Let Us Be Grateful There is No Cult of Biden

When I saw the golden statue of former President Donald Trump at CPAC in Orlando, it reminded me of two things.

First, it reminds me that conservatives still worship at the altar of Trump. This is unchanged from 2016.

Second, it reminds me how grateful we should be there is no cult of Biden. This as much as anything else is why Trump cannot accept that he lost to Biden. He lost to a man who does not measure value by the size of his audience or how tall his buildings are. 

Biden has never had a cult following nor would he want one. AOC said his candidacy didn't "animate" her. To the extent Biden did animate Democratic activists their response was derision and disdain. I remember how lustily Biden was booed when I watched the Democratic debates with NYU students in September 2019.

Biden had to overcome skepticism. He managed to do so with a combination of compassion and competence while emphasizing modesty over Messianism. As syndicated columnist Steven Chapman put it, "Americans voted for him because he was a serviceable replacement for the incompetent, incorrigible incumbent. Biden makes poor material for a cult of personality."

Biden might make poor material for a cult of personality. However, he might have just the right material to be a compassionate and competent President of the United States.

Will The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Be The One Shot Deal We Need Against COVID-19?

The FDA gave emergency authorization use for Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine today and is expected. The company is expected to ship 4 million doses by the end of next week.

Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which received emergency authorization use approval in November and December respectively, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only a single dose. This will go a long way in achieving President Biden's objective of attaining 100 million vaccinations in in his first 100 days in office. The question is if Johnson & Johnson can keep up with the demand. Even if it can how long will be before someone in my age group will be eligible for any of vaccines?

I suspect this will take months. Consequently, mitigation measures such as masks and social distancing must remain for now. Since the Moderna vaccine was approved in December there have been more than 11 million new cases and 200,000 deaths in the United States due to COVID-19. In all, according to Johns Hopkins University, there have been more than 28.5 million cases (28,553,692) and nearly 512,000 deaths (511,994) in the U.S. representing a mortality rate of 1.8%. 

Although the spread of COVID-19 has slowed in recent weeks and now the approval of a third vaccine there will be more cases and more deaths especially as the virus continues to mutate.

Memo to Ilhan Omar: Replacing The Senate Parliamentarian Won't Get Us a $15/Hour Min Wage

Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has called for Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to be replaced after she ruled the $15/hour minimum wage could not be a part of the budget reconciliation process and included in President Biden's proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package which was passed by the House of Representatives this morning.

Like most of Omar's arguments, this one is wholly without merit. Replacing the Senate Parliamentarian will not bring about a $15 an hour minimum wage. 

First, Omar is assuming that MacDonough's replacement would have ruled differently. MacDonough's ruling isn't based on ideology but on the Senate's rules. The only way MacDonough or any other Senate Parliamentarian would have permitted the inclusion of the $15/hour minimum wage is if the Senate Rules Committee changes its rules. 

MacDonough's ruling does not preclude her from being overruled by Vice-President Harris in her capacity as Senate President although White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain has indicated Harris will not overrule MacDonough. But this doesn't preclude Omar and other members of the House and Senate from bringing pressure to bear upon Harris to reconsider. If Omar were smart she would direct her attention to the ear of the Vice-President instead of calling for the head of the Senate Parliamentarian. Alas Congresswoman Omar isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

When It Comes to Trump, Mitch McConnell is No Liz Cheney

After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell voted against impeaching former President Trump for his role inciting the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, the senior Senator from Kentucky declared that Trump was “practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day, no question about it.”

At the time, I didn't buy McConnell's remarks and I'm glad I didn't. Earlier this evening, McConnell told Bret Baier of Fox News that he would "absolutely" support Trump should the GOP nominate him in 2024. The GOP nomination is Trump's for the asking. It is impossible for me to take McConnell's condemnations of Trump seriously when he is perfectly happy to have him as his party's presidential standard bearer.

Needless to say, McConnell is no Liz Cheney. Yesterday, the number three ranking House Republican declared, "I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country." Cheney, who was one of only 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump, said this in the presence of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy no less.

The Mitch McConnell who said he would "absolutely" support Trump is the real McConnell - a sniveling coward. Trump's words and deeds, especially concerning inciting the violence which nearly prevented the peaceful transfer of power, warrant his banishment from polite society. Cheney's position ought to be the standard in the GOP. Instead, it is the exception to the rule. McConnell rendered his condemnation of Trump on the Senate floor meaningless by legitimizing another bid for the White House and with it another chance to foment political violence resulting in death and destruction.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, R.I.P.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, painter and co-founder of San Francisco's City Lights, passed away yesterday of interstitial lung disease. Ferlinghetti lived to the age of 101.

Born in Yonkers, Ferlinghetti would serve in the U.S. Navy during WWII and landed on the beaches of Normandy during D-Day, studied in New York and in Paris before making his way to San Francisco more than 70 years ago. 

While associated with the Beat Generation, Ferlinghetti did not consider himself a Beat Poet. But he would stand trial in 1957 for obscenity for selling Allen Ginsberg's Howl which depicted both drug use and homosexuality forever cementing his association. The following year, Ferlinghetti published his own collection of poetry A Coney Island of the Mind which became a bestseller - still quite an unusual feat for a poetry book. Although a national countercultural figure, Ferlinghetti was forever associated with San Francisco and City Lights and would be a fixture there accessible to the public until his health began to decline a decade ago.

I leave you with Ferlinghetti reciting the "Loud Prayer" from The Band's final concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom in The Last Waltz. R.I.P.

David Crosby Released His First Solo Album 50 Years Ago Today

I don't write about music nearly as much as I should given all the time I spend absorbing it. 

Now I have written a fair share about David Crosby having heard him in concert with Crosby, Stills & Nash in 2015 shortly before their dissolution, seen the Cameron Crowe directed documentary and attended his concert outside the Lincoln Center with my Dad in the summer of 2019 when crowds weren't hazardous to your health. 

I write about Crosby again today because it was 50 years ago today that he released his first solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name. Of course, it wouldn't be accurate to characterize it as a solo album. Both Graham Nash and Neil Young contributed to the album. But you couldn't call it as CSNY album either. Throw in Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart of The Grateful Dead, Gregg Rolie and Michael Shrieve of Santana as well as Paul Katner, Grace Slick, Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane and you have a free-flowing, esoteric, ethereal album that I'm sure some CSNY fans didn't know what the hell to make of at the time. It would be nearly two decades before Crosby would record another solo album.

