Samantha Bee Was Agreeing With Trump Who Once Bragged About His ‘C*nty Demeanor’

America is getting a crash course in both vulgarity and expressing remorse this week. First we had Roseanne Barr’s heinously racist tweets comparing Valerie Jarrett to an ape. That was followed shortly by Samantha Bee calling Ivanka Trump a “feckless c*nt” for failing to use her influence over her father to help immigrant kids.

Donald Trump, Samantha Bee

These are both examples of bad judgment by media professionals who ought to know better. However, Bee’s commentary was part of an appeal to help children who were ripped from their mothers’ arms by heartless government agents. Roseanne, on the other hand, delivered a purely bigoted attack for no reason other than to vent her hatred. Either way, neither of them should have made such obviously offensive remarks in public forums.

Ever since these outbursts, liberals and conservatives have flooded the media with justifications and/or apologies. Many have offered up examples of similar behavior in an effort to diminish the failings of their own side. The right threw Bill Maher into the mix, as if he were a leftist icon (he’s not). The left had more ammunition to work with. They could just mention Ted Nugent (who called Hillary Clinton a c*nt and a whore) and the debate would be over.

And then there is Donald Trump. The Pussy-Grabber-in-Chief himself. The man who has hurled these same types of words as insults toward everyone from Ted Cruz to Michelle Obama. Only the most glassy-eyed disciple of the Trump Cult would deny that he is the most profane cretin to ever occupy the White House. And as it turns out, Trump would probably agree himself. That would account for this tweet that he posted with a perverse sense of pride:

Anyone who has spent ten minutes studying Trump has already observed his extreme narcissism combined with the swagger of someone who revels in his image as a bad ass. He insults friends and foes with glee. He is allergic to apologies, remorse, or shame. So it isn’t surprising that a fan would compliment him on his being a – let’s say supreme jackass – and he happily affirms it.

Consequently, what Bee said wasn’t far from the appraisal that Trump has of himself. Presumably he regards it as a family trait that his kids, including Ivanka, would have inherited. He surely doesn’t see it as disparaging. So there is really nothing for Bee to apologize for. She just recognized a character trait in the Trump family that he has already admitted to having. And he’s proud of it. Perhaps he should thank Bee for recognizing a part of him that he regards as an asset.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Trump Said Shooting Was a Mental Health Problem, But Signed Bill Easing Their Access to Guns

Once again Donald Trump and every Republican NRA shill in America is serving up their “thoughts and prayers.” Meanwhile, the families and victims of another gun slaughter are suffering for the abject negligence of a cowardly Congress. The shooting in a Sutherland Springs, TX, church is just the latest episode of senseless violence that is turning the country into a war zone. But the absence of affirmative solutions isn’t the worst part of the right-wing response. They are proactively enabling the almost certain continuation of these tragedies. And it starts at the top with Trump himself.

Donald Trump

The President’s first remarks on the Texas massacre were given just hours after it occurred from his junket in Japan. As usual, he couldn’t help politicizing the subject. Absolving his friends in the gun lobby of any responsibility, Trump speculated on the cause despite having no facts. “This isn’t a guns situation,” he reckoned. “This is a mental health problem.”

With regard to the latter half of his comment, it’s unarguable that mental health played a role in this shooting. In fact, it plays a role in every mass shooting. None of these incidents can be described as normal psychological behavior. So Trump is telling us nothing by stating the obvious. However, the first part of his comment completely ignores reality. These tragedies are only exacerbated by the easy access to such dangerous assault-type weapons.

The Republican Party marches in lock step with the NRA to preserve access to virtually all weaponry. They oppose regulating cop-killer bullets, military firearms, and “smart” guns. They are even blocking regulation of the “bump stock” accessories that modify conventional weapons into fully automatic ones. That was what the Las Vegas gunman used to kill fifty-eight people just last month.

But the GOP position on mental health is no better. They are currently proposing cuts to mental health programs in their budget and tax bills, More to the point, they are determined to protect the rights of violent offenders, domestic abusers, and other unstable miscreants to own whatever guns they want. Donald Trump even signed a bill in February for that precise purpose. As reported by NBC News at the time:

“President Donald Trump quietly signed a bill into law Tuesday rolling back an Obama-era regulation that made it harder for people with mental illnesses to purchase a gun. […] President Barack Obama recommended the now-nullified regulation in a 2013 memo following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 first graders and six others dead. The measure sought to block some people with severe mental health problems from buying guns.”

Early reports suggest that the law Trump revoked was just the sort of regulation that might have kept the Texas shooter from obtaining his guns. He was discharged from the Air Force for “bad conduct.” Specifically, he was found to have assaulted his wife and child. Not coincidentally, domestic abuse has been found to be a consistent and accurate predictor of mass shooting perpetrators. Samantha Bee happened to do a segment on this subject last week. It should be required viewing for every member of Congress and law enforcement:

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Obama Reveals His Halloween Nightmare In Hilarious Interview With Samantha Bee

While the media is busy ignoring frightening reports of Donald Trump’s alliance with Russia, President Obama is ducking past the hacks that populate much of the electronic press. To that end he granted an interview to comedian Samantha Bee on Monday for her TBS program, Full Frontal.

