My Jewish Trumpist Friend Is Offended By Mobs Tearing Down Statues Of Notorious Racists

My old friend-- let's call him "Mordecai X"-- a Floridian Trump parrot, says he's not a racist because:

1- he has a black cousin he likes and
2- he donated $70 (it was supposed to be $35 but he couldn't navigate ActBlue efficiently) to Mondaire Jones, who is black and gay.

Yesterday he shared this: "My grandmother was very very progressive artist socialite and actually gave way more love to her black grandchildren then to us white ones. I think she thought they needed it more." see? Not a racist bone in his body.

Like Señor Trumpanzee, X freaks out daily when he reads about a statue being defaced, let alone torn down. It offends him no end and considers it left-wing censorship and insists "they're" banning books and plays as well, something I assume he gets from Reddit or 4chan, which is where he gets his news.

But X, who is Jewish, is also a rabid Zionist and Judeo-nationalist. I don't want to further stoke his statue-mania with another discussion of the topic but I nearly sent him the Aiden Pink story in The Forward yesterday: 8 American Monuments Celebrating Anti-Semites. I wonder if X would take part in tearing them down-- or perhaps just approve if it were to happen. "In the weeks since protests against racism began after the killing of George Floyd," wrote Pink, "activists around the world have been toppling statues, either by pressuring public officials or by tearing the monuments down themselves. Activists have naturally focused on memorials to Confederate leaders or others who enacted racist policies, and associate monuments to anti-Semites with Europe, where they are common."

We don't have to look to the cheesy statue of King Edward I in Burgh-le-Marsh, England, standing in memory (since 2007, when it was erected) of the 700th anniversary of his death. Edward, if you're not up on your history of notorious anti-Semites, issued the 1290 Edict of Expulsion, expelling Jews from England. But here in the U.S. we also have memorials to rabid anti-Semites.

General George Patton's diaries, posthumously published in 1996, "reveal," wrote Pink, "that his opinion of the Jewish prisoners he encountered was scarcely different than the Nazis he had just defeated. He described the Jewish displaced persons as 'locusts,' 'lower than animals,' 'lost to all decency,' and 'a subhuman species without any of the cultural or social refinements of our times.' A monument to Patton was unveiled at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. in 1950, and then rededicated in 2009-- 13 years after his diary was published."

Who knew? But one we all did know about was Nazi-sympathizer Henry Ford... who did more than write in his secret diary. He was the owner and publisher of the Nazi propaganda newspaper, the Dearborn Independent, which were distributed in Ford auto dealerships nationwide. "The Independent," Pink reminds us, "frequently published screeds and conspiracy theories against Jews, including several under Ford’s own name, as well as copies of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a notorious anti-Semitic forgery. Ford was also frequently praised by Nazi leadership, which gave him a medal in 1938. Today, a statue of Ford is present at the Henry Ford Centennial Library in Dearborn, Mich. Another statue of him is found on the property of The Henry Ford, a history and science museum he founded."

You didn't have to watch The Plot Against America to know that Charles Lindbergh was a Jew-hating Nazi stooge. He was, after all the spokesperson for the MAGA-organization of his day, the America First Committee. "Lindbergh publicly claimed Jews were pushing the United States needlessly into World War II," wrote Pink. "He also was a close friend of Henry Ford, who said in 1940, 'When Charles comes out here, we only talk about the Jews.' Today, a statue of Lindbergh, depicting him both as a child and an adult, is found on the lawn of the state capitol complex in St. Paul, Minn., his home state. A bust of his face also graces the Lindbergh Terminal of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport."

Going back a little further, there is Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New Amsterdam before it was taken over by the British and renamed New York. Pink reminded his readers that "Stuyvesant initially refused to allow Jews to settle permanently in New Amsterdam, and while he later changed his mind, he made them pay a special tax. He also referred to Jews as 'the deceitful race, such hateful enemies and blasphemers of the name of Christ.' Today, several New York City locations are named after him, including the Bed-Stuy neighborhood and Stuyvesant High School. Statues of him can be found at Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Bergen Square in Jersey City, N.J. An Israeli legal advocacy group in 2017 called on New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to remove the Stuyvesant Square statue, saying that the former governor was an 'extreme racist.'"