If one were to have attended a CSN/CSNY or Crosby concert, the one cut one would likely hear would be the politically charged and thus always germane "What Are Their Names?" But the rest of the album has a mellow urgency serving as an antidote to alleviate stress at work. I suspect If I Could Only Remember My Name will serve as such a tonic come 2071.

My favorite song on this album is "Laughing" which features Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell on backup vocals, Phil Lesh on bass and Jerry Garcia putting the icing on the cake on pedal steel guitar. But the cake itself are Crosby's music with words.

Biden Marks The Deaths of 500,000 Americans to COVID-19: "We Have to Resist Becoming Numb to the Sorrow."

COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of more than 500,000 Americans. According to Johns Hopkins University, 500,172 have died of COVID-19 among 28,184,218 cases representing a mortality rate of 1.8%. 

President Biden marked the grim occasion with a short address in which he implored Americans "to resist becoming numb to the sorrow." He also noted that COVID-19 has killed more Americans over the past year than those who died for this country in WWI, WWII & Vietnam combined. Following the address, President Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, Vice-President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff stood for a moment of silence outside the White House as "Amazing Grace" played.

The President is certainly correct in his sentiments. The sad truth is that the last thing most Americans want to think about is COVID and the deaths which have resulted. Mind you, this doesn't take into account the significant portion of the population which does not believe COVID much less the misery which has resulted from it. A good many of that total also do not recognize Biden as our President.

But for those of us who do face reality the numbers are too much to bear for some. Let us remember that it was Biden who led the nation in mourning the day before he took office to commemorate the passing of 400,000 Americans. 

That was 34 days ago.

In less than five weeks, COVID-19 has killed 100,000 Americans. 

The COVID-19 death toll has also doubled from 250,000 to 500,000 in 96 days. 

This isn't to say there aren't good signs. Hospitalizations fell below 100,000 at the end of January and the daily case totals have not exceeded 100,000 since February 7th - more than two weeks ago. More than 63 million vaccine doses have been administered with 13.1% of the U.S. population having received at least one shot. But it won't take much for progress to be hindered and reversed.

Then there is the grim reality that more people are going to die. By the end of March, COVID-19 will have cost yet another 100,000 American lives and it will be once again left to President Biden to lead us in sorrow.

Who Should We Trust About Israel's Vaccine Program? Dr. Fauci or Michael Che?

SNL "comedian" Michael Che "joked" last night, "Israel is reporting that they vaccinated half of their population and I'm gonna guess it's the Jewish half."

Aside from the fact that nearly three quarters of Israel's population is Jewish, the vaccines are available to all although there has been resistance from its Arab population some of whom engage in COVID denialism. The "joke" was more likely a shot at Israel for allegedly denying the vaccine to Palestinians. Aside from the fact, the PA is responsible for administering health care the PA has also refused Israeli assistance on vaccines.

For his part, Dr. Anthony Fauci called Israel's COVID vaccination program "a model for the rest of the world."

I don't know about you, but when it comes to Israel's COVID vaccination program I'm going to go with Dr. Fauci rather than some so-called "comedian" who traffics in bigotry and hatred.

The Biden Presidency is a Month Old & All Conservatives Can Do is Go After His Wife & Dog

Joe Biden took the oath of office a month ago today. 

The 46th President has an approval rating of above 50%. While Biden's presidency is still in its very early days you know things are going well when conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Greg Kelly are reduced to questioning the authenticity of his marriage and deriding the personal appearance of one his dogs, respectively.

What does any of this have to with dissemination of vaccines? Or the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill? Or reopening schools? Or resuming the Iran nuclear deal?

The fact the Biden Administration is eager to resume negotiations with Iran is very troubling. If conservatives are interested on focusing in on that area of policy or, frankly, any area of policy then fine. But if all conservatives can talk about is Biden's wife and dog then I'm not interested and nor should anyone else.

U.S. Passes 28 Million COVID-19 Cases as Community Spread Slows Down

The United States has now surpassed 28 million COVID-19 cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 28,065,688 COVID-19 cases resulting in 497,374 deaths. This represents a mortality rate of 1.8%. 

Consider what I wrote on January 30th when the U.S. surpassed 26 million cases:

It took 64 days for the number of COVID-19 cases to double from 13 million to 26 million. Is this a good sign?

In most ways it isn't when you consider that it took 281 days to reach 13 million. The disease is spreading far more rapidly now that it did last spring or summer. 

On the other hand, it took 53 days for the number of cases to double from 9 million to 18 million. Another 53 days to double from 10 million to 20 million. It took 55 days to double from 11 to 22 million while taking 58 days to double from 12 million to 24 million. We recorded our 14 millionth case on December 3, 2020. If we hit the 28 million mark after February 5th then there's some progress. 

Well, we have indeed made progress given that it took until February 20th to hit 28 million cases - more than two weeks beyond the threshold. Yes, 14 million new COVID-19 cases in 79 days is still too much as is 2 million new cases in the past three weeks, but baby steps. The question will this step forward be followed by two steps back.

With this in mind, let us also consider something else I wrote:

But how many deaths will have occurred during this period? That same day we recorded our 14 millionth COVID-19 case, we also saw the death toll climb above 275,000. Whenever we hit 28 million cases we will likely be somewhere between 450,000 and 475,000 deaths. 

We are at almost 500,000 deaths and we shall likely reach this ignominious figure by tomorrow.  

Ted Cruz Throws His Daughters Under The Bus For a Plane to Cancun

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz has been rightly taking on the chin for flying to Cancun with his family as the state he represents is in a deep freeze as Lone Star residents are without power and running water and whatever water is to be had needs to be boiled.

Needless to say, Cruz's flight south has received a cold reception in Texas and beyond and the junior Senator has sheepishly returned home. But not before throwing his 12-year old and 10-year old daughter under the bus for a plane to Cancun. Cruz issued a statement which read in part, "With school cancelled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon."

A good Dad does not blame his children for his own error in judgment. Nor does a good Dad blatantly lie about it. All those years kissing up to Trump have rubbed off.

Prominent conservative commentator Dinesh D'Souza defended Cruz's trip south of the border on Twitter:

What could @tedcruz do if he were here in Texas? I’m hard-pressed to say. If he’s in Cancun, that means he’s not using up valuable resources of energy, food and water that can now be used by someone else. This is probably the best thing he could do for the state right now.

I actually agree with part of D'Souza's statement. Since Cruz sees fit to put himself before the needs of his constituents then perhaps it would have been best if he stayed out of state, submitted his resignation and let someone who doesn't blame his children for his shortcomings serve the people of Texas.

