Do you remember The Gitmo Cookbook? That was a conservative response to criticisms that the detainees in Guantanamo Bay were being mistreated. Supposedly, this was impossible because the prisoners were fed orange-glazed chicken, rice pilaf, and two kinds of fruit. The cookbook was a set of recipes that had been developed by navy cooks, and the idea was that you, too, could eat as well as the coddled terrorists. The leader of the “Two Kinds of Fruit” faction was San Diego Congressman Duncan Hunter. He never tired of bringing up the rice pilaf as if he thought it was the most brilliant defense of torture and mistreatment ever devised. He tried to run for president beginning in 2007, and he won the enthusiastic endorsement of Ann Coulter. He got only 524 votes in the Iowa Caucuses and, since he had not sought reelection to the House, that was the end of his political career.
But he was succeeded by his son, Duncan D. Hunter who was one of the first members of Congress to endorse Donald Trump. The Hunters agree with Trump about free trade and they’re also obsessed with our southern border, so they’re kind of natural Trumpistas. The younger Hunter has called for the deportation of U.S. citizens whose parents entered the country illegally, and he’s advocated using tactical nuclear weapons against Iran.
Now, I bring this up just as context, because Rep. Duncan D. Hunter is upset that Donald Trump blew off multiple entreaties and refused to meet with him and his little rump of fanboys when he traveled to DC yesterday to talk to Speaker Ryan.
“I think it would have been good of him” to meet with “the first endorsers,” Hunter said, as well as those who’ve gotten on board more recently, Hunter said. “There is no reason not to have as many people on your side as you can … and he missed a real opportunity here.”
…Hunter said the complaint isn’t about his ego, contending that face time with rank-and-file lawmakers would actually have helped Trump in the long run by making it easier for them to vouch for the candidate with voters in their districts.
“If they endorse him, then go back to their districts to say they’ve met him and he’s not crazy, it goes a long way,” Hunter said. “It helps if you can say, ‘I met the guy’ … and can be beneficial for Trump, too.”
What I want to highlight are the myriad ways in which Rep. Hunter is doing politics wrong here.
First, his complaint is stupid since Trump was in DC to talk to the Republican leaders of the House, not a bunch of backbenchers. Second, if he’s trying to help Trump, I don’t see how he does that by generating a story that is critical of him. Third, if he’s trying to ingratiate himself to Trump, criticizing him is a bad plan.
But, most importantly, he seriously argued that Trump needs to meet with lawmakers so they can have a patina of credibility when they go back to their districts and try to assure their constituents that Trump isn’t crazy.
Apparently, assuring people that Trump isn’t crazy just isn’t convincing unless you can truthfully claim that you’ve met him.
That’s the message and the sage advice that Rep. Duncan D. Hunter is doling out.
And, for all of that, he gets my You’re Doing It Wrong award.
He’s probably just upset because he wasn’t able to get a nice selfie with The Donald to put on his web page and Facebook timeline.
No, didn’t you hear what he said. It’s not about his ego.
Yeah, and Donald Trump says he loves “the Hispanics”. 😉
I call “bullshit”!!
Is Hunter always that funny? I’m convinced Trump’s motto should be “With friends like these…”
Duncan Hunter is my congressman (pity me). He is the idiot son of a crooked politician in a district so rightwing insane the area once elected to the state legislature a man who ran on an anti-witchcraft platform.
Duncan pere briefly ran for president to channel campaign donation to family and friends. His final scam before retiring.
Duncan fils is so stupid he wrote legislation requiring women register for the draft because he hated the idea and expected it to be voted down. It passed his committee and the Senate is advancing it.
I live in San Diego part-time. My current “representative” is known-crook Daryll Benghazi!!!111!!! Isis, so I FEEL for you.
Well you live in an area – lovely as it is – of unrepentant John Birchers, as you well know. Factoid: you can travel around this area of lovely sunny San Diego county and see John Birch Society signs on a regular basis.
So I’m sure MANY in this district would get a real thrill to see Young Dunc with the Trump!
Yeah, Duncan fils is a real dumbo tool, but he’s ex-Military, so he’s good to go. Sorry to sound like a slur on Vets, but my contention is: thank you (sincerely) for your service. However, being ex-Military does not necessarily make you qualified to run for office. JMHO, of course.
Of course, I used to be “represented” by Big Crook Randy “The Duke” Cunningham, so perhaps things could be worse out east county way.
What a stooge!
I’m not sure what part of North County you live in, but I’ve been here 45 years, and Bircher signs are not a regular occurrence. You must be more inland. Or have skin head neighbors, skinheads are common in the Fallbrook area, let alone the Inland Empire.
When you have a HUGE military base (Camp Pendleton, pop 75000) covering the whole north border, your area is going to be conservative. It’s part of Issa’s district.
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I’ve seen most of the Bircher signs in east county. Maybe they’re not as prevalent as they once were. Some of the areas north of El Cajon, near Lakeside and the Barona Casino. I confess I haven’t been hiking in that area in a while. Perhaps the signs have disappeared. I don’t know about Fallbrook; could be.
Definitely the Military and ex-Military tend to love Issa. I hear the rants and tirades at my gym in Oceanside. Ugh.
Some of the younger military and ex-military are actually a bit more cynical and seem to be catching on that the GOP isn’t their friend. But maybe they’ll change their minds when they get older. Hard to say.
