Conservative Blogger
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Moore, Franken, creepy Biden and other horrendous media fiascos
Man's Man, NO?
The Roy Moore story was going exactly the way the left and the media wanted.
Every day brought new allegations against the Republican U.S. Senate
candidate in Alabama, followed by new controversy and further division
within the GOP on a key election. Then something happened to flip the
script – Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn.
Franken, a longtime comedian and
“Saturday Night Live” regular before entering politics, had his former
life come back to haunt him. KABC radio anchor Leeann Tweeden said
Franken had assaulted her, kissing her aggressively during a USO Tour in
2006, and then groping her for a humiliating photo while she was asleep
on a plane.
The two were in a skit together,
written by Franken, where they were supposed to kiss. Tweeden said that
Franken repeatedly insisted that they had to rehearse the kiss.“We did the line leading up to the kiss and then he came at me, put his hand on the back of my head, mashed his lips against mine and aggressively stuck his tongue in my mouth,” Tweeden said.
The photo was worse, showing a sleeping Tweeden with Franken appearing to grope her breasts.
Franken issued a lame apology and then another more-detailed one. Suddenly, the tidal wave of sexual misconduct claims once more shifted toward the left.
Early in the day Thursday, some journalists downplayed Franken’s situation. CNN Chief Political Analyst Gloria Borger put a PR spin on the scandal saying: “This is scratching the surface. He was not a member of the Congress at the time this occurred. He was just a comedian.”
MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt tried to rationalize Franken’s behavior. She said that Franken “took a picture, which his office now says was of a joke, that showed him potentially – not actually groping – but mock-groping her while she was asleep.”
ABC’s schlock-fest “The View” tried to move the story away from Franken and onto President Trump. “What about Trump, his people are saying that those women who accused him are liars!” Co-host Joy Behar told the audience. Interestingly, a photo of Franken allegedly grabbing Behar’s breast also surfaced, according to USA Today.
The story forced Roy Moore’s troubles off the lead spot on the evening news for all three broadcast networks. Two of them even discussed whether congressional investigations will cost Franken his job. As NBC anchor Lester Holt asked: “Will he be forced from the Senate?”
The result of all the sexual misconduct discussions may have undermined the dam holding back stories about sexual harassment and assault allegations against Bill Clinton. The New York Times ran a column from Michelle Goldberg stating clearly: “I Believe Juanita,” meaning Juanita Broderick, who accused Bill Clinton of raping her. And CNN host Jake Tapper noted the real issue with Bill Clinton’s accusers was how the “media treated those women poorly.”
2. Creepy Joe Biden: Former Vice President Joe Biden had some of the worst timing possible this week. The creepy-grabby Biden dropped promotion of his new book, “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose” to push his presidential hopes right in the midst of the sex harassment allegations. It highlighted how journalism has downplayed or completely ignored Biden’s creepy side for many years.
It didn’t take long for conservatives to float images and a video around showing all sorts of nausea-inducing Biden scenes. Even the HuffPost declared his candidacy bad news: “Joe Biden 2020 Is A Terrible Idea In A Post-Weinstein America.”
HuffPost Washington Bureau Chief Amanda Terkel said simply: “Biden is the wrong guy to bear the standard of any party purporting to speak for the victims of unaccountable power.” The lefty Daily Beast dropped a similar piece within minutes of the HuffPost, complete with a compilation of Biden’s creepier moments.
Strangely, New York Times cybersecurity reporter Nicole Perlroth defended Biden and called the allegations part of “a new alt-right fake news meme” depicting Biden as a “predator.”
3. Trump Hitting the Bottle … of Water: Donald Trump held a press conference this week to celebrate his foreign tour and the media obsessed about him drinking out of a bottle of water. This wasn’t just reminiscent of the media feeding frenzy over Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., it was further spurred by the senator.
NBC called it: “Trump’s ‘Water’-Gate” on screen. At least the network hasn’t called President Trump “Nixon” … yet. White House Correspondent Kristen Welker depicted it as “this awkward moment that lit up social media, the President pausing to take a sip of water.” MSNBC went gaga over the bottle. “Trump takes two water breaks in one speech,” it headlined a video.
The “CBS Evening News” spent 44 seconds on the story, mocking Trump’s speech, “that appeared for a time might run as long as the 12-day journey itself.”
4. Lefty Protest Gets Kaepernick “Citizen of the Year”: Name country singer Blake Shelton People’s Sexiest Man of 2017 and left-wing media go in an uproar. Pick out-of-work quarterback Colin Kaepernick as GQ’s “Citizen of the Year” and sane people look at you stupefied.
Kaepernick worked with the magazine to “reclaim the narrative of his protest.” So they photographed him in Harlem “intending to evoke the spirit of Muhammad Ali’s anti-Vietnam War protests.”
