Quote of the Day:
“Today nothing more than a political hit job.”
— Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Penn.) in his floor speech against voting for the impeachment of President Trump.
MOOD: “Good morning to everyone except the GRINCH who stole literally all of the Christmas lights off our house last night #tistheseason” — Shelby Talcott, reporter, Daily Caller News Foundation.
Tucker Carlson Vs. Joe and Mika: IS THIS WAR?
Here’s what happened on “Morning Joe” late last week. On Friday, the show blasted Fox News’s Tucker Carlson for “parroting” Russian propaganda and recently asking, “Why is [Vladmir Putin] so bad?” Carlson has explained that he was joking. Donny Deutsch also weighed in, recently calling Carlson a “putz” and a “blowhard,” and asking, “Who the hell is Tucker Carlson?”
Apparently they know who he is since they keep talking about him.
On Tuesday night, Carlson reminded the MSNBC “Morning Joe” co-host Joe Scarborough that Scarborough is on his third wife and suggested that maybe he doesn’t actually care about separating families at the border since he has broken up his own at least twice. (RELATED: Carlson Goes After Scarborough And Co-Host Wife Mika Brzezinski)
Note to readers: Word on the street is that this battle is not over by a long shot.
Dan Bongino exemplifies the true meaning of Christmas
This was just this morning.
8:57 a.m. “Libs lose their marbles every December when their perpetual war on Christmas blows up in their faces and makes them look like the buffoons they are. MERRY CHRISTMAS.”
9:35 a.m. “I do this little experiment on the libs every year around Christmas and each year my thesis is proved accurate. NOTHING triggers the libs like their war on Christmas. Nothing. There’s not even a close second. Merry Christmas!”
— Dan Bongino, host, The Dan Bongino Show podcast. Mediaite‘s Charlie Nash mocked him for his quotes with a story headlined, “The Cringiest Christmas Message Goes To Dan Bongino.”
Politico‘s Ben White remarked, “Merry Christmas, happy holidays, happy hanukah, happy festivus. I mean whatever who has the time or energy to care about this nonsense anymore?”
Sound advice…
“Remember that if someone tweets at you you HAVE TO respond. Doubly so if you have a big following Not doing so is a sign of weakness. Every tweet not responded to is (in effect) a life ended.” — Jesse Singal, contributing writer, New York Mag.
Impeachment Day fashion turns Goth
“Note: @SpeakerPelosi is wearing black. One of her colleagues told me several of the female Democrats did that intentionally to signal it is a somber day #impeachment.” — Dana Bash, CNN.
Things get a little weird at The Daily Beast
“‘I was sent a bunch of sugar cookies in the shape of my face, if anyone wants to get weird and eat them.” — anonymous Daily Beast staffer.'” — Noah Schactman, executive editor, The Daily Beast.
Impeachment warmup: Trump watches ‘Tucker Carlson Tonight’
“As the House considers impeaching him, Trump’s watching Tucker Carlson’s show from last night.” — Philip Bump, WaPo.
Journalists ding Trump’s letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo: “Another obvious point: for all the yelling abt how this is a disaster for Democrats, how Trump has them right where he wants them, that rage spasm letter tells the real story. This is an out of control man who is unhinged by any constraint or anyone who will defy him.”
WaPo‘s Josh Dawsey: “Trump’s letter tonight reminds me of something a senior aide told me early in 2018 about a different letter: ‘He speaks. You write it down. And that’s a letter.'”
James Fallows, longtime Washington reporter, author: “OK, I’ve finally read this piece of … writing. Like @davidfrum @jonfavs + others here I’ve actually written letters w a prez’s signature. I can say: This deserves every bit of the alarm and derision it has received. Some prez might have fumed this way in private. None in public.”
Ezra Klein, Vox: “I don’t think it’s Trump’s abuses of power that will shock future generations. It’s his obvious unfitness for office, displayed in letters like this one, and the way the Republican Party rationalized it as authenticity and plain-spokenness.”
Alyssa Milano (actress, lefty activist): “Read the entire UNHINGED letter that President Trump just sent Speaker Pelosi and then ask yourself if this is the behavior of an innocent man.”
Charles Pierce, lefty writer, Esquire: “The Unabomber wrote better than what’s in that letter. Truth.”