Biden, Trump & The Uighurs

In an otherwise well received appearance on a CNN Town Hall last night in Milwaukee, President Biden did raise eyebrows when discussing the genocide of Uighur Muslims in China when he told Anderson Cooper, “Culturally there are different norms that each country and their leaders are expected to follow.”

In this respect, President Biden is engaging in cultural relativism which puts human rights firmly in the backseat.

Prominent Trump supporter and conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec took Biden to task for calling genocide "a cultural norm."

This criticism would have merit except for the fact that President Trump was no champion of the Uighurs. Indeed, according to former National Security Adviser John Bolton, Trump told President Xi Jinping during the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan back in June 2019 that his policy of putting Uighurs into concentration camps was "exactly the right thing to do." A year later, Trump told Axios he did not bring pressure to bear upon China concerning the Uighurs because he was "in the middle of a major trade deal." Needless to say, I don't recall Posobiec nor any other Trump supporter of any description objecting to his posture towards the Uighurs. 

During Trump's last day in office, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proclaimed the Chinese were committing genocide against the Uighurs. But this seemed more aimed at putting Biden into an awkward political position rather than any genuine concern for the plight of the Uighurs.

President Biden will have to do better where it concerns the Uighur Muslims. But so long as Trump supporters criticize Biden without taking into account Trump's words and deeds then their views should be given just the attention it deserves.

Thoughts on the Passing of Rush Limbaugh

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh died today of lung cancer at the age of 70.

Like many, Limbaugh's cruelty as entertainment left me cold whether his targets were Donovan McNabb, Michael J. Fox, Sandra Fluke or Pete Buttigieg. Just over a week after former President Trump bestowed him with the Presidential Medal Freedom at last year's State of the Union, Limbaugh said Americans wouldn't elect Buttigieg for "kissing his husband." Yet his cruelty found an audience and it made him a fortune. 

In the process, Limbaugh played no small part in turning conservatism into a caricature and effectively handed off the baton to Donald Trump. Needless to say, he was not my cup of tea. 

Nevertheless, I take no pleasure in celebrating his death nor do I see the point. Those who see fit to do so only demonstrate that they are no better than he is. Case in point is one Dr. Dave Lustig, a Florida based psychologist who tweeted:

Rush Limbaugh has died. There’s no reason to feel guilty if you believe that the entire world is a slightly better place than it was this morning.

I don't believe Rush Limbaugh's death makes the world a better place in the slightest. It won't help stop COVID-19 or help people without no power in Texas. Limbaugh might be dead, but the cruelty lives on be it in former President Trump, Alex Jones, the 1/6 rioters, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib or Jeremy Corbyn. 

The world only becomes a better place if we are prepared to live from day to day treating others with kindness and respect in both word and deed. 

This will not happen if our energies are spent wishing for the demise of Henry Kissinger and Prince Philip.

It isn't to say that Limbaugh's legacy isn't subject to critique. One can reasonably argue that his legacy made America worse as Alex Shephard did today in The New Republic. 

But there is no reason to derive pleasure in Limbaugh's death. As the old saying goes, "If you have nothing nice to say about someone, it is better not to say anything at all."

R.I.P.

Cuomo Messed Up on COVID Nursing Home Deaths But His Conservative Critics Can't Be Taken Seriously

Nearly a year ago, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was the most popular politician in the country with his reassuring COVID briefings. This made for talk that Cuomo, not Joe Biden should be the Democratic Party standard bearer for the White House.

In retrospect, I think Democrats are happy they stuck with Biden. Although Cuomo initially received wide praise one decision has come back to bite him. In late March, Cuomo ordered that nursing home patients who were released from the hospital after COVID were to be returned to their nursing homes. This policy would end in early May. 

There was the lingering question of how many nursing home patients had died as a result of the policy. In late January, New York Attorney General Letitia James revealed the Cuomo Administration had undercounted the number of deaths by 50%. Things turned worse last week when a top Cuomo aide admitted to withholding this information. Subsequently, the New York Department of Health finally revealed the policy had resulted in more than 15,000 deaths. Given that there have been 37,328 COVID-19 deaths in New York State as of this writing, nursing home fatalities account for 43.7% of the toll.

This number could have been prevented. It is bad enough that Cuomo pursued a bad policy. His administration made matters worse by not being forthcoming with the numbers. While Cuomo did finally admit making a "mistake" yesterday the damage has been done. An argument can be made that this warrants his resignation or at the very minimum that he not seek another term for Governor. 

Needless to say, Cuomo's conservative critics are having a field day. While Cuomo was in the wrong it is difficult to take his conservative critics seriously as they turn a blind eye to former President Trump's ineffective and reckless approach to COVID-19. 

The bottom line is that while Cuomo ought to be held to account, his conservative critics are in no position to lecture Cuomo about anything so long as they either ignore or whitewash Trump's disgraceful response to COVID-19 which President Biden now must clean up.

Presidents Day Thoughts (Carter, Trump & Biden)

This afternoon, I briefly visited the grounds of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum here in Atlanta. Of course, these facilities are closed due to COVID-19. Fittingly, it was a miserable rainy day although the grounds were quite beautiful. Hopefully there will come another day to visit the grounds and with it a chance to give it the appreciation it deserves.

The 39th President is nearing the end of his life. However long Carter has to live he can take comfort that a majority of Americans will no longer view him as the worst one term President in this country's history. For all of Carter's shortcomings, he never roused his supporters to violence against Ronald Reagan nor any other Republican.

Donald Trump demeaned and disabused the office of the presidency and his Republican apologists in Congress and in the states continue to do so. But whether they like it or not, Joe Biden is the President of the United States.

It remains to be seen whether Biden will be a one term President be it by design or defeat. But not yet a month into his presidency, Biden retains a good deal of goodwill though a critical mass fallaciously believe his election illegitimate. Merely behaving like a rational adult and refraining from late night tweets telling people 2+2=5 goes a long way in retaining that goodwill. Notwithstanding this goodwill, Biden is going to need to produce results namely the passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill as well as the not so small task of inoculating 300 million plus Americans from the aforementioned deadly disease.

At least for the moment, Joe Biden's very presence in the Oval Office restores honor to the presidency and makes Presidents Day a meaningful holiday once more.

"Big Maple" James Paxton Reunites With The Mariners

Pitcher James Paxton will be returning to the Seattle Mariners in 2021. Known as Big Maple, Paxton has signed a one year contract worth $8.5 million.