And what about Jew-hating fanatic Martin Luther whose virulent and deranged anti-Semitism influenced Europe for centuries. And although "the official Protestant organizations of Germany and Norway officially condemned Luther’s anti-Semitism in 2015, owing to his historical and theological significance, statues of Luther are still present at Protestant universities and seminaries across the United States. But there is one monument to him sitting on public lands: an 18-foot-tall statue in Baltimore administered by the city’s department of parks and recreation. The statue was erected in 1936 and had a rededication ceremony in 2011."

Last week, when his statue was pulled down in San Francisco, many of us learned that President Ulysses S. Grant, hero of the Civil War, once owned a slave. But did you know that as a conquering hero he expelled all Jews from Tennessee? The largest equestrian monument in the United States is a memorial to Grant in the nation's capital and isn't his visage on the $50 bill a monument to his memory we're all carrying around in our pockets from time to time?

And then there's notorious Kansas Jew-hater, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Actually, populist and suffragette Mary Elizabeth Lease-- upon who Dorothy was based-- has a statue standing in Wichita. While campaigning for women's and farmers' rights she was a crusader against the banksters, but "often veered into anti-Semitic conspiracy theories," wrote Pink. "People who were forced to take out bank loans were 'paying tribute to the Rothschilds of England, who are but the agent of the Jews,' claimed Lease."

A statue of former Georgia Senator Thomas Watson used to stand on the steps of the Georgia state capitol until it was moved to the park across the street in 2013. "Watson," wrote Pink, "was a Georgia congressman and newspaper publisher who served as a vice-presidential nominee for William Jennings Bryan’s Populist Party in 1896. During the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish man falsely accused of murdering a 13-year-old Christian girl, Watson’s paper whipped up anti-Semitic sentiment. After Frank was convicted and his sentence was commuted, Watson advocated for Frank to be lynched, which he eventually was. Watson was elected to the Senate in 1922 but died in office a year later. In addition to his anti-Semitism, Watson was also a white supremacist and anti-Catholic."

Just sayin'. But GovExec.com also noted yesterday that it isn't just military bases named for disgraced figures but that civilian federal buildings are also named after confederates, KKK members and segregationists. Eric Katz wrote that "In recent weeks as protesters nationwide have demanded new steps to promote racial justice, pressure has mounted for the U.S. military to rename its bases that honor Confederate leaders and for local governments to remove monuments. A review of civilian federal buildings shows a number of offices and federal courthouses named after Americans with racist histories as well... Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), who oversees GSA and federal buildings as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s panel on Government Operations, called for a change. 'The federal government must be a beacon of inclusivity,' Connolly said. 'Having federal buildings named after Confederate generals and members of the KKK is shameful and they must be renamed.'"

Here are a few from Katz's list of buildings named for notorious racists:

• John A. Campbell U.S. Courthouse; Mobile, Ala.: Campbell resigned from the U.S. Supreme Court at the outbreak of the Civil War to accept a role as Confederate assistant secretary of war. After the war, Campbell fought as an attorney against reconstruction in the South.

• Clifford Davis - Odell Horton Federal Building; Memphis, Tenn.: Davis served as a Democratic congressman in Tennessee for 25 years. He first rose to political power with the support of the Ku Klux Klan, a group in which he was actively a member. Davis went on to become a signatory to the Southern Manifesto in 1956, a resolution introduced in Congress to decry Brown v. Board of Education’s mandate that states end segregation in schools.

• William M. Colmer Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse; Hattiesburg, Miss.: Colmer, a Democratic congressman, helped spearhead what became the Southern Manifesto, a document that implored southerners to use all "lawful means" to resist the "chaos and confusion" that school integration would cause. It was signed by 82 House members and 19 senators. He fought “tooth and nail” to block the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in the 1960s, according to the New York Times. Of early court rulings against segregation, Colmer lamented there would be "an even increasing intermingling of negroes and whites in public places." Colmer went on to author a second manifesto in Congress that warned of “grave” dangers of federal legislation protecting civil rights.

