I am a strategic, politically astute leader. My leadership is recognized by many around the country, and that is why I’m able to attract the (financial) support that I do, which is essential to our elections.”
Perhaps many might agree with her boast of being a “master legislator.” After all, she helped pass ObamaCare, legislation that her members never read. Her financial support for the recent five special elections, however, resulted in five losses.
THE FUTURE OF COAL – In his first 100 days, President Trump’s relieved the coal industry of the punishing regulations on coal mining and coal-powered power plants affecting coal miners in Pennsylvania. West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky. He invited miners, helmets and all, to the Oval Office for the signing and a tour.
Citing that the industry employs only about 50,000 people, the New York Daily News predicted “those mining jobs are never coming back,” because coal is dirty and cannot compete with cleaner, cheap natural gas.
The paper called the president’s promise to “bring back the glory days” of coal a fantasy. That may be, but by removing job-killing regulation, he paved the way for the industry to at least attempt a comeback. In the free enterprise system, it is up to each industry and company to succeed on its merits.
BEFORE LEAVING THE ANCHOR CHAIR of CBS Evening News, Scott Pelley, commenting on the shooting during the Republican baseball practice, left many viewers aghast when he said, “It’s time ask whether the attack on the United States Congress Wednesday was foreseeable, predictable and, to some degree, self-inflicted.”
While admitting he had no evidence that those attending the practice had actually been wounded by their own bullets, rather than by James Hodgkinson, Pelley suggested that the victims might bear some blame for motivating Hodgkinson to attack.
Although Pelley mentioned that Hodgkinson was a Bernie Sanders supporter, he stopped short of saying Hodgkinson had heard Sanders call the president the “most dangerous in history?”
Never passing up an opportunity to slam President Trump, Pelley citied the president’s harsh rhetoric about his network and other media outlets as if Pelley and his colleagues were the real victims of the shooting, James Freeman surmised in the Wall Street Journal.
WHO’S ON FIRST – Reporting on who’s being investigated for what on the Washington scene is beginning to sound a lot like Abbott and Costello’s Who’s on First routine. The probe of collusion with Russia by the Trump team is seemingly fading while the president is still being accused of obstruction of justice in the firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Not long ago, people were singing the praises of the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel, despite the fact that he was buddies with Comey, the very man he will be investigating. After Mueller appointed a slew of attorneys to assist him, we learn that they all have connections to Hillary Clinton and the Democrat party. Now there’s a call to remove Mueller as special counsel. And they want Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Comey’s boss and the man who named Mueller as special counsel to recuse himself.
Meanwhile, there seems to be no interest or rush to hear from all those Trump team members who have volunteered to testify – Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Roger Stone. Are the House and Senate committees attempting to drag out the investigation?
There’s more. Republicans want to know more about former Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s role in the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation and that meeting with Bill Clinton on her airplane in Phoenix. You will recall that Comey revealed his exchange with her during his recent testimony.
There’s a focus on former President Obama, too. He and his administration are being accused of helping Hillary Clinton’s campaign by going soft on Vladimir Putin and Russia on election tampering.
Who’s on first? Hey Abbottttttt!