The Canadian born Paxton, 32, was drafted by the Mariners in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft. He would make his big league debut late in the 2013 season and would remain with the club through the 2018 season. Following that season, the Mariners would deal Paxton to the New York Yankees in exchange for pitching prospect Justus Sheffield.

In 2019, Paxton won a career high 15 games for the Yankees. However, Paxton would miss most of the 2020 season due to spinal surgery. In five starts in the COVID shortened season, Paxton was ineffective posting a 6.64 ERA.

However, 2020 should prove to be aberration. Paxton enters the 2021 season with a 57-33 with a 3.58 ERA. It remains to be seen if Paxton's second tenure in Seattle will last the entire season. Should the Mariners, who have not been to the post-season in 20 years, not contend then we can expect Paxton to wear another uniform by the end of July. Indeed, he could return to the Bronx.

How Long Will It Be Before Omar Becomes Chair of The House Foreign Relations Committee?

A couple of days ago Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar had her status on the House Foreign Relations Committee upgraded as she was named vice chairwoman of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over Africa and global human rights issues.

In so doing, House Democrats have given Omar a platform for spreading anti-Semitism as one can be sure that the lion's share of "global human rights issues" will be devoted to defaming and delegitimizing Israel. While Democrats deplore Marjorie Taylor Greene for condemning "Zionist supremacists", they turn the other way when it occurs among their own ranks.

What I fear is that it is only a matter of time before Omar will be promoted to Chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee. Whether it happens in short order or before the end of the decade it will lead to disastrous consequences not only for U.S. relations with Israel and the status of American Jews in the United States.

Mitch McConnell Was Never Going To Be a Profile in Courage

I've just finished watching Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is speaking on the Senate floor explaining his decision to acquit President Trump.

After making a case for his conviction as strong as any made by the House Managers. Indeed, McConnell says he would have considered the House Managers' argument if he was still in office. But McConnell says he cannot convict Trump because he is no longer President.

Of course, there could have been a Senate trial if Mitch McConnell wanted one. But as Majority Leader he didn't want one. So he bided his time, delayed Democrats coming to power, played coy and then cast his not guilty vote. 

Mitch McConnell was and has never been a profile in courage. Indeed he is a profile in cowardice.

Witnesses or No Witnesses, The Senate Was Never Going to Convict Trump

Seven Republican Senators joined 48 Democrats and two independents in convicting Donald Trump of inciting an insurrection. But this fell 10 votes short necessary for a conviction. For the second time in just over a year, former President Trump has been acquitted in the Senate after being impeached in the House of Representatives.

Earlier in the day, it appeared House Managers would be able to call witnesses thus prolonging the trial. But Democrats made a deal with Republicans to enter a statement made by Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler who witnessed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's tumultuous phone call with Trump on 1/6. 

Some left-wing activists are incensed Democrats didn't call witnesses after being given the chance to do so. But House Managers could have called 100 witnesses. The results would have been the same. Those 43 Republican Senators would have been unmoved. 

At this point, it is once again up to Georgia to save the rest of the country. Or at the very least a certain District Attorney here in Fulton County.

Jake Arrieta Returns To The Cubs, But Will He Return To His Cy Young Form?

After three so-so seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher Jake Arrieta has returned to the Chicago Cubs signing a one year contract worth between $6.5-7 million. 

Arrieta, who turns 35 next month, had his best seasons in Wrigley after a mediocre tenure with the Baltimore Orioles. I remember when the Boston Red Sox used to routinely pound Arrieta into sand. But by the time he joined the Cubs starting rotation in 2014, Arrieta was a completely different pitcher. I wish The American Spectator hadn't taken down most of my articles because I correctly predicted Arrieta would win the NL Cy Young in 2015. It is probably the best baseball prediction I have ever made.

Arrieta also won a World Series ring with the Cubs in 2016 and his lone All-Star Team selection before coming back down to earth. Arrieta went 68-31 with a 2.73 ERA over five seasons with the Cubs. In three seasons in Philly, Arrieta was 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA. Not quite as bad as his years with the Orioles, but a significant come down. Arietta hopes a return to the Cubs will represent a return to his old form.

I doubt this will come to pass. At the stage of his career, Arietta is returning to become a mentor to younger pitchers. The 2021 Cubs will be a different team with the departures of Yu Darvish and Jon Lester not to mention the possibility of Kris Bryant being dealt away. There is always the chance that if Arrieta does well but the Cubs don't that he would be dealt before the end of July. 

However long Arrieta is in Chicago this time around if both sides temper their expectations he could be a plus for a not so great Cubs team in 2021.

Thoughts on McCarthy's Irate Phone Call With Trump on 1/6

It was revealed that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had an irate phone call with President Trump on 1/6. As Trump supporters attempted to invade his office, McCarthy pleaded with Trump to send help. But Trump refused and reportedly said his supporters were more concerned about the election than him. 

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss posed this question on Twitter late on Friday evening, "If McCarthy fought with Trump on telephone January 6, why did he make pilgrimage to Palm Beach January 28?"

By way of supplemental one could ask, "If McCarthy said Trump bore responsibility for the insurrection on January 13th then why did he say "everybody across the country" bore responsibility by January 23rd?"

The answer to both questions is the same. Kevin McCarthy wants to become Speaker of the House. In order to do so, he must curry favor with Donald Trump. McCarthy chooses party over country, power over principle and prestige over policy.

Of course, none of this guarantees Trump won't turn on McCarthy on a dime. I'm sure he'd rather have Jim Jordan as the top Republican in the House.

I hope that House Managers will compel McCarthy to testify to his account of that heated conversation with Trump. But if they do then don't be surprised if McCarthy lies under oath not only to protect Trump but to preserve his political future.

Chick Corea, R.I.P.

Jazz keyboard player and pianist Chick Corea passed away on February 9th of a rare form of cancer. He was 79.

Outside of Herbie Hancock, Corea is probably the most significant jazz pianist of the past 50 years. He had a profound influence on Miles Davis' landmark albums In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew and would explore jazz fusion leading bands like Circle, Return to Forever and later the Chick Corea Elektric Band. 

I leave you with Corea showing us how he put together one of his best known compositions "Spain". R.I.P.

It Took Exactly One Month For The U.S. COVID-19 Death Toll To Rise From 375K to 475K

Tonight, the United States recorded its 475,000 death due to COVID-19. According to Johns Hopkins University, 475,040 Americans have died of COVID-19 among 27,382,857 cases representing a mortality rate of 1.7%. 