Well………ya, Lakeside. Try anywhere around Barona.
.
IOW whatever he does is doing politics right as far as his constituents are concerned?
Most likely. That would be my surmise.
ot:
Privatizing VA care on the table for Republicans in 2016
05/13/16 10:40 AM–UPDATED 05/13/16 10:45 AM
By Steve Benen
Following up on a story we’ve been following, it was just four years ago when Mitt Romney chose to float a provocative idea on Veterans’ Day. “Sometimes you wonder,” the Republican asked, “would there be some way to introduce some private sector competition” into veterans’ care?
A spokesperson for Veterans of Foreign Wars very quickly made clear the VFW “doesn’t support privatization of veterans’ health care,” and Romney backpedaled soon after, saying he was just kicking around a hypothetical scenario he didn’t intend to pursue.
A lot has changed since 2012. As Rachel noted on the show last night, privatization of veterans’ care is back as a Republican priority, as this Wall Street Journal report yesterday helped prove.
Donald Trump says the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health-care system is badly broken, and this week his campaign released some guidelines that would steer changes he would implement if he wins the presidency.
While short on details, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee would likely push VA health care toward privatization and might move for it to become more of an insurance provider like Medicare rather than an integrated hospital system, said Sam Clovis, Mr. Trump’s chief policy adviser, in an interview.
Clovis told the newspaper, “We want quality care top to bottom. If that means we have some form of privatization or some form of Medicare, we don’t see anything wrong with that.”
Veterans, however, tend to have a very different opinion on the matter.
As problematic as the VA can be, it gets better patient satisfaction scores and better outcome results than private systems. But it’s not making wealthy people wealthier, so for some people that’s a major flaw in the system. Practically unAmerican!
An understandable worry, I’d guess, given the quality product churned out in these public/private health schemes we’ve seen since the 90’s. SCHIP comes to mind.
I know, I know, a lot of PR spent on sanctifying that program, but it does not compare in effectiveness to Medicare or the current VA program.
Public good should not be hostage to private industry.
ot:
One of the Most Racially Divided States in the Country Just Passed a New Voter-ID Bill
Missouri Democrats filibustered against the GOP-sponsored bill, noting that 5 percent of the electorate–220,000 registered voters–lack a government-issued photo ID.
By Ari Berman
Missouri Republicans have been trying for a decade to enact a strict voter-ID law, and 2016 could finally be their year.
On Thursday, the GOP-controlled legislature passed a new voter-ID bill and a companion ballot initiative changing the state Constitution that must be approved by voters, most likely in November. (Governor Jay Nixon can still veto the bill, but the legislature has a super-majority to override him.)
“It has been a priority for us in the past, but not to the level it has been a priority this year,” said the bill’s sponsor, State Senator Will Kraus.
Voter ID has long been an obsession for Missouri Republicans. They have been blocked on three different occasions from enacting such a law, which is why they are now asking voters to weaken protections for voting rights in the state Constitution to allow it. Writes David Graham of The Atlantic:
uh huh
uh huh
………………….
Behind the Merrick Garland Blockade
Victoria Bassetti
May 5, 2016
How much is a business-friendly Supreme Court worth? As much as $835 million for at least one company. That’s the amount Dow Chemical agreed to pay in a class action settlement rather than continue an appeal to a Supreme Court in ideological flux after Justice Antonin Scalia’s death.
“With the untimely, unfortunate death of Justice Scalia, it leaves in question the current structure of the court,” Dow spokeswoman Rachelle Schikorra told The Wall Street Journal. “With this changing landscape, the unknowns, we just decided to put this behind us.”
For those wondering how the fight over Scalia’s replacement went to constitutional DEFCON 1, look no further. At least since 1971, business interests have sought to have their way with the American court system. The current standoff over the Merrick Garland nomination is the latest, ugliest chapter in that story.
Within hours of Scalia’s death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that the Senate would not consider a replacement until after the presidential election. His move was startlingly confrontational, even in these times. McConnell was quickly backed by almost the entire Republican caucus.
More than a few observers questioned why Republicans followed such a precipitous path. What puzzled them was that savvy politicians (which McConnell certainly is) could have easily accomplished their goal (depriving President Obama his nominee) without such incendiary actions. Time was on their side: drag out the meetings, the vetting, the hearings, the follow-up questions; find problems with the nominee; get to late summer and then just say with the election so close, the nominee will have to wait. It’s “an unforced error…that will be difficult to mop up” The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza argued.
The Republican caucus’ decision seemed to be a misfire. McConnell’s pronouncement riled up the Democratic base and the pundit class. It added fuel to public disgust at Congress not doing its job. Polls have shown growing public support for hearings and a vote on the nominee this year, even among Republican voters. And worst of all, it played poorly in swing states where vulnerable Republican Senators are up for reelection. McConnell appeared to have acted impulsively, handing Democrats another issue to help them retake control of the Senate.
But there is another viewpoint. The Garland nomination is one of the few bright spots for the fractured Republican Party. It unites social conservatives with business. Even better, it’s an issue big-dollar donors care about. For some of these groups, maintaining control of the Supreme Court is more important than keeping the majority in the Senate. And they can force vulnerable Republican Senators to walk the plank for them.
Randy Newman made one!