• Thomas G. Abernethy Federal Building; Aberdeen, Miss.: Abernethy also signed the Southern Manifesto, as well as a letter to the administrator of Veterans Affairs in 1957 requesting VA segregate its medical facilities. A Democratic House member for 30 years, Abernethy left a significant trail of racist speeches and writings. In one such address on the House floor, Abernethy said, “There can be no dispute that a negro problem does exist in our country; that it exists in each and every section where negroes have collected in number; and that the problem is in proportion to the number in each area or city,” adding that, “for nearly 200 years we have lived in peace with our Black brethren of the South.” He went on to say God supported segregation. “Had he intended us to all be alike-- an amalgamated, mulattoed mixture of man-- surely he would have so created us.” Abernethy suggested the push for civil rights was part of a Zionist and communist conspiracy.

• Strom Thurmond Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse; Columbia, S.C.: Thurmond served in the Senate for 48 years and was one of the leading voices against desegregation and civil rights. He ran for president as a Dixiecrat in 1948 on a pro-segregation platform and vehemently opposed all civil rights legislation, launching the longest-ever speaking filibuster in an attempt to defeat the 1957 Civil Rights Act. When running for president, Thurmond said at one event, “There’s not enough troops in the Army to force the Southern people to break down segregation and admit the Nigra race into our theaters, into our swimming pools, into our homes, and into our churches.” While he served in the Senate through 2000, he never publicly renounced his segregationist views.

• J.L. McMillan Federal Building and Courthouse; Florence, S.C.: McMillan served in the House for more than 30 years. He spent two decades as head of the District of Columbia Committee, and “made little attempt to hide his contempt for the capital’s African-American majority,” according to John Lawrence, a long-time congressional staffer and author of "The Class of '74: Congress after Watergate and the Roots of Partisanship." When Washington’s black mayor sent the district’s first budget to Congress as it pushed for autonomous rule, McMillan responded by sending a truckload of watermelons to the mayor. McMillan was a signatory to the Southern Manifesto.

• Richard B. Russell Federal Building; Atlanta, Ga.: Russell, a senator for nearly 40 years, co-authored the Southern Manifesto. He led a boycott of the 1964 Democratic convention after President Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, calling the landmark legislation, “shortsighted and disastrous.” Gilbert Fite, a historian who wrote a biography of Russell, said, “White supremacy and racial segregation were to him cardinal principles for good and workable human relationships. He had a deep emotional commitment to preserving the kind of South in which his ancestors had lived. No sacrifice was too great for him to make if it would prevent the extension of full equality to blacks.” One of the Senate office buildings next to the Capitol Building is also named after Russell.

Morty did have a good point, though: who decides? Also, where do you draw the line? I'm all for renaming bases and removing statues of Robert E. Lee and other traitors to the country, but, at the same time, toppling a statue of George Washington offends me. But who exactly should be the judge of the balance of history? Yesterday I got a press release entitled "Teddy Roosevelt supporter to offer to spend $1 million to save statue at American Museum of Natural History." Frank Scurlock, public masturbator, founder of Scurlock Entertainment Global, Positive Sky and Air World Enterprises, and the owner of Space Walk Inc, a company specializing in bounce houses, ran for mayor of New Orleans in 2017 and came in 9th in the crowded field, garnering 385 votes (0.47%). He has now "announced a rally to save the statue and has offered $1 million to purchase the statue if it was to be taken down. Scurlock announced a rally of local residents this week. Scurlock says taking down this iconic monument defames the legacy of Teddy Roosevelt and believes that the history of our first environmentalist president should be preserved for future generations to learn from. Scurlock has been a controversial figure in fighting for statues that memorialize history and was arrested attempting to preserve the Jefferson Monument in New Orleans."