It took exactly one month for the death toll to go from 375,000 to 475,000. In other words, 100,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since January 11th. It also took exactly one month for the death toll to go from 350,000 to 450,000.  At this current pace, the COVID-19 death toll will hit half a million on February 19th - one week from tomorrow. The ways things are going it could come sooner than that. 

Many of us have become inured to it while others act like none of this is happening. Neither is a good thing.

Andrew Benintendi is Going to Kansas City

Andrew Benintendi is going to Kansas City.

The Boston Red Sox have traded Benintendi to the Royals in a three team trade involving the New York Mets. The Bosox will receive outfielder Franchy Cordero from the Royals and pitching prospect Josh Winckowski from the Mets while the Mets will get outfield prospect Khalil Lee from the Royals. 

Benintendi, 26, was a first round draft pick by the Red Sox in 2015 and would make his big league debut late in the 2016 season. Affectionately known as Benny, he would finish runner up in AL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2017 to Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. In 2018, Benintendi would earn a World Series ring. However, Benintendi's offensive numbers have gradually declined. In an injury plagued 2020 which limited him to 14 games, Benintendi only hit .103. 

But Benintendi has something to prove, is entering the prime of his career and K.C. is the perfect place for him. In 8 career games at Kansas City's Ewing Kaufmann Stadium, Benintendi has gone 16 for 33 for a .485 batting average with 2 HR and 3 RBI. Now, I'm not saying Benintendi will hit .485 for the Royals yet I think Benintendi will play the best baseball of his career in K.C. 

Officer Goodman is a Good Man

We all knew of Officer Eugene Goodman's bravery in singlehandedly diverting a mob of Trump supporters away from the U.S. Senate chamber during the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6th saving members of the Senate assembled as well as former Vice-President Mike Pence. 

But it turns out Officer Goodman was even more heroic than we knew. During the second day of former President Trump's impeachment trial, House Manager Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands presented video showing Goodman alerting Senator Mitt Romney who was about to walk into the bloodthirsty mob.

Goodman is now the Acting Deputy Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate. This appointment should be made permanent. A Congressional Gold Medal and a Presidential Medal of Freedom should follow.

But even if none of these come to pass we can all agree on one thing. Officer Goodman is a good man.

For Every Bill Cassidy There is a Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton & Rick Scott, Etc.

On the first day of former President Trump's impeachment trial, a Republican Senator actually listened and changed his mind.

Bill Cassidy, the recently re-elected GOP Senator from Louisiana, joined fellow Republicans Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey in deeming impeachment proceedings as constitutional. Cassidy had previously objected to impeachment proceedings. He explained to reporters that House managers led by Maryland Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin "were focused, they were organized" and "made a compelling argument." Senator Cassidy was far less impressed with Trump attorneys David Schoen and Bruce Castor:

President Trump's team were disorganized. They did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand and when they talked about it, they kind of glided over, almost as if they were embarrassed of their arguments.

But for every Bill Cassidy there is a Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Rick Scott, etc. Via Amee Vanderpool on Twitter:

While Rep. Raskin played a 13-minute video of the violent attack on the Capitol, Sen. Rand Paul doodled on a pad of paper; Sen. Rick Scott studied papers in his lap; Sen. Tom Cotton looked at down at papers and Sen. Marco Rubio did the same.

I'm sure Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Tommy Tuberville and Marsha Blackburn behaved in an equally cowardly manner. They aren't interested in what Raskin has to say much less Trump's lawyers. Their minds are already made up. They aren't going to cross Trump much less his supporters.

Of course, while Cassidy has voted in favor of the impeachment proceedings it doesn't necessarily mean he will vote in favor of impeachment. When it is all said and done, Cassidy might vote the same way as his other Republican colleagues.

President Trump saw fit to incite an insurrection and Republican Senators are probably going to let him get away with it and the Constitution and the will of the people be damned.  

Marty Schottenheimer, R.I.P.

Former NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer  died last night of Alzheimer's Disease. He was 77.

Schottenheimer was one of the most successful coaches in NFL history with 200 regular season wins plus five in the playoffs. Unfortunately, his regular season success was overshadowed by bad luck in the playoffs. Schottenheimer would guide the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers to 13 playoffs in 21 seasons, but none of his teams would get to the Super Bowl. The Browns would run into bad luck in back to back years against the Denver Broncos in the AFC finals. The only other time a Schottenheimer got to a conference final was in 1993 when the Chiefs fell short to the Buffalo Bills. Of course, Bills head coach Marv Levy would suffer through four consecutive Super Bowl losses. But Schottenheimer never got to even be a bridesmaid. This alone has kept him out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Schottenheimer would finally gain a championship in 2011 with the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. But Schottenheimer would abruptly resign soon after and the league would fold the following year. He would be diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2014. 

Schottenheimer's emphasis on defense and running the ball would be an influence on a number of coaches he hired who would taste Super Bowl glory. Bill Cowher worked as an assistant for him with both the Browns and the Chiefs while Tony Dungy, Mike McCarthy and Bruce Arians of the newly crowned Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut their teeth with Schottenheimer in Kansas City. 

I leave you with a few of his motivational speeches. There was a gleam in his eyes. R.I.P.

Mary Wilson, R.I.P.

 

Mary Wilson, a founding and the longest reigning member of the Motown group The Supremes, died suddenly last night. No cause of death has been announced. Wilson was 76. 

Only 48 hours earlier, Wilson announced on her YouTube channel that she planned to release new music some time before her birthday in March.

Originally from Mississippi, her family made their way to Detroit where she met Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Betty McGlown and formed The Primettes in 1959. McGlown was replaced by Barbara Martin the following year when they were signed by Motown and renamed The Supremes. Martin departed the group in 1962 making them a trio.

From 1964 to 1967, The Supremes scored 10 Number 1 hits on the Billboard charts including "Baby Love", "Stop! In The Name of Love" and "I Hear a Symphony". Both Wilson and Ballard would be overshadowed by Ross and Berry Gordy, Jr. would rename the group Diana Ross & The Supremes. Wilson would remain with the group while Ballard was replaced with Cindy Birdsong. After Ross departed in 1970, the group would go through numerous lineup changes but Wilson would remain the constant until she finally called it quits in 1977. The Supremes never attained the same level of chart success after Ross' departure. Sadly, Ballard would die suddenly of coronary thrombosis in 1976 at the age of 32. 

In 1986, Wilson would emerge as an author penning a best selling autobiography Dreamgirl! My Life as a Supreme. The book was notable for portraying Ross in a negative light. The group would be inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame two years later. Wilson would write a follow up book Supreme Faith: Someday We'll Be Together in 1990. In 2019, Wilson released a coffee table book Supreme Glamour. That same year she would appear on ABC's Dancing With The Stars. 

