Politics Today Bulletin 26, 12/14-12/15/24

… Republican hysteria continues over mystery drones. Despite Pentagon denials that these are not hostile attacks from Iran or alien invaders, and in most cases are known manned aircraft, Fox, Nexsmax, and right wing politicians continue to insist we are being invaded by hostile forces or possibly UFOs while the Biden Admin does nothing.

… Some Democrats have said that they want more info and suggested some of these could be privately owned drones involved. But nothing is coming out of Democrats as manic as the steady stream of panic from MAGA conspiracy theorists.

… I will include Trump’s Truth Social post with the spelling/grammar errors exactly as the moron wrote it: “Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don think so! Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shot them down!!! DJT.” Next month we can blame mystery drones on him. I just hope innocent people in an airplane don’t get shot down or shot at.

… Former Republican Gov of MD Larry Hogan expressed his outrage: He said he “personally witnessed and videotaped” dozens of large drones over his house in MD. “Like many who have observed these drones, I do not know if this increasing activity over our skies is a threat to public safety or national security. But the public is growing increasingly concerned and frustrated with the complete lack of transparency and dismissive attitude of the federal government”

…. The video Hogan posted over his house was of the constellation Orion.

… Marge Greene: “The government is in control of the drones and refuses to tell the American people what is going on. It is really that bad.” Jewish Space Lasers are so 2020. We’re on to drones now.

… GA Republican Party official Kandiss Taylor: “No matter what they throw at us. Drones. Viruses. Division. Jesus is still on the throne.” They always have to drag Republican Jesus into their conspiracies.

… Former military pilot and congressman Adam Kinzinger has posted on social media and appeared on CNN to dispute the wildest claims: “Every video I’ve seen, I’ve spent days looking at every one of these videos. Every video I’ve seen on the internet and on twitter are all airplanes. If they are drones, they are apparently complying with FAA lighting requirements.

… NY Post’s and Fox contributor Miranda Devine: “I get that the drone situation is baffling and somewhat scary, basically because our government is lying per usual. But please, New Jerseyans, don’t shoot at the sky because you might hit a passenger plane bringing innocent people home for Christmas.” Good advice.

… I find it curious that the Emperor of Right-Wing Conspiracies Elon Musk has not commented on these at all, and you would certainly expect him to fan the flames if he thought these claims were legit.

… Trump posted a photo of drones dropping off huge bags of McDonald’s to former NJ governor Chris Christie, as if suggesting that Christie is overweight because he eats too much McDonald’s is some kind of own from the unhealthy McDonald’s addict in Palm Beach.

… After getting passed over for Secretary of State and CIA, Ric Grenell then started whining and crying to everyone in Trump’s orbit who would listen and he finally got a job as “Presidential Envoy for Special Missions.” So he is supposedly going to deal with “hot spots.” Which means he either has no job or the worst job in a Trump Admin, depending on how much they let him do.

… I also don’t see Grenell getting along with Marco Rubio at all. I believe this an appointment mostly to placate Grenell to get him to stop whining, but the devil is in the details and whenever Trump is as vague as this job description that really means he has no specific portfolio for Grenell and just wants to turn off the whining for a while.

… Grenell’s secret weapon is his friendship with Melania Trump. Maybe Trump wanted to get her off his back about this also. I have zero doubt that Grenell called Melania for help.

… ABC surrendered and settled the defamation lawsuit Trump brought against them because of the verbiage George Stephanopoulos used to describe the liability judgment Trump owes E. Jean Carroll. Another humiliating embarrassment for legacy media. ABC must pay $15 million towards Trump’s presidential library or a monument, and must make a public apology to Trump.

… In other words, this is either $15 million to buy Trump picture books and Trump Bibles, or ABC is paying to put Trump’s face on Mount Rushmore.

… The crazy thing about this is that the word Stephanopoulos used to describe the jury’s verdict (“rapist”) technically refers to forced penetration of a vagina by a penis, when the actual verdict was for forced penetration of a vagina by a finger. That’s what we are talking about here. Pretty weak for ABC to surrender on a point of legal semantics with no significant substantive difference and no actual malice.

… Rick Scott: “Let this be a warning to liberal mainstream media. The days of lying about Republicans without consequences are over!”

… ABC didn’t just settle this case, they emboldened and encouraged hundreds more of them against everyone from deranged right-wingers looking for big payday.

…NYT is now reporting the obvious - that ABC’s surrender will encourage all Republicans to weaponize defamation law and the courts to file frivolous lawsuits against media companies as an intimidation tactic to receive favorable coverage. Even the threat of such actions are likely to result in coverage being less critical as legacy media continues to cower in fear to Trump.

… Naturally, Nancy Mace also had something to say about it: “Let this be a warning to all haters: Defamation is real, and your free trial of badmouthing just expired.” The First Amendment is real, too. At least in theory. And some of us won’t surrender like ABC.

… George Stefanopolous then deleted his X account today. Unclear whether it was the backlash he received from Democrats for the ABC settlement or because of right-wingers dunking on him. You get hit from both sides when you appease, and you never come out ahead by doing so.

… George Santos put out a video of someone throwing a milkshake on him while he was walking down the street, in order to promote his new podcast. He was trying to claim that libs hate him so much that they were attacking him on the street. Maybe he sees the kind of traction Nancy Mace has been getting. He later had to admit it was fake and the whole thing was staged after the milkshake thrower was identified on social media.