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

It doesn't get much more cynical than a white supremacist president holding a meeting with some prominent African-Americans and turning and winking to the camera when they can't see him. Clearly, it's just Trump saying to his supporters, "Don't worry, this is just a bullshit photo-op. I couldn't care less. I'm still your guy!"

Well, actually, it does get more cynical; and I don't mean the thing about having some mounted police plow through some peaceful protesters and clergy so he can walk with his White House cretins just to hold a bible upside down in front of a church. No, I mean that on Thursday, he went to Dallas for a meeting billed as a "Race and Policing" confab. except, you see, he didn't invite the city's African-American police chief Renee Hall, Dallas County' African-American Sheriff Marian Brown, or Dallas County's Arfican-American District Attorney John Creuzot. I guess he went over the guest list real thoroughly with the wonderful Stephen Miller.

But wait, there's more: The "Race and Policing" meeting ended up being in a Dallas Megachurch (Magachurch?) and, although policing was discussed, race wasn't except for some twisted, lying definitions of the meaning of "Defund The Police" given by both Trump and his privately-owned Attorney General, William "Kneepads" Barr. So, not only does Trump hold bibles upside down in front of churches, he goes and lies in the supposed house of God. Nice. Classy. If this were the Old Testament times, he and Barr would have been immediately struck with lightning bolts. Obviously, God has left the building.

Now, how can Trump top that? How indeed? How about quadrupling down on his racism? No, he didn't burn a cross in a church although I'm sure we'll see that one soon. Instead, Trump went just as vile by announcing the plans for the first of his 2020 campaign rallies, or, as I call them- Festivals Of Bigotry. He originally pointedly scheduled this particular day of bigotry for Friday, June 19th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. June 19th is also known as Juneteenth or Freedom Day, a day that African-Americans celebrate for obvious reasons. It's the anniversary of the date that the neighboring state of Texas announced the freeing of its slaves and those of the then Oklahoma Territory (June 19th,1865. a very bad day in the sick minds of modern Republicans) now that the Civil War had been over for more than two months. Why Tulsa? Because Tulsa is the location of the largest massacre of black Americans in our country's sordid history of race relations. Greenwood, the black section of Tulsa, was burned to the ground by a white mob. 300 black Americans were murdered and 10,000 black American citizens were left homeless. So, if you're Trump, what better day if you want to grind the heel of republican racism into the souls of African-Amerians? In addition, the burning and massacre in Tulsa occurred 99 years to the day of the tortuous murder of George Floyd; no coincidence there either. This is Trump's psychopathic mind at work. In his mind, he could not have picked a better date and location. Now that Trump has moved the date of his rally exactly one whole bigly damn day, he and the rest of the White House Goon Squad say he deserves some sort of credit for caring and sensitivity. Fuck you Trump. We heard you loud and clear the first time. Big fucking deal; you're moving your Bigot-Fest one whole day. Color me impressed. Now go chew on a 20,000 volt power line. It'll do wonders for your hair.

Yes, it's all yet another huge racist fuck you from our psychopathic White Supremacist president. Trump is holding this Tulsa rally, his first rally anywhere since March 2nd, for one reason only, to dance on the graves of the 300 black Americans who were murdered in the massacre while figuratively dancing on the necks of all black Americans, living and dead. This is how the Republican Party rolls in 2020 and has since the days of Nixon. You'll see them in the arena, wearing their red hats (no masks) and cheering their Grand Wizard of a president. It'll be a warm up for their national convention. Oh, don't worry, he'll have a few black faces strategically placed as if to say "See, I'm no racist. No, not I." If he can't find any, you know he'll have his press secretary Kayleigh McEnany appear in blackface saying she's doing it in tribute. Meanwhile, I can't wait to see what Trump has cooked up for Holocaust Remembrance Day next April if this country is dumb and bigoted enough to "reelect" him (Hint: They are).

