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Sunday, March 13, 2000 (Washington, DC) -- AmpolNS -- Topic one of the pundits: who cares about the fact that Bradley and McCain are out when we can back Al Gore!
Here's what we caught this Sunday:
Fox Noise Sunday
We missed the first segment in which Tony Snow interviewed Bush campaign guru Karl Rove (we're sure Tony went easy on him) -- but we did catch Ed Rendell, DNC Chairman, castigating Tony for giving Bush a 10 minute campaign ad in which the old "compassionate conservative rhetoric" was on display. Jim Nicholson ranted about the Maria Hsia conviction -- and implied broader "crimes." Rendell detailed a number of GOP campaign gaffes -- and said that Nicholson refused to return money that one of the RNC's "committees" received from China, the only Chinese money that a party had refused to return!
Tony turned to the question of gun control. Rendell called for it, pressing it as a gun safety issue. Tony said the National Safety Council claims that gun deaths are down and there are 20 times the drownings as there are gun deaths. Rendell replied that the US numbers for juvenile gun deaths as a percent of population is nine times higher than the next country on the list. Nicholson claimed "demagoguery" then said "we need enforcement."
Right, Jim-Bob -- like the GOP would pass legislation for that funding. Fat chance while the NRA has your party by the short'n'curlies!
Tony previewed the coming gas crisis with Energy Secretary Bill Richardson. Richardson said that the US is working to stabilize prices and decried "volatility" induced by OPEC. Brit Hume grumpily said that Americans don't want to hear "stable" because prices are high. "Is $10 a barrel too low for us?" Richardson predicted a price drop. Paula Zahn asked what Richardson thought the price should be, and he refused to answer, but did point to a range between $10 and $30 as realistic -- adding stability was called for. "Is there a price you're looking for?" Richardson did say between $10 and $30, as he had before. Zahn asked if the Saudis were doing enough to drop the price, and Richardson said both the Saudis and Iran "have been constructive" -- not quite ringing praise, but an optimistic term. "30 days ago, they were saying production cuts" and now they're talking price decreases.
Juan asked about the political fallout, and Richardson said that he did not want to see the issue politicized. We think that Richardson was being a bit deceptive -- an awful lot of Middle East nations indebted to Bush Sr. have been in on the volatility, and with the isolationist streak in this country the issue could rebound badly against Bush Jr.
Tony asked about the GOP move to end the 4.3 cent gas sales tax -- and Richardson said that's not the case; some Reeps still want the tax. Tony also asked about the "brouhaha" over a NY Times story in which Gore said he "made mistakes." Richardson responded by nailing Bush for his negative ads -- with his campaign and allies reportedly under investigation for circumventing campaign laws. Hume pressed the Buddhist fundraiser as a "crime." Richardson called the story "recycled."
Overexposed House whiner Lindsey Graham was the next guest, and Tony asked him about reports that Minn. Governor Ventura had talked with McCain about a third-party run. Graham tried to play down the story. Tony asked if Graham would endorse Bush, and Graham said yes, but the rest of his comments belied his lack of enthusiasm. Paula fretted about McCain not immediately endorsing Bush . Graham's answer made no sense. He also said having Gore talk about finance reform would be like Bill Clinton lecturing on sexual harassment -- a mean-spirited cheap shot and outright lie, since Graham refuses to come to grips with the fact that Paula Jones has no credibility. Period.
Graham then talked about "keeping the McCain voter in the Republican party" and the impact McCain has had. Paula asked what Bush should "offer" McCain. Graham wouldn't play that game, instead rattling off all of the problems facing the GOP.
Graham did talk about Bush being the GOP banner-carrier, but throughout his comments his lack of enthusiasm for Bush was more than obvious.
Of course, Graham didn't say the obvious about why McCain "suspended" instead of dropping out: McCain now has enough delegates and states to challenge every plank of the GOP platform, and McCain remains eligible for matching funds as long as he does not drop out.
Panel time! Tony admitted that Gore has been exonerated by the Justice Department for campaign finance wrongdoing. Hume disdainfully cast Gore as "nervy" and said that his team would not conform to the law.
