There are a
number of
truths that
We the People hold to be self-evident—the
most famous of which is: Never get involved in a
land war in Asia (or
Nevada).
But only slightly less well-known is this: Never go in against the Negro when control of Congress is on the line.
This week, after failing to conduct any sort of due diligence on their latest folk hero, Republicans were forced to learn these lessons the hard way.
On Thursday, the New York Times reported that Cliven Bundy had said some things that neither Whitey nor African-Americany were ready to hear.
Presented without the "proper context," Bundy's comments seemed disturbingly racist; and so, fearing that he might undermine the party's rebranding efforts, many of the white knights who'd previously come to his rescue tried to distance themselves from him.
Others took a more wait-and-see approach, and a few merely lamented Bundy's lack of media training.
And in a surprise to nobody, Fox News chose to largely ignore the elephant in the room and focus on Benghazi.
I want to tell you one more thing I know about the GOP—you'd have to be out of your cotton-pickin' mind to vote for them.
Morning lineup:
Meet The Press: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair; White House Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken; Roundtable: Citadel Prof. Mallory Factor, Jeffrey Goldberg (Bloomberg View), Neera Tanden (Center for American Progress) and Rich Lowry (National Review).
Face The Nation: Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO); Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN); Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA); Roundtable: Bobby Ghosh (TIME), Joe Klein (TIME), Peter Baker (New York Times) and Nia-Malika Henderson (Washington Post).
This Week: Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson; Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA); Robin Roberts (ABC News); Roundtable: Republican Strategist Matthew Dowd, Bill Kristol (Weekly Standard), Paul Krugman (New York Times) and Alicia Menendez (Huffington Post).
Fox News Sunday: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R); Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY); Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R); Indiana Gov. Mike Pence (R); Jennifer Gratz (XIV Foundation); Civil Rights Attorney Shanta Driver; Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Amy Walter (Cook Political Report), Republican Strategist Karl Rove and Juan Williams (Fox News).
State of the Union: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY); Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD); Roundtable: Matt Bai (Yahoo News), S.E. Cupp (CNN) and L.Z. Granderson (CNN).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: a rare look inside America's nuclear missile complex in Cheyenne, WY (preview); and, a report on Nicholas Winton, who helped save 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia (preview).
On Comedy Central...
Jon Stewart pwned Sean Hannity.
The Daily Show
Monday: Former MLB Player Mookie Wilson
Tuesday: Author William D. Cohan
Wednesday: Political Scientists Martin Gilens & Benjamin Page
Thursday: Actor/Comedian David Spade
And Stephen Colbert—who appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman" this week—dedicated a ballad to Cliven Bundy.
The Colbert Report
Monday: Former Ambassador Michael McFaul
Tuesday: Director Robert Rodriguez
Wednesday: Actress/Singer Audra McDonald
Thursday: Author/Actor/Musician Saul Williams
Elsewhere...
Sarah Palin gave lie to the idea that the Republican party is homogeneous by endorsing a black candidate.
"The Democrats accuse us of not embracing diversity? Oh, my goodness. He is it. He is the whole package. Oklahoma, you've been so lucky to have him," Palin said at the rally, seconds after cracking to awkward laughs: "I still can't pronounce his name. Ta-herer-wuhn. So I'm glad you go by T.W." (His full name is Tahrohon Wayne Shannon.)
Meanwhile...
Former presidential candidate Herman Cain toiled in obscurity.
While the political world might think Herman Cain was the GOP's most memorable candidate from the clown show known as the "2012 Republican presidential primaries," apparently last night's Jeopardy! contestants remember otherwise.
The clue: "This pizza magnate and 2012 presidential candidate was a math major at historically black Morehouse College." Not a single contestant — Julia, Dilip, or Donna — could answer.
"How quickly you have forgotten Herman Cain," host Alex Trebek remarked.
And, finally...
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia raised the possibility of a tax revolt.
During an event at the University of Tennessee's law school on Tuesday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia suggested to the capacity crowd that perhaps they should revolt against the U.S government if their taxes ever get too high. [...]
Days later, at a joint appearance with fellow Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Scalia offered a bit of ironic commentary on inflammatory rhetoric. "It sometimes annoys me when somebody has made outrageous statements that are hateful," he told the audience at the National Press Club.
"Sometimes the press will say, 'well, he was just exercising his first amendment rights'…You can be using your first amendment rights and it can be abominable that you are using your first amendment rights. I'll defend your right to use it, but I will not defend the appropriateness of the manner in which you are using it."
Now you know.
- Trix