Obama Samantha Bee

The discussion touched on many of the critical issues of the day, but with a decidedly lighter tone. And Bee did not shy away from the significance of the date that this interview was conducted:

Bee: “Seeing how this is our Halloween interview, can you tell us a spooky story of what will happen if people don’t vote?”
Obama: “Donald Trump could be president.”
Bee: “OK. That was very scary.”

Indeed. It’s hard to imagine anything scarier. A Trump presidency would burden the nation (and the world) with a racist, ignorant, narcissistic, fake billionaire, playing dictator in the White House. It would be horror show that could last four years or more. Giving a reality TV game show host control of a nuclear arsenal sounds like the plot of a Stephen King movie.

Bee asked Obama what he thought Hillary Clinton’s critics would cook up to rival the crackpot conspiracy theories (i.e. birtherism) that were thrown at him. Obama suggested many of the sexist themes that are already a part of the right’s war on women. He speculated that Republicans would portray her as moody and emotional, you know how women are. And expanding on that he observed that:

“When men are ambitions, it’s just taken for granted that, of course they should be ambitious. When women are ambitious, why? That theme, I think, will continue throughout her presidency. And it’s contributed to this notion that, somehow, she’s hiding something.”

Obama made time to express some serious thoughts about the upcoming election and the importance of participating. He particularly addressed his remarks to young voters who often fail to turn out:

“Look Sam, the reason I’m here is not just to celebrate Halloween with you. But is actually because I want to let first-time voters know why it is so important to vote. This is probably the most important election of our lifetime. And the choices could not be clearer. If we want to build on issues like climate change and gender equality, making sure that everybody has health care and making sure young people have a good education and can afford college, they’ve gotta make sure that their voices are heard.”

With Halloween behind us, the threat of a monstrous takeover of our government has not subsided. In order to avoid being destroyed by dark forces of the night it is imperative that every Democrat votes. And while they’re at it, drag along friends and family to the polls. Because the alternative is a vision of apocalypse that could thrust the nation into a dystopian hellscape. That I can tell you.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.

Watch Samantha Bee’s interview of President Obama:

What Samantha Bee Said About Fox News Is Hilarious And True And Definitely NSFW

In the middle of perhaps the most bizarre presidential campaign ever, the primary communications vehicle for the Republican Party, Fox News, suffered a massive blow to its propaganda infrastructure. Last week Fox’s chairman and CEO, Roger Ailes, was unceremoniously cast unto the garbage heap of perverted executives after numerous allegations of sexual harassment emerged.

Samantha Bee

The hostile work environment for women at Fox is reflective of their editorial bias against women, socially and politically, and the issues that impact them most. Reproductive rights, family leave, and gender discrimination, are all areas in which Fox has taken stances in opposition to the best interests of women. So while Ailes (and certainly others at Fox) is an abusive slimeball, we must not forget that Fox is still a thoroughly dishonest purveyor of right-wing disinformation.

Samantha Bee hit on both of those themes in last night’s “Full Frontal” in a segment that took apart the network and its commitment to unabashed misogyny and conservative mythologizing. Her monologue was a tightly knit excoriation of the network’s mission to objectify women while spreading lies and exalting Republican politicians and pundits. For instance:

“Fox News is the only 24 hour news network to feature a strategically placed leg cam to showcase the most qualified body parts of its female contributors. Plus the daily women’s show trading on the titillating tension between owning a harem and fear of emasculation. So yeah, turns out the guy who runs that network is kind of a creep. Who would have guessed?”

That bit about the “leg cam” was not a comic device. Reports from insiders have revealed the existence of an actual camera for that specific purpose. News Corpse reported this two years ago along with an analysis of the nexus of porn and politics that is integral to the culture at Fox News. It’s a network that serves its viewers as their orgasm channel in more ways than one. Bee went on to say that:

“Roger Ailes made Fox News an unstoppable powerhouse by discovering the secret to big ratings. What viewers really want is to be furiously angry while also having a boner. The anger part of the arousal was achieved through Roger’s uncanny ability to take a thing that may or may not exist, put an ominous spin on it, and then force feed it to us all day like a foie gras goose until we were terrified. Fox News was his masterpiece. A right-wing nightmare factory powered by white resentment and relentless misinformation, churning out propaganda 24/7 and making family Thanksgivings unbearable for 20 years.”

That’s as accurate an appraisal of Fox News as any ever published by an academic journal or media analyst. It captures Fox’s reliance on titillating the passions of their wingnut viewers, and lord knows their viewers want their wingnuts titillated. As an extra added benefit, she’s funny as hell.

How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock:
Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.
Available now at Amazon.