Huh? Brit, meet Haley Barbour...
Paula Zahn said the issue has little resonance and Gore was trying to appeal to McCain voters in "a very shrewd effort." Shrewd? Try going on the attack, Paula -- and the Dems are not going to pull punches.
Juan talked about "McCain's personal journey" and said people who wanted a non-typical candidate gravitated toward McCain.
Only because he got the press coverage, Juan. The press virtually ignored Bradley -- and would have done the same to McCain were he a dreaded liberal.
Hume slammed McCain and Gore for having essentially the same position on tax cuts.
Will McCain support Bush? Hume: eventually, yes. Zahn: depends on campaign reform. Juan: McCain is angry at Bush over dirty pool. Gore v. Bush? Hume: it will be brutal, a major test. Tony: the Bush response team is already going after Gore personally. Juan: given the compressed primary season, it will be a negative campaign. Tony and Paula said that the campaign began on Super Tuesday -- and they were right.
Eat the Vice-Prezz
Guest one: irrelevant neo-fascist Pat Buchanan. Tim Russert spent a full half-hour with Pat. We thought it would be a waste. To our surprise, it wasn't -- at least not completely.
Tim first clubbed Pat over the head with "three-way race" numbers. Bush-Gore-Pat -- Buchanan gets 5%. Bush-Gore-McCain -- McCain gets well over 20%. Buchanan said he is in the race for the Reform Party nomination. Ha, ha, ha -- how else could this loser survive?
In the answer to the second question, Buchanan bashed high oil prices and Gore's Buddhist temple fundraiser -- then went on to say that we should drop sanctions against Iraq, calling (rightly) the death of thousands of kids a month more important than the dating policy at Bob Jones University. Buchanan then slammed Castro and American embargoes -- and Russert slammed him, saying that dictators, not people, would profit from the lifting of sanctions.
"China -- and Taiwan," said Tim dramatically, before he raised the scenario of China launching a missile attack against Taiwan. Buchanan predicted there would be no moves against Taiwan now, but China may attack islands off of Taiwan. Buchanan called George w. Bush the "key man" in the matter and would get tremendous support for doing this. Buchanan went on a China-bashing tirade.
Huh? Buchanan doesn't get it: China is in no position to take over Taiwan.
Talk turned to gun control; Buchanan talked about the six-year-old shooter in a recent incident "living in a crack house." Um, Pat, it wasn't the drugs that killed the other child -- it was a GUN.
Pat said that if he is nominated by the Reform Party that he would respect the party's platform -- but add his "personal" anti-abortion views, and that he would be the most pro-life candidate ever. He claimed wrongly that Roe v. Wade had no precedent or grounds. What happens if Bush selects someone who is not pro-life? Pat said he would not be surprised -- and slammed Republicans who had opposed pro-choice planks in previous presidential elections. He sounded insulted as he recalled that certain pols said that the candidate was "not bound" by the pro-choice language of the platform.
But that's always the case, Pat. Almost NOBODY cares about the party platform in an election.
Tim then ran footage of Buchanan speaking to the 1992 GOP convention calling for a cultural war. Pat, proud of his fascist rhetoric, said Tim could run the clip as many times as he wants. A conversation ensued on Pat's having been called a Nazi. Pat said he was a victim of a "nasty" political environment.
That you helped nurture, Pat!
Tim then attacked Pat for his ties to Southern Partisan magazine, a racist neoconfederate rag run by Richard Quinn. Tim showed some of the goods sold by the magazine -- including bumper stickers that use words such as "fag." Pat tried to distance himself from the magazine -- with no success.
Tim opened a new attack front, mentioning Pat's appearances at Bob Jones University, and mentioning their anti-Catholic stand. Pat said he had to speak to people with whim he disagreed, making an oblique reference to Ian Paisley and Northern Ireland.
Tim also hammered away at Pat's political "marriage of convenience" to Marxist Reform Party nutcase Lenora Fulani, mentioning her ties to Moammar Qadaffi. Tim then asked if there was a group which Pat would not appear before. Pat mentioned the Klan and other hate groups.