Michael Avenatti (not a journalist, apparently still around): “Trump’s letter is perhaps the best example yet of the fact that he DOES NOT GIVE A SHIT. He is more emboldened than ever. He believes he can do whatever he wants without ANY accountability. And I am growing deeply concerned he is right. This situation is beyond dangerous.” — former lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels. (RELATED: Michael Avenatti Goes After Vanity Fair)
Conservative journo obliterates lefty interpretation of Trump’s letter
Mollie Hemingway, The Federalist, Fox News contributor: “Media coverage of @realDonaldTrump’s letter to Pelosi is unhinged. Really worth reading actual letter instead of mediated interpretation from emotional and frustrated journalists.”
Travel Bitches
Vintage suitcase/Shutterstock.
“In my experience people who work at airports are super nice and way nicer than the dickhead travelers who are constantly being mean and impolite deserve.”
“Want to know a true story that you probably won’t believe because it is so unimaginably horrible? One time I was on a plane and I ran into someone I vaguely knew and they traded seats and made me sit next to them for the whole flight.”
— Ben Dreyfuss, editorial director, Mother Jones.
Gossip Roundup
Who would play Lisa Page in a movie?
“Marisa Tomei will make an excellent Lisa Page in the movie. Kinda uncanny!” — Greg Pinelo, Democratic strategist, former President Obama ad maker.
TMZ hints that… something may be awry between Prince William and Kate Middleton. First, a shoulder shrug, now, separate cars to a Christmas lunch. Here.
Sydney Elaine Leathers is excited for 2020
“I booked a trip to LA to see friends, get some dick, and get a tattoo at the end of January. 2020 is already shaping up to be better than 2019.” — Sydney Elaine Leathers, ex-sexting partner to ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), freelance writer, Penthouse, Washington Babylon, has appeared in adult films.
AWKWARD!!! Sean Hannity and Oliver Darcy show up to a party
Max Tani is a media reporter for The Daily Beast. Oliver Darcy is a media reporter for CNN. Sean Hannity is a host at Fox News.
Here’s @oliverdarcy talking to Sean Hannity at the Mediate holiday party. Hannity pretended not to know who he was, and then referred to Darcy as “fake news CNN.” pic.twitter.com/EFUIvJ54wc
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) December 18, 2019
Patrick Howley: ‘I’ve never been fired for not being good enough’
Howley has worked for Breitbart News and The Daily Caller. Dan Bongino hosts “The Dan Bongino Show” podcast.
Tuesday night, 9:37 p.m.: “I don’t care if mainstream media mocks me for getting fired from stuff. Just politics. I’ve been a smash hit with the readers at every single thing I’ve ever written for. Not like I’ve ever been fired for not being good enough. Epoch Times called me best source reporter EVER!”
Wednesday morning, 1:51 a.m. “The publisher of the Epoch Times told me in no uncertain terms that even though I’m a ‘great reporter.’ I was being fired specifically because [former Secret Service agent] Dan Bongino told a person to Lodge [sic] a complaint against me. Lol. The conservative movement is a joke.”
These male journalists are not close. Three weeks ago, there was this brief exchange:
Wednesday morning, 9:46 a.m.: “I’m going to mark this impeachment day with appropriate disrespect, eating a big steak in a MAGA hat and loudly explaining my view on the need for strong border security.”
In other Bongino news… he’s pleased with his newfound Bongino Report, which has been compared with Drudge Report despite looking and feeling nothing like it.
Raheem Kassam, who worked for the relaunch of Human Events for about three months before abruptly leaving, remarked that “Bongino Report” is “better than Drudge” and he “checks it religiously.” Kassam now hosts Salem’s War Room, a radio show and podcast, with former Trump Counselor Steve Bannon and former Trump campaign aide Jason Miller. (RELATED: Human Events Says Sayonara To Raheem Kassam)
Kassam said on the podcast that Bongino Report is the only right wing site he checks everyday: “I’m sorry to say this: it’s so much better than the Drudge Report, just saying. That’s just my opinion.”
Turns out Bongino Report loves that assessment, tweeting, “We agree!”
Humility in Washington is awesome.
Paul Blest Goes After Andrew Sullivan
Andrew Sullivan writes for New York Mag.
“Maybe part of the reason Andrew Sullivan fixates on the need to destroy PC culture is because a society where the ‘woke’ people he complains about actually control the levers of power (both cultural and political) is one where he’s as irrelevant as he deserves to be.” — Paul Blest, formerly, Splinter News, bylines, The Nation, American Prospect and more.