Former ESPN reporter Britt McHenry dared criticize the choice and suggest Houston Texans star J.J. Watt was a better pick for raising $37 million for hurricane relief. At the New York Daily News, Linda Stasi mocked McHenry as “the whitest woman on the planet” to defend “a true heroic modern-day civil rights fighter.”
Rolling Stone tried to depict the entire league’s current treatment of black quarterbacks as “problematic.” The magazine claimed the benching of Buffalo Bills starter Tyrod Taylor was handled unfairly. The article said that “if the NFL were completely fair, he'd also be making more than (Ravens quarterback Joe) Flacco.” Except prior to his injury, Flacco had an excellent playoff record and also won a Super Bowl. Taylor not so much.
5. Hurray For Hollywood: Even without the Franken allegations tarring a former favorite son, it was still a tough week for Tinseltown. “The Old Vic Theater in London has received a total of 20 allegations against Kevin Spacey since his first accuser came forward, all of them from men,” wrote The Daily Caller. Allegations also surfaced that star Sylvester Stallone had forced a then-16-year-old girl into a threesome, which he denies.
A new truTV documentary is attacking one of the most beloved shows on television – “The SImpsons.” The documentary, “The Problem with Apu,” debuts Nov. 19 and goes after the show for its portrayal of the Indian convenience store owner Apu. The character is even voiced by non-Indian actor Hank Azaria.
Former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart told The New York Times that people who long for a more conservative culture “live in a nostalgic world.” His response to them? “Here’s what I would say: Tough s***.”
Trump calls Clinton 'biggest loser of all time' after she contests election loss
President Trump on Saturday
criticized Hillary Clinton, the Democrat he defeated in the 2016 White
House race, for her recent and repeated questioning of the election
results.
“Crooked Hillary Clinton is the worst
(and biggest) loser of all time,” Trump tweeted. “She just can’t stop,
which is so good for the Republican Party. Hillary, get on with your
life and give it another try in three years!”
The Republican president was likely responding to a Mother Jones
interview published Friday in which Clinton questioned last year’s
election results, amid evidence that Russia tried to influence the race
outcome. She called for an independent commission to investigate the
matter.HILLARY CLINTON QUESTIONS 'LEGITIMACY' OF TRUMP'S VICTORY IN 2016 ELECTION
Russia’s disinformation campaign “wasn’t just influencing voters,” Clinton said in the interview. “It was determining the outcome.”
“I think it was one of the major contributors to the outcome,” she said. “Propaganda works. Advertising works. It’s a form of propaganda. So the Russians may have started out a little heavy-handed and clumsy about it, but they were clearly getting guided as to where to target a lot of their fraudulent claims and phony news.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is already leading a months-long Justice Department investigation into whether Trump associates colluded with Russia to influence the race.
And Congress is amid several investigations related to Russia meddle, which the U.S. intelligence community says in true but Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to deny.
Clinton, in the interview, also alleged voter suppression in the 2016 race, saying, “In a couple of places, most notably Wisconsin, I think it had a dramatic impact on the outcome.”
Community organizer elected New Orleans' first woman mayor
Community organizer like Obama?
LaToya Cantrell, a liberal community organizer
whose political career began as she helped her storm-ravaged
neighborhood recover from Hurricane Katrina, was decisively elected the
first woman mayor of New Orleans in a historic win Saturday.
The 45-year-old Democrat, who
currently serves on the City Council, will succeed term-limited fellow
Democrat Mitch Landrieu as the city celebrates its 300th anniversary
next year.
"Almost 300 years, my friends. And New Orleans, we're
still making history," Cantrell told a cheering crowd in her victory
speech.Cantrell, who grew up in Los Angeles, also became the first non-native to be elected mayor in New Orleans in recent history -- and perhaps since the city's inception, according to Brian Brox, a political science professor at Tulane University.
Display nothing; This is on Publish with no configured Image She won support from activist groups by pledging to work to raise the local minimum wage to $15 an hour, as well as to support laws guaranteeing equal pay to women and prohibiting employers from asking about applicants' criminal records, the Advocate reported.
But those reforms will be difficult to achieve, because the state legislature prohibits local governments from setting the minimum wage for non-government workers, the Advocate reported.
Nevertheless, Cantrell, who had led in most polls conducted before Saturday, never trailed as votes were counted.
Her opponent, former municipal Judge Desiree Charbonnet, conceded the race and congratulated Cantrell late Saturday. Later, complete returns showed Cantrell with 60 percent of the vote.
"I do not regret one moment of anything about this campaign," Charbonnet said.
The two women led a field of 18 candidates in an October general election to win runoff spots.
Landrieu earned credit for accelerating the recovery from Hurricane Katrina in an administration cited for reduced blight, improvements in the celebrated tourism economy and economic development that included last week's announcement that a digital services company is bringing 2,000 new jobs to the city.