Hey, Pat, does that include the CCC?
Tim then allowed Pat to attack the commission that oversees the presidential debates. Pat slammed former DNC chair Paul Kirk (even our liberal staff finds him a jerk) and Frank Fahrenkopf, a lobbyist for "gaming."
We agree with Pat. We think that if he's nominated, he should be in the debates -- so that his bile can be exposed to the light of national scrutiny once again.
Toward the end, Pat said -- catch this -- that he has a real outside chance of winning the presidency.
Yeah, right. In Austria.
Tim then welcomed the fake political "odd couple," liberal James Carville and conservative Mary Matalin. After reviewing the poll numbers, Matalin acted as a Bush spokesman, talking about all of "his" issues. Carville talked about the Austin "summit of negativity" between the Bush moron campaign team and the panicky RNC. Carville said the election would be close.
Tim -- wrong as usual -- said that there are "things that Bill Bradley that may come back to haunt Al Gore." Carville grinned and mentioned that Bradley endorsed Gore, unlike Bush-McCain. Tim then played McCain saying "George Bush is a Pat Robertson Republican who will lose to Al Gore." Mary Matalin said there was a record turnout because social conservatives were "energized."
Right, Mary -- by fearmongering Ayatollah Pat Robertson.
Mary said that Gore was "laughable" as she LIED about what Gore has said about his past, saying Gore has a "pathology" of lying. Carville replied by saying that the religious right had activated their base -- and the Democrats would put that out as an issue. Will Robertson and Falwell control the agenda? Mary Matalin sounded utterly foolish by essentially saying no and claiming that Falwell and Robertson were "reaching out." In her biggest gaffe, Mary even called Al Sharpton a "racist, murdering thug."
Mary. that was just plain stupid -- calling Sharpton a murderer. Sure, you and many liberals -- yes, liberals -- don't care for Sharpton, but your rant was undignified, mean and even actionable. You owe him an apology, and your own hatred has destroyed what little credibility you used to have with our writers.
Tim asked Carville about NY Times and LA Times articles on Gore's decision to go form campaign finance reform and a claim in the latter that "Gore may have provided false testimony" -- Tim's biggest attack on Gore for this edition of Eat the Vice-Prezz. Carville slammed the comment as the finding of one partisan pol in an election year.
"But Clinton-Gore [note how it's one word with the pundits] spent $35 million in negative ads against Bob Dole!" So what, Tim? You're saying Dole didn't go negative? Mary misstated the "facts" about meetings in which Gore discussed campaign strategy as Carville smiled his evil "I can't wait to jump down her throat" grin. His reply again mentioned the partisan and timed nature of the report -- and asked why Bush won't offer to forgo soft money? Carville also slammed Bush for not debating McCain one-on-one.
After a break, Mary claimed that the Bush tax scam was a good thing and that Bush would make education his issue. Carville slammed Bush for lack of experience. Mary called Gore a phony.
She's one to talk -- this fake "Odd Couple" and their shtick are phony, tired and overexposed. At least Carville knows how to write a decent book.
This Geek
A friend of ours, a well-know lobbyist, had the hilarious misfortune to travel next to pseudointellectual George Will this week -- trapped next to him for more than two hours in the first class cabin of a US Air plane headed from Palm Beach to Ronald Reagan International Airport in Washington, DC.
Now our friend doesn't like or dislike Will -- he thinks Will is ineffectual and should stick to writing excellent books about baseball.
As you might guess, Will did not even look up from a stack of newspaper he was combing on his way back from giving a speech to members of the Goldman "We want your social security trust money" Sachs staff in Palm Beach.
Will's arm was in a plastic cast.
Cockie began the show showing us that Gore beats Bush 48 to 42 percent in the first phony poll cobbled together on this horse race by ABC. As we've been telling you for more than 7 months, Bush cannot beat Gore -- no matter how many times he tries to convince the American people that Gore attempted to sell the nation to the Red Chinese; no matter how many times the moronic actor "Charlatan" Heston, who hammily played Moses (which nobody on earth remembers), calls the President a liar.