Wilson seldom had the chance to sing lead. Have a listen to her earliest effort from The Supremes' debut album Meet The Supremes - "Baby Don't Go". R.I.P.

Michigan Democratic Congressman Andy Levin Ignores Palestinian Anti-Semitism

Another day, another Democratic Congressman making dubious statements about Israel or, in this particular case anti-Semitism.

On February 1st, while participating in a webinar with the anti-Israel Jewish group IfNotNowWhen, Michigan Democratic Congressman Andy Levin stated:

The Burmese military just conducted a coup and ended Burma’s fragile, 10-year experiment with democratic self-governance. During those 10 years, the rights of the Rohingya and the Karen and other minority peoples of Burma were never recognized at all. And there was even a genocide of the Rohingya and more broadly the rights of minority peoples there were oppressed. ... We cannot accept a situation where we consider Burma to be a democracy when the rights of its minority peoples were never even established. Of course, it’s highly imperfect, but an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere. Unless Palestinian human rights are respected, we cannot fight antisemitism.

For starters, Levin linking the recent coup in Burma with the Palestinian Authority is bizarre when one considers the Palestinian Authority hasn't held an election since 2006.

But the notion that anti-Semitism cannot be combated unless Palestinian rights are respected is utterly specious. It is an absurd a premise as claiming that anti-Semitism cannot be combatted unless the rights of white Protestants are respected. 

Most importantly of all Levin ignores Palestinian anti-Semitism. From cradle to grave, Palestinians are taught to hate and dehumanize Jews. Palestinians are told that Jews are the "sons of apes and pigs."  The Palestinian Authority names streets after Palestinians who murder Jews in cold blood. When Palestinians commit acts of terror against Jews, Palestinian children are handed candy.

And yet Levin insists that we cannot address anti-Semitism unless we respect Palestinians who see fit to kill Jews. But what can we expect of someone who refers to his fellow Michigan colleague Rashida Tlaib, who erroneously claimed Israel was refusing to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Palestinians, as a "sister"?

Levin was elected to Congress in 2018 after his father Sander retired. He is also the nephew of former Michigan Senator Carl Levin. Sadly, in this case, the apple has fallen far from the tree.

Did The U.S. Record Fewer Than 100K New COVID-19 Cases For The First Time in More Than 3 Months?

As the U.S. reported its 27 millionth COVID-19 case yesterday there appeared to be a silver lining. Yesterday marked the first time since November 2nd that fewer than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases were recorded nationwide.

But check out the fine print. The COVID Tracking Project noted that while it had recorded 96,000 new cases yesterday pointed out, "Today’s data is missing updates from a handful of states, some of which regularly do not report on the weekend, some having technical difficulties."

Given these circumstances I think yesterday's total will eventually be adjusted into the six digits. At this point, I would be more encouraged if we saw a week's worth of data pointing to a drop below 100,000 new cases a day. While that would be a good sign we won't be starting to (as former President Trump put it) rounding the turn until we fall below 10,000 new cases a day. We aren't there yet.

Thoughts on My Twitter Exchange with Congressman Ro Khanna

Last night I took California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna to task for his erroneous claim that Israel had burned down Palestinian villages.

This morning, much to my surprise, he replied to me directly on Twitter and we had a brief but civil exchange which you can view here.

In summary, Khanna emphasized he had corrected his mistake and cited his pro-Israel credentials. I countered that if he was genuinely pro-Israel he would not have deployed such careless and inflammatory language. While I appreciated him in getting touch with me I told him that this juror was still out on him. Khanna replied that was fair. He then asked that I judge him going forward on the entirety of his record. He then made a point of deriding Netanyahu while praising the late Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres. I retorted that his energies would be better spent holding the Palestinian Authority to account reminding him they haven't had elections in 15 years.

We didn't change each others' minds, but I do give him credit for reaching out to me. I don't know if Khanna is in the habit of reaching out to people who disagree with him. If it is then more power to him. Either way, I certainly had no expectation that would happen. That certainly would never happen with the likes of AOC, Ilhan Omar or Rashida Tlaib. 

I will say that other responses to our exchange were considerably less civil and predictably anti-Semitic.

With that said, I will keep a close eye on what Khanna says and does regarding Israel going forward. I hope his statement was an aberration and that he can earn my trust.

U.S. Tops 27 Million COVID-19 Cases Amid Super Bowl Parties & Iowa Lifting Restrictions

The United States has now topped 27 million COVID-19 cases. According to Johns Hopkins University, 27,004,716 Americans have had COVID-19 along with 463,437 deaths representing a mortality rate of 1.7%. 

In recent weeks, it has taken between 4-6 days to add a million new cases. This time around it took 8 days to get from 26 million to 27 million cases. This sign of progress might prove to be short-lived with a litany of Super Bowl parties which could become superspreader events. (For the record, I watched the Super Bowl all by myself). Then you have states like Iowa which are lifting all masking and social distancing requirements. 

In which case, the step forward we have taken will be followed by three steps taken back. 

Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna Lies About Israel "Burning Down Palestinian Villages"

California Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna had to backtrack after claiming in an interview on MSNBC this past Friday that Israel was "burning down Palestinian villages." Khanna claimed what he meant to say was Israeli settlers had burned Palestinian orchards and olive trees. 

The long and short of it is that Khanna lied and did so willfully. He knew exactly what he was saying and intended to leave people with the impression that Israel wantonly kills Palestinian civilians so as to inflame hatred towards Israel and to Jews at large.

This is a disturbing pattern given the recent claims by Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib and other Democrats that Israel has refused to provide Palestinians with COVID-19 vaccines when, in fact, the Palestinian Authority refused Israel's offer of the same. 

This cannot be tolerated. Democrats cannot credibly decry the anti-Semitism of Republicans when they look the other way when their peers engage in defamation and spread hatred and are unable and unwilling to get their own house in order.

Obviously the same set of standards must apply to Republicans who are unwilling their own to account. All of which means neither party is serious about combatting anti-Semitism. 

However, in recent months, I have been more receptive to Democrats having voted for Joe Biden as well as Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock despite reservations about the latter. But my patience is not limitless and if Democrats persist in making defamatory statements about Israel and willfully promoting hatred against Jews then I cannot support them in the long run.

Brady Wins 7th Super Bowl Ring as Bucs Best Chiefs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have defeated Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 to win Super Bowl LV earning quarterback Tom Brady his 7th Super Bowl ring and first outside of New England and away from Bill Belichick. 