But Cantrell will face lingering problems. Crime is one. Another is dysfunction at the agency overseeing the city's drinking water system and storm drainage — a problem that became evident during serious flash flooding in August.
About 32 percent of the city's voters took part in last month's election. It was unclear whether turnout would surpass that on Saturday.
Cantrell faced questions about her use of a city credit card. Charbonnet had to fight back against critics who cast her as an insider who would steer city work to cronies.
Katrina was a theme in the backstory of both candidates. Cantrell moved to the city from California. Her work as a neighborhood activist in the aftermath of Katrina in the hard-hit Broadmoor neighborhood helped her win a seat on council in 2012.
Charbonnet, from a well-known political family in New Orleans, was the city's elected recorder of mortgages before she was a judge. In the campaign she made a point of saying hers was the first city office to re-open after Katrina, providing critical property records to the displaced.
Cantrell entered the race as the perceived front-runner, leading in fundraising and in various polls.
Former state civil court Judge Michael Bagneris, who finished third in last month's race, endorsed Cantrell, as did Troy Henry, a businessman who also ran for the post last month.
UNO political science professor Edward Chervenak said the endorsements appeared to help Cantrell overcome revelations that she had used her city-issued credit card for thousands of dollars in purchases without clear indications that they were for public purposes. The money was eventually reimbursed but questions lingered about whether she had improperly used city money for personal or campaign expenditures.
Jerry Jones vs. Roger Goodell: The battle for the NFL's soul
Jerry Jones is not backing down in his duel with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Long after a Super Bowl winner is crowned, these two NFL heavyweights may still be going at it.
And the battle could get messy.
Jones, the fiery, outspoken owner of the Dallas
Cowboys, has threatened to sue the NFL and several team owners if the
league agrees to a new contract with Goodell, the buttoned-down,
highly-criticized commish whose contract will expire in 2018.The NFL said the issue is settled. The owners already voted in May -- unanimously -- to extend Goodell's contact. Jones, however, said circumstances have changed.
The personalities and management styles of the men couldn't be more different.
Jones, an Arkansas-native, played college football before striking it rich in the oil industry. He's taken an active role in building his team. But his vocal approach and rags-to-riches success story haven't made him popular with his fellow owners.
Goodell was a New Yorker, born to a U.S. Senator, Charles Ellsworth Goodell. The suave and polished Washington & Jefferson graduate started working in the NFL in 1982 and rose to become commissioner by 2006. During the 2013-2014 season, he reportedly earned $44 million.
Jones blames Goodell for the escalation of national anthem protests that have divided Americans and drawn the ire of the fan-in-chief: President Trump. Jones also said “behavior policies” have been an issue since May.
It doesn't help that total viewership of NFL games is down, with Sports Illustrated reporting an eight percent decrease during the season's first six weeks.
Colin Kaepernick sparked the national anthem debate.
(AP)
PAPA JOHN’S APOLOGIZES FOR CEO’S ‘DIVISIVE’ NFL REMARKS, SUPPORTS PLAYER’S ‘RIGHT TO PROTEST’
The protests particularly escalated after President Trump said during a September campaign rally that players should be "fired" if they disrespect the flag. The Sunday after Trump made his remarks, Sept. 24, hundreds of players knelt together during the national anthem in a show of unity.
Even Jones participated -- but he knelt before the anthem played, standing up with the rest of the Dallas players when the music began.
Trump continued to criticize the NFL for its “lack of leadership,” and apparently the public agreed. Deadline reported last week’s “Monday Night Football” game viewership was nearly a season low.
But Goodell's response has been to downplay the situation or express his admiration of the NFL players who knelt to rebuke Trump.
“The way we reacted today, and this weekend, made me proud,” Goodell said after the league-wide display. “I’m proud of our league.”
The last straw for Jones seems to have come after his team’s star running back, Ezekiel Elliott, was suspended in August by Goodell.
Ezekiel Elliott gave up his legal fight and will begin serving his suspension.
(AP)
Jones said his objection to Goodell getting a new contract was not specifically due to the Elliott situation; however, the timing of Jones' opposition coincided with a court ruling last week, after several appeals, Elliot would have to begin serving the six-week suspension.
"I've been dealing with this commissioner for almost 28 years as an employee of the NFL," Jones said. "Zeke's been involved here a year, year and a half. Those are really separate issues as to Zeke. The policy we have that has impacted Zeke is more of my issue with the commissioner."
Jones' continued public fued with Goodell has achieved at least one thing: The New York Times reported several NFL owners sent a cease-and-desist warning to Jones.
Jerry Jones called it "laughable" that NFL owners would try to push him out of his ownership of the Cowboys.
(AP)
Jones called the threat “laughable.”
"I've had not one inkling of communication from the league office or any owner that would suggest something that laughable, ridiculous, and that's about where that is," Jones told 105.3 The Fan.