Spam was actually allowed to interview the President on trigger safety locks, three-day waiting periods on gun show sales, and other things that make the country safer. The President agreed with Spam, saying this will be a tough bill to get passed.
Stupid Sam said the manufacturers already have gun locks on them -- but why does he think this happened? Because Clinton-Gore pressured the gun manufacturing industry to put those locks on or face Presidential wrath.
Spam took the side of the NRA in the discussion. The NRA, he claims, are for instant checks at gun shows. The President said he does not want the NRA plan, which forces a sale within 24 hours but might allow for those gun sales that have trouble getting approval to be given three days to maker certain they are not criminals or psychos.
Spam, of course, was boring us to death. Gun safety is not exactly the hottest topic in this presidential race. As a matter of fact, it ranks at about number 33 among self-selected lists in polls (including ours). So why is Spam focusing on this issue? We think because the President truly wants to make guns safer and to keep them away from children and criminals.
Spam asked another stupid question. Do you own a gun? The President said he owns a shotgun and a couple of handguns given to him. He does not keep them in the White House. He added that he has never called for banning guns. He used to have a good relationship with the NRA and compliments them for their schooling programs on gun safety. Spam said, "Well, sir, the NRA has Moses on the screen calling you a liar -- now that is tough, that is tough -- that is tough."
The President laughed in Spam's face. Of course Clinton doesn't give a damn about the NRA Heston ads. Heston, a has-been old washout lucky to have a job as spokesloser for the NRA, is a joke -- in Hollywood and around the world. Just because Heston thinks guns are great doesn't mean anyone -- not even most sportsmen and hunters -- give a damn what he needs.
Spam kept it up with the liar crap. "You can't remember anyone every calling a sitting president a liar?" Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! So what? The president pointed out that the NRA wanted him to keep cop-killer bullets in Arkansas and the NRA lobbyist threatened Clinton that "...we will destroy you in Texas." "They have 3 million members," points out the idiotic Sam.
Yeah Sam, about 1 percent of the population. Sure, they're really powerful. The only thing they can do is spend their members' money -- without their permission -- to run ads calling Clinton a liar.
Spam then asked whether the President would consider debating Charleston Heston -- we were roaring with laughter. Clinton just laughed, too.
To top it off, Cockie and Will then interviewed the murderer -- Wayne La Pierre, who would rather have kids killed by the scores than see his psychotic gun-worshipper members to have good and fair rules for both sides. La Pierre, the biggest liar on the Hill, called Clinton a liar too. He said that he could have had what he wanted last year. He then said this (ha, ha, ha!): the President needs a certain level of violence and killing in order to rule. You should have heard the laughter in Ampol's media room! Even Cookie said this remark is "extraordinary." La Pierre launched into a foolish set of stories about non-prosecutions of gun crimes (because the RNC House and Senate don't fund these prosecutions).
You want lies? La Pierre lied time and time again -- he is well-know for being one inside the Beltway The NRA is a whore for gun manufacturers both in the United States and foreign nations. It is they who pay Wayne's salary through their massive contributions to the NRA.
La Pierre quoted the poll by Republican whore John "Zombie," who is always wrong -- except in one case years ago -- and the Bible, which said that Americans do not want their freedom to own guns abridged. He claimed that the White House is trying to "scare suburban women." He then used a race-baiting tactic, saying that guns kill people in ghettos, not in suburban neighborhoods.
Yeah, like the four schools in which kids were killed. This idiot from the NRA sits there and tells the world that the President has been quiet. Nothing could be further from the truth.
La Pierre said he heard the President talk about the nurturing, loving relationship that crack mothers have for their babies? Huh? What the hell is this moron talking about? Well, in a sense, he is talking largely to other morons. He is also representing criminals who want to keep it easy to buy guns -- and they are keeping it easy. La Pierre is a pushover and a liar. We would live to debate him in court.
Bill Clinton is telling the truth Wayne La Pierre doesn't even know what that is.