The 43-year old Brady threw three touchdown passes including two to his former New England running buddy Rob Gronkowski and one to Antonio Brown. Leonard Fournette also rushed for 27-yard touchdown.

The Bucs defense put together by Todd Bowles limited the Chiefs to three field goals by Harrison Butker. They also dominated Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who was repeatedly knocked down and sacked. Penalties and miscues also contributed to the Chiefs' being unable to win back to back Super Bowl.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians became the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl title at the age of 68. Arians deflected all the credit onto his team bluntly saying, "I didn't do a damn thing."

Back to Brady. In addition to winning a 7th Super Bowl ring, he also won his fifth Super Bowl MVP. 

Brady is simply in a class by himself.

Leon Spinks, R.I.P.

Leon Spinks, the man who shocked the world when he defeated Muhammad Ali to win the world heavyweight title in only his 8th professional fight, died yesterday after a half decade battle with prostate cancer. He was 67.

The St. Louis born Spinks had a distinguished amateur boxing career winning bronze at the 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Havana, silver at the 1975 Pan Am Games in Mexico City and then gold at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Spinks would turn pro on January 15, 1977 defeating Bob Smith by TKO. 

Exactly one year and one month later on February 15, 1978, Spinks stood in the ring with Ali. Despite his amateur credentials and an undefeated professional record, few gave Spinks a chance against the aging Ali. Yet Spinks outfought Ali and would win the the title on a split decision. 

Unfortunately, Spinks' time at the top was short-lived. Exactly seven months later, Ali would regain the title back from Spinks whose career would never be the same. Spinks did have another chance at the world title in 1981 against Larry Holmes but would be on the wrong end of a third round TKO. By the middle of the decade, Spinks had reinvented himself as a cruiserweight and would get a shot at Dwight Muhammad Qawi's WBA Cruiserweight title in March 1986. However, Spinks would lose on a TKO in the sixth round.

Spinks would fight professionally until 1995 but was generally the subject of derision as was the case when he got knocked out in a 1994 match in the first round by a fighter making his professional debut. His professional career stood at 26-17-3. 

Spinks' younger brother Michael would avenge his loss to Holmes by beating him the World Heavyweight Title in 1985. His son Cory would enjoy a solid career in the ring as a welterweight and junior middleweight winning titles in both divisions. 

While Spinks might have seen more failure than success this can be said of most of us. Then again most of us cannot say they beat Muhammad Ali in the middle of the ring. Nobody can take that away from Leon Spinks. Not now, not ever. R.I.P.

Reigning NL Cy Young Winner Trevor Bauer Signs Three Year, $102 Million Deal with Dodgers

Free agent pitcher Trevor Bauer, fresh off his 2020 NL Cy Young Award winning campaign with the Cincinnati Reds has elected to pitch with the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of the New York Mets signing a 3-year deal worth $102 million. Bauer can opt out of the contract after this season as well as the 2022 season. 

In choosing to sign with the defending World Series champions, Bauer joins a rotation which includes Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler and David Price. The Dodgers could potentially make it a six man rotation among the likes of Tony Gosolin, Dustin May and Julio Urias. 

Bauer, who turned 30 last month, turned pro a decade ago when he was a first round draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks and third pick overall in the nation in the 2011 MLB Draft. He would make his big league debut with the D'Backs in 2012 but would be sent to the Cleveland Indians prior to the 2013 season in a three way trade with the Cincinnati Reds. Bauer would spent the next six and a half seasons with the Tribe reaching the post-season thrice including an AL pennant winner in 2016 and an AL All-Star Game selection in 2018. 

During the 2019 season, the Indians sent Bauer to the Reds in a three team deal with the San Diego Padres. Bauer would struggle with the Reds posting a 6.39 ERA in 10 starts. But in 11 starts with Cincinnati in the COVID shortened 2020 season, Bauer led the NL in ERA with a posting of 1.73. 

Despite his credentials, Bauer is a bit of a wild card with his volatile behavior both on social media and on the mound. It goes a long way in explaining why Bauer has an opt out provision both this season and next. It is quite possible that Bauer might not be a good fit in L.A. and and opt out could be a face saving mechanism for both parties.

On the other hand, Bauer might be entering the most productive phase of his career and it could prove to be the best $100 million the Dodgers have ever spent.

Christoher Plummer, R.I.P.

Actor Christopher Plummer, best known for his portrayal of Captain Georg Von Trapp in The Sound of Music passed away on Friday. No cause of death was released. He was 91.

Although his best known role took place more than half a century ago, the Canadian born Plummer acted into his 90's and earned critical recognition during this century having been thrice nominated for Best Supporting Actor in The Last Station, Beginners and All The Money in the World winning once for Beginners at the age of 82 making him the oldest actor to win an Oscar. When Plummer was nominated for All The Money in the World at the age of 88 he became the oldest actor ever nominated. Plummer appeared in several films in 2019 including Cliffs of Freedom, Knives Out and, in what proved to be his final role, The Last Full Measure.

In the intervening years, Plummer also appeared in movies such as The Return of the Pink Panther, The Man Who Would Be King, Malcolm X, 12 Monkeys, The Insider and A Beautiful Mind. Plummer also had a distinguished career on stage and on TV. He twice won Tony Awards for Cyrano and Barrymore as well as two Emmys for Arthur Hailey's The Moneychangers and his voice over in Madeline. 

I leave you with Plummer telling Dick Cavett about his experience with The Sound of Music in 1971. R.I.P.

Butch Reed, R.I.P.

Former NFL player turned professional wrestler Butch Reed died of heart complications. He was 66.

After beginning his career in his native Kansas City, Reed's career took off in 1983 when he wrestled in the Mid-South territory as both a face and a heel. Reed would also emerge as one of NWA champion Ric Flair's toughest opponent.

Reed would have not so successful run in the WWF as "The Natural" Butch Reed sporting blond hair. He would be more successful back south in WCW as one half of Doom with Ron Simmons. 

Nicknamed "Hacksaw" Butch Reed, he could deliver a terrific promo. R.I.P.

Jim Weatherly, R.I.P.

Songwriter Jim Weatherly, best known for penning the Gladys Knight hit "Midnight Train to Georgia", passed away at the age of 77 on February 3rd. No cause of death was released.

Once the starting quarterback at the University of Mississippi, Weatherly instead sought his fame and fortune in Nashville instead of on the gridiron. Primarily a country singer, Weatherly had his greatest success writing hits for Gladys Knight and The Pips. Aside from "Midnight Train to Georgia", Knight also scored hits with "Neither One of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye)" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me".

