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Tag: Rudy Giuliani
Join Jim and Greg as they discuss Joe Biden now promising to create a bipartisan commission to study reforming the courts and Jim explains why he thinks this is Biden’s way of letting the idea die. They also weigh in on Sacha Baron Cohen’s attempt to portray Rudy Giuliani as acting lewd with a minor and how Rudy could probably use better judgment. And they take a long look at the growing scandal involving Joe and Hunter Biden’s business dealings and why this is a big problem for Biden even if he wins the election.
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Nothing but crazy martinis today and the last one is a lot of fun! Join Jim and Greg today as they try to understand how bumbling figures like Lev Parnas ended up as Rudy Giuliani’s key operatives in Ukraine. They also shake their heads as Iowa Democrats plan to release three separate results from the caucuses next month, possibly giving multiple candidates the chance to claim victory. And they examine West Virginia’s offer for second amendment friendly counties in Virginia to switch states, leading Jim and Greg to wonder how the map would look if counties could jump to other states they find more ideologically similar.
Corrupt Politicians Drawn to Corrupt Country? Ukraine an Attractive Nuisance?
Reportedly, Ukraine has been one of the most corrupt countries on the face of the Earth. This is likely not a matter of some sort of defective national character, but rather a consequence of their geography and the past century of politics. Today, Putin, Democrats, and the US Deep State leverage Ukraine’s vulnerability to their own ends.
Anne Applebaum has done the real research and written the hard truths to power about evil perpetrated by the Soviet Union, including in Ukraine. Consider this MacClean’s interview of Applebaum on publication of her latest book, Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine.
Q: Part of the history is that the Holodomor didn’t come out of the blue. There has been a long continuity of attitude in Moscow—a contempt for Ukrainian nationalism—running through the Czarist, Soviet and post-Soviet eras. One of the more striking instances of continuity was Lenin sending in Russian troops in Ukrainian disguise during the Civil War, which almost a century later became a Putin tactic.
We’re off to an all-crazy start in what promises to be a crazy week! Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America throw up their hands as President Trump goes on a Twitter rant demanding House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff be investigated for treason and quoting allies suggesting that impeachment could lead to another civil war. They also unload on Joe Biden and his campaign for demanding that the media stop interviewing Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani. And they almost start to feel sorry for Hillary Clinton as she keeps talking about winning the popular vote and accusing Trump of being “an illegitimate president” almost three years after the election.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America cheer the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of a Christian baker who was sued for not customizing a wedding cake for a same-sex ceremony but note the ruling focused on this particular case rather than broader issues of conscience and religious liberty. They also cringe as Bill Clinton still sees himself as the victim in the Monica Lewinsky scandal and scolds an NBC reporter for even bringing it up. And they’re incredulous as President Trump boldly announces he has the power to pardon himself and Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, contends Trump could not even be indicted for killing former FBI Director James Comey while still in office.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the confirmation of CIA Director Gina Haspel, discussing the six Democrats who ended up back the nomination and their likely political calculations. They also shudder at reports that efforts are underway to create a TV show featuring former Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci and Stormy Daniels attorney Michael Avenatti. And they walk through the rough public relations performance of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who seems to be creating more controversies than he’s resolving.
Note: The Texas high school shooting was first being reported at the time the podcast was recorded Friday morning. Details were scarce and Jim and Greg determined it was irresponsible to comment on it until the facts are established. Certainly, our prayers are with the families of those killed and for the recovery of those injured.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see reports that North Korea is prepared to release three U.S. prisoners, but they’re still cautious about why Kim Jong-Un is suddenly so eager to find common ground. They also shake their heads as Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani reveals that President Trump did reimburse Michael Cohen for his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, although he claims Trump didn’t know what the reimbursement was for. And they react to the New York Times story alleging the Washington Redskins took passports away from cheerleaders on a trip to Costa Rica, allowed male sponsors and suite holders to watch the cheerleaders in various states of undress on the photo shoot, and assigned some of them to serve as escorts for the sponsors.
Do Black Lives Matter?
Black lives ought to matter; and, in my opinion, they once did. They once mattered a great deal. Not long after he became mayor in New York City, Rudy Giuliani introduced a new method of policing that concentrated resources where there was a plethora of crime. It resulted in a dramatic decline in the murder rate, and Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton took notice and poured federal money into similar policing reforms. African-Americans living in rough neighborhoods were the intended beneficiaries, and they benefited a great deal.
But those days are long gone, and I do not believe that black lives much matter now. They did not matter to Barack Obama, Eric Holder, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, the white radical who passed as black and founded Black Lives Matter, and to George Soros who funded the outfit. These folks were perfectly prepared to do a number on America’s African-American community and to put their lives at greater risk for the purpose of mobilizing them as a political force.
To grasp what is going on, one need only look at the data — which Heather Mac Donald did a week ago today in a brief squib posted on the website of City Journal. Here is what she wrote:
Giuliani on the Islamic State, Russia, and China
Shortly after reporting that Rudy Giuliani is on President-Elect Donald Trump’s shortlist for secretary of state, the WSJ asked him about how he would approach the Middle East and two of America’s most powerful rivals:
Mr. Giuliani suggested several times that he would be interested in the post, going into great detail about how he views foreign policy and how his views overlap with Mr. Trump’s. “ISIS, short-term I believe, is the greatest danger and not because ISIS is in Iraq and in Syria, but because ISIS did something al Qaeda never did—ISIS was able to spread itself around the world,” he said.