Next the "Weak" team had Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Chuck Hagel on to say they will "welcome McCain back." Will wanted to know why candidates McCain and Bradley made campaign finance reform a centerpiece of their campaigns -- yet lost terribly in the end. We'll tell you: because they focused on something that Americans do not consider important. We have been telling our readers this for years. Forget about it. It is better that American business is running the country -- they have the best and brightest and they can keep crooked Congressmen in line. When they do get the congressional crooks in line, we the people can get the corporate crooks in line quite simply: just stop buying their products.
McConnell said he thinks that every dollar should come from anyone who want to contribute as long as the donation is immediately indicated on the Internet. What about people who aren't on the Internet? The rest of the discussion was moot.
We were so bored. Who cares? Why aren't they talking about the Bush-Gore race? Why are we talking about McCain's return to the Senate -- where he will not be welcome as a hero, but instead shunned as the man who almost cost Bush the nomination and the White House.
Spam, Cockie and Staphylococcus sat around talking about Bush and Gore during the last ten minutes of air time. Cockie said that she thinks that Bush might win. Stupid Will thinks that a poll which shows Bush losing to Gore by about 7 points is GOOD for Bush. Ha, ha, ha! Gore will beat him hands down. Bush have NEVER run a race before. Not even in Texas. He was CROWNED there by Daddy. Now the GOP is rolling out Charles LaBella's bullshit report on Reno to try and mess up Gore (see today's Washington Post). Cockie then attacked, backing LaBella. What a great Democrat Cockie is, isn't she? Cockie said that Lee Radick of Reno's office doesn't like the IC law -- and she is right. But Spam -- trying to hurt Gore -- brings up the so-called Chinese Temple case and Will -- like an idiot -- wants to see the supposed photos of Gore "studying" the documents laying out how he would attract Chinese contributions -- and claimed there is strong evidence that the Vice President of the United States committed a CRIME!!!!!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! What an assmunch --- putting his entire career on the line lying to the viewers claiming that some photograph showing Gore paying attention to SOMETHING at meeting where LOTS was discussed is PROOF he know, all the time, that not only the Chinese Cultural Center meeting in Los Angeles was a plot to "get" money from Chinese Monks -- wealthy monks, by the way -- and that Gore somehow knew, ahead of time, that Maria Hsia would break the law in order to try and influence the White House.
The truth is that stupid businessmen and their lobbyists around the world attempt to buy influence with the White House and with Congress -- and in Congress' case, they often succeed because it's tough to follow the contributions of 600-some-odd elected federal officials. Most politicians, of course, accept foreign corporate and individual money whether they know it is at the time or not. As long as they give it back later, there is no penalty to the campaign. But all the time the pols are laughing in the back rooms and behind the backs of these foreign influence peddlers because American politicians might take this legal and illegal money -- but, of course, they also ignore these jerks when they ask for favors later.
Gore never took a dime from the anyone at the Chinese Temple in LA. Influence peddler and "green card getter" Maria H. did and she thought she could buy her way into influencing the White House like Charlie Trie and others who tried the same scam. She failed, and is being punished for it.
But to suggest that Al Gore colluded with her or anyone else to launder foreign contributions is akin to saying that Rush Limbaugh is objective. No politician has to collude with a foreign national -- they, including the British, the French, the Italians and the Irish -- all of them -- are constantly trying to inject money into our system in order to try and influence the outcome. It doesn't work, but you must admit it's fun to watch.
Now that's the truth!
POSTSCRIPT: From a reader
Adele writes:
"I watched Late Edition and could not believe the Republicans, Pat Robertson, Jack Kemp. Since when does a religious leader of a Christian Coalition get into politics? I always thought there was to be a separation of religion and politics in our country. And why are they tax exempt if they are involved in politics? Can you imagine me as a Catholic getting Pat Robertson in politics to control everyone to be with the Christian Right? I do not believe this is an election for President -- it is a religious struggle with the right wing and, as I have said, Mr. Bush is being used as their 'alter boy' -- and he loves every bit of it as long as he is in the limelight."
You're so right... er, I mean left... I mean, correct.