… Sorry there was no Bulletin on Friday as I went to the Christmas festival in Woodstock, VT. It was amazing with snow on the ground. I wasn’t thrilled with 11 degree temps, but I just kept adding layers and survived. Thank you again for supporting the work that goes into this column by subscribing. Here is a pic I took from Friday night.

… Chair of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus Bob Good gave his farewell address after losing his election: “I didn’t run for Congress to bring money back home. I didn’t run promising to work across the aisle, to compromise, or find common ground or to get things done.” I would like to say that is why he lost, but that is not why Republicans lose primaries. He lost because he endorsed Desantis over Trump, and Trump went after him. That simple.

… Bob Good also weighed in on the mystery drones: “The same government who repeatedly lied to us about covid says the mysterious drones flown by unknown entities are completely safe.” Enjoy retirement, Bob. Especially knowing that your own team rejected you.

… All 17 new House Republican Committee Chairs are white men. Apparently, those are not Black Jobs in the Republican Party.

… Eric Trump said Trump Org is considering an attempt to buy back the Waldorf Astoria in DC which used to be Trump International but was sold after he left the WH. I guess he figures now is the perfect time to cash back in on foreign delegations and lobbyists who want something from the government by selling them $15 cokes in ridiculously overpriced rooms.

… With the deadline looming on yet another possible government shutdown this Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson is struggling to put a deal together to keep the government open for another 90 days while they make another attempt to pass their first Republican budget in years. With a razor-thin majority and Dems unwilling to bail him out, Johnson is facing defections from a variety of members and small factions on different issues, each of which could tank any deal.

… But at a time when every Democratic vote is crucial this week, Nancy Pelosi is now recovering from hip replacement surgery in Germany after a fall in Luxembourg. Bad timing.

… Politico is reporting that Republicans from farm districts want more money added into the budget with the new CR this week. Other Republicans oppose that. Disaster relief money also has to be added. The bottom line is that this is going to be a very messy week and Johnson is trying to tiptoe around all the landmines while keeping everyone happy since just a couple defections could also cost him his speakership.

… Ronny Jackson is upset Dems won’t help out his rural district with more government money: “Supporting America’s farmers and ranchers is not a matter of turning a profit for producers this year, it’s a matter of life or death for their operations. Senate Democrats have failed rural America by refusing to engage on the farm bill process. SHAMEFUL!” Ronny sounding like a socialist.

… Don Jr. commented publicly for the first time since his breakup with Kim Guilfoyle became public: “Kimberly and I will never stop caring for each other and will always keep a special bond. Anyone taking baseless and petty fake news cheap shots at her in the tabloids are just embarrassing themselves. No one deserves the Ambassadorship more than her.” I don’t feel like I am embarrassing myself for commenting on this. It’s actually pretty fun and well deserved.

… Michael Flynn continues to claim that he is going to get some kind of appointment in the Trump Admin. His latest claim was on Seb Gorka’s show, who was nominated by Trump as his Counterterrorism Czar, which he is ridiculously unqualified for.

… I continue to doubt that Trump is going to give Flynn anything important because I think even Trump knows he’s an unhinged kook who will just end up doing crazy shit and causing problems for him. We will see. If he doesn’t, it will be humiliating for Flynn because he’s been talking about a major appointment in a second Trump Admin for over two years.

… I especially can’t imagine Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles going along with a Flynn appointment, but Trump proved with the Matt Gaetz appointment that he will do things without even notifying Wiles.

… Mitt Romney told CNN that he thinks JD Vance will be the Republican nominee for president in 2028 and heir apparent to take over the MAGA movement from Trump: “He’s smart, well-spoken, part of the MAGA movement.”

… Retired Romney then had this to say about the Democratic Party: “They have lost their base. Union guys and gals have left the Democratic Party and are voting Republican, and the Democratic Party is seen not as rich people but as college professors and woke scolds, and that’s not an attractive feature. How could they have so badly misread the public mood? Did they not understand how upset people were about inflation?”

… Lindsey Graham on the litany of misconduct allegations against Pete Hegseth: “He’s given me his side of the story and I believe him. Unless somebody’s willing to come forward, I think he’s going to get through.” Hegseth’s main accuser can’t come forward because Hegseth won’t release her from the NDA he has on her, and his Fox co-workers refuse to come forward publicly with what they know because they will lose their jobs and be finished in right-wing media forever.

… But Lindsey already knows all that and was always going to vote for Hegseth. This is just a game he plays where he thinks he can fool the media into believing he hasn’t sold out to Trump and given up years ago.

.… Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) was asked by Spectrum News about getting voted out of office in the Democratic Primary: “I wish I didn’t pull that damn fire alarm.” So I guess now he completely admits that it was done intentionally.

… Bowman was then asked if he thinks that cost him the election: “No. Hell no. My district is a super pro-Israel district. The minute I called for a ceasefire, that was the last straw.” Not so sure it was just that. Bowman went a lot further than that with his comments about Israel.

… Sen Thom Tillis told Fox that 3rd party right-wing groups are raising money to supposedly go after Republican Senators who don’t vote for Trump’s nominees, but claims that the people raising the cash are going to just pocket most of it. Tillis: “They should stand down and let the nominees win on their own merits.” That ain’t very