But the saga has continued, and the NFL is accusing Jones of attempting to sabotage contract negotiations with Goodell, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday, citing a letter sent by the NFL to Jones.
In the document, the NFL said Jones’ “antics, whatever their motivations, are damaging the league.”
The letter, reportedly sent to all 32 NFL owners, also confirmed Jones had been booted as a non-voting member of the compensation committee due to his threats to sue.
NFL owners “said they were unhappy with Jones because he had circulated a three-month-old document with details of [salary and health benefit] requests from Goodell that Jones ‘personally knows to be an outdated historical artifact of no relevance whatsoever in the context of these lengthy negotiations,’” The New York Times reported.
Goodell, for his part, has had a less-than-sterling term as commissioner, often serving as a punching bag for fans and a useful foil for owners.
Ray Rice was captured on video knocking out his then-fiancee Janay Palmer.
(Reuters)
The leak prompted Goodell to suspend Rice indefinitely and Rice hasn't played in the NFL since. Critics, however, bashed Goodell and the NFL’s handling of the case -- and other domestic violence cases. Some have argued Goodell and the NFL may have known the stomach-churning details of the Rice assault even before the horrific video was leaked, The New York Times reported.
BOB COSTAS WARNS FUTURE OF FOOTBALL IS BLEAK BECAUSE SPORT ‘DESTROYS PEOPLE’S BRAINS’
“The NFL is absolutely its own worst enemy,” David Gregory, the executive director of the Center for Labor and Employment Law at St. John’s University, told The New York Times. “If you’re going to have a commissioner’s office, you need to step up. This guy thought he could bluster his way through.”
Goodell has also been criticized for the number of penalties, the types of penalties and the timing of the penalties he's implemented. After the NFL was criticized for not doing more to prevent players from getting concussions -- a conclusion the NFL was slow to recognize and tried to downplay -- Goodell eventually said he would suspend athletes for helmet-to helmet hits.
Roger Goodell has been applauded for making the NFL profitable.
(AP)
In 2013, the NFL was worth $9 billion. In 2017, the league was expected to generate about $14 billion, NBC Sports reported. Goodell said previously he hoped the NFL would be able to reach a staggering $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027.
Jones has been equally successful at monetizing his team. The Cowboys were worth $4.2 billion in 2017 -- the most valuable team in the world, according to Forbes.
The fight between Goodell and Jones seems to be nowhere near over, at least until Goodell’s contract is -- or isn't -- extended.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe dismissed as country's leader
Zimbabwe’s ruling party fired President Robert
Mugabe on Sunday, ending his 37-year reign as the African country’s
leader after being placed under house arrest days ago, a party official
said.
Recently fired Vice President
Emmerson Mnangagwa was appointed as the new leader of the ZANU-PF party
and is expected to lead a new government. Party members said Mugabe must
resign by 12 p.m. Monday or will “definitely” face impeachment.
Innocent Gonese with the MDC-T party said they had been in discussions
with the ruling ZANU-PF party to act jointly.
"If Mugabe is not gone by Tuesday, then as sure as the sun rises from the east, impeachment process will kick in," Gonese said.Senior figures of the party gathered early Sunday for an emergency meeting of the party's Central Committee to discuss calls to expel the 93-year-old leader. First lady Grace Mugabe was also recalled as head of the women's league. The now-former leader’s talks with army commander Constantino Chiwenga are in the second round of negotiations on an exit as the military tries to avoid accusations of a coup.
Mugabe remained under house arrest with his wife and resisted calls to step aside. Vast throngs of demonstrators turned Zimbabwe's capital into a carnival ground on Saturday in a peaceful outpouring of disdain for their longtime leader and calls for him to quit immediately. People in Harare clambered onto tanks and other military vehicles moving slowly through the crowds, danced around soldiers walking in city streets and surged in the thousands toward the building where Mugabe held official functions.
“The old man should be allowed to rest,” former Zimbabwe finance minister and activist Tendai Biti told South African broadcaster eNCA.
On Friday, all 10 of the provincial branches of the Zanu-PF party demanded Mugabe’s resignation.
Meeting chair Obert Mpofu said party members were gathering with “a heavy heart” because Mugabe had served the country and contributed "many memorable achievements." However, he added that the leader’s wife “and close associates have taken advantage of his frail condition” to loot national resources.
Mugabe’s decision to fire his deputy set in motion his abrupt fall from power.
The military intervened when Mugabe decided to fire his deputy, setting in motion his abrupt fall from power. Without the military's intervention, first lady Grace Mugabe likely would have replaced him as vice president and been in a position to succeed her husband.
But the 52-year-old first lady is unpopular among many Zimbabweans for her lavish spending on mansions, cars and jewels. Last month she went to court to sue a diamond dealer for not supplying her with a 100-carat diamond that she said she had paid for.
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