Interestingly "Midnight Train to Georgia" was actually inspired by a phone conversation with a young Farrah Fawcett when she told Weatherly she was going to visit her family by taking a midnight plane to Houston. So, yes, the song was originally called "Midnight Plane to Houston". The setting was changed further west when the song was offered to Cissy Houston and then, of course, to Gladys Knight.

Here is Weatherly's original version of "Midnight Plane to Houston". R.I.P.

Both Marjorie Taylor Greene & Ilhan Omar Are Anti-Semites

Like many Americans, I am glad Congress saw fit to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene of her Committee responsibilities for her odious words and deeds including expressions of anti-Semitism. As a newly minted resident of Georgia, Greene is at best an embarrassment to the state and to the country and at worst a menace to both representative democracy and to civil society.

Yet I am troubled when Democrats call out anti-Semitism among Republicans while refusing to hold their own to the same standards. Some Democrats don't think standards should apply at all. Case in point would be Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America.

Soifer wrote an op-ed in The Forward after some Republican lawmakers wanted Minnesota Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar stripped of her committee assignments due to her anti-Semitic views:

These two things are not the same and should not be equated. No Democratic member of Congress has ever normalized, justified or threatened violence. In 2019, Omar joined with all House Democrats in denouncing antisemitism and other forms of hate, and apologized for her tweet. There is simply no intellectually honest parallel to be made between any Democrat and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

By this standard, no Democrat could ever be criticized for expressing anti-Semitic views. This is, of course, a cop out. Just because Democrats opposed the attempted siege of the U.S. Capitol does not exempt them from being held accountable for their words and deeds. Anti-Semitism can and must be called out regardless of one's political affiliation. To only call out the anti-Semitism of your political opponents while refusing to put your own house in order demonstrates one doesn't really care about stamping out the world's oldest hatred.

As it stands, Soifer's defense of Omar is a curious one. She praises Omar for supporting a House resolution denouncing anti-Semitism. Well, of course, Omar supported this resolution. After Omar accused Americans Jews of “dual loyalty”, the House attempted to pass a resolution condemning Omar for her anti-Semitic statement. Instead, the House passed a watered down version condemning all forms of hate and made no mention of Omar's wicked words that prompted the resolution in the first place

Equally curious is Soifer's praise of Omar apologizing for her infamous “It's All About The Benjamins” tweet. Omar did not learn her lesson because less than a month later, Omar would question the loyalty of American Jews for which she received no condemnation from the House.

It is clear that Omar has one standard for Israel and another standard for the rest of the world. She opposes boycotts against the Erdogan regime in Turkey because “sanctions rarely achieve their desired goals.” Yet when it comes to boycotting Israel, Omar has no such qualms or reservations. Only months before condemning sanctions against Turkey, Omar rationalized her support for BDS in the language of the First Amendment and free speech.

If a member of Congress only supports boycotts against Israel then that member of Congress is an anti-Semite and Ilhan Omar is every bit the anti-Semite Marjorie Taylor Greene is. But Soifer wishes to pretend otherwise because Omar has a D in front of her name.

Indeed, by stating that no Democrat's behavior can be compared to Greene's, Soifer offers this protection to any Democrat. Recently, several prominent Democrats such as Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, newly elected New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman of New York and former 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Joaquin Castro have repeated the outrageous lie that Israel is refusing to vaccinate Palestinians.

In point of fact, Israel offered the Palestinian Authority vaccines and they refused. Indeed, last year, the Palestinian Authority refused medical aid for COVID-19 from the United Arab Emirates because the supplies had flown into Israel.

This lie is every bit as egregious as any made by Marjorie Taylor Greene claiming that Donald Trump won the election. It is also easily refutable. Yet why do some Democrats to make imaginary claims about Israel's vaccination program? Because anti-Semites will always find a way to willfully promote hatred of Jews. Democrats who harbor anti-Semitic sentiments also do so because they know they will not be held to account by the Halie Soifers of the world. This makes Halie Soifer part of the problem. The consequence of which is that anti-Semitism in America is only going to get worse.

I Can See Trump Picking Greene To Be His Running Mate in 2024 or Endorsing Her White House Bid

While I'm glad Marjorie Taylor Greene has been stripped of her congressional committee assignments it remains to be seen if this will have the effect of marginalizing her. 

Indeed, I suspect this will have the opposite effect. Greene's standing in GOP and conservative circles will only be heightened. Absent any committee responsibilities, Greene will have ample opportunity to raise money. She might even emerge as a viable presidential candidate.

For now I am operating on the assumption that Donald Trump will be the GOP nominee yet again in 2024 unless he says otherwise. If Trump is the 2024 GOP nominee then I believe that he would pick Greene to be his running mate. Let's face it. She's his kindred spirit. Picking her would also stick it to the Georgia Republican Party whom he begrudges because they would not overturn the election on his behalf.

But if Trump should decide not to run in 2024 it would not shock me if he saw fit to endorse Greene. If Trump endorses Greene then she would be the GOP nominee. While many think Greene will repel people from the GOP. But if the country is dissatisfied with the Biden-Harris Administration then Greene could have the last laugh. In which case, Democrats might rue the day they turned Greene into a martyr.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Might Have a Point; Dems Expelling Her From Committees Could Help Her

Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene will likely be stripped of her committee responsibilities by the Democratic majority in Congress tomorrow. 

Given her anti-Semitism, her 9/11 truthism, school shooting denialism, support for QAnon conspiracy theories, violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the assassination of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, her removal from Congressional committees is entirely warranted. But the newly elected Congresswoman is undeterred. In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Greene stated, "How stupid they are. They don’t even realize they’re helping me. I’m pretty amazed at how dumb they are."

I hate to admit it, but I think Greene might have a point.

While Democrats might marginalize Greene in the halls of Congress they will only elevate her status in Trump World and raise gobs and gobs of money. Should Trump run in 2024, I would not be surprised if he were to name Greene as his running mate especially given his contempt for Georgia Republicans being unable to overturn the election results in his favor. And if Trump doesn't run then she has as much of a chance of earning the GOP nomination as Ted Cruz or Josh Hawley. 

Congressional Committees or no congressional committees, Greene is ascending. While Democrats might paint her as the crazy face of the Republican Party let us remember there are millions of irrational voters who would happily vote for her on a Republican presidential ticket not to mention a million or so rational voters should the Biden Administration stumble and fall.