The whole thing is intended as a message to all republicans that they should not only feel emboldened and free to express the racism that drives their party but act on it. It is Republican permissiveness. Trump could not have picked a more grossly significant site to hold one of his White Supremacist rallies. It'll work with Republicans, too, just like Reagan going to Philadelphia, Mississippi to start his 1980 campaign. Philadelphia, Mississippi was the location of the notorious "Mississippi Burning" murder of 3 civil rights workers, Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Mickey Schwerner by the Ku Klux Klan. Reagan spoke within walking distance of the earthen dam where the three men were buried. Republicans have worshiped Reagan ever since and obviously Trump is hoping for a repeat of this awful history.

At this point, I'm expecting Melania to have some cotton planted in the White House garden so she can force the few African-Americans in the White House to pick it while she aims a shotgun at them while wearing a Confederate flag dress and whistling Dixie. A video of it will be sent out in a Republican fundraising drive.

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

By Noah

Hey Republicans! Now you can own the mask that every fine Republican dreams of wearing! Act now and we'll add in a matching robe for a complete ensemble of KKK PPE!

Yes, the KKK duds that White House and Republican Congressional staffers don behind closed doors at work are Trump brand duds! And, imagine the rapture you will feel knowing that your order means more money goes to Dear Leader's 2020 campaign! Available at the Trump 2020 Merchandise website and all Trump business locations, but only if you know the secret password. Letter of authenticity from Stephen Miller included!

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

The chickens are coming home to roost.

Republicans must be so proud.

Trump's Xenophobia And Racism Is Very Appealing To Some In Tennessee

Elaine Chao, Trump's Secretary of Transportation-- and Mitch McConnell's beard-- was born in Taiwan and Trump's Secretary of Veteran's Affairs, Robert Wilkie, was born in Germany. Texas Senator Ted Cruz was born in Canada. Currently 28 members of Congress were born in other countries, including close Trump crony, Mark Meadows, who was born in France. Among the naturalized Americans in Congress today are Stephanie Murphy (Vietnam), Ilhan Omar (Somalia), Adriano Espaillat (Dominican Republic), Ted Lieu (Taiwan), Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (Ecuador), Norma Torres (Guatemala), Salud Carbajal (Mexico), Chuy Garcia (Mexico), Albio Sires (Cuba), Pramila Jayapal (India) and Mazie Hirono (Japan).

A normal American president would be thanking them for their service to the country and celebrating the fact that they chose to become citizens of the U.S. But no one ever accused Trump or being a normal American president. Many people have noted that, at least technically, he isn't even a legitimate president, since Russia helped to put him into the White House by stealing the 2016 election.

Sunday morning Trump was ranting and raving on Twitter about how "'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is too be run. Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how it is done. These places need your help badly, you can't leave fast enough. I'm sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!"

Ted Lieu was on MSNBC a couple of hours later and he noted that Trump is a "racist ass." Want the full context? "I never thought I’d see the day when a president was telling immigrants to go back to where we came from. Donald Trump is demonstrating he’s a racist ass. He’s not uniting us. I can’t wait until he leaves the office of the presidency." James Slack, a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she thinks "the language used to refer to these women was completely unacceptable." Bloomberg reported that "May’s comments are likely to put pressure on the two rivals to succeed her, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson, to join her in denouncing the president’s language when they take part in a live debate on Tuesday evening." The head of Britain's Conservative Party is calling at Trump-- knowing full well he will attack her as soon as he hears about it, while not ONE Republican congressmember has said "boo." Where is John Katko? Fred Upton? Brian Fitzpatrick? Elise Stefanik? Lee Zeldin? Peter King? Doug LaMalfa? Where's Mario Diaz-Balart, Don Bacon, Michael McCaul and Jaime Herrera Buetler? All hiding out! Not a peep out of any of these morally bankrupt enablers! (UPDATE: Texas Republican Will Hurd, the party's only African American member in Congress-- and who represents a 70% Latino district, was just on CNN and he agreed that Trump's tweets were racist. That's one.)




Earlier today, Señor Trumpanzee tried defending his Sunday tweets telling the 4 Democratic women of color to go back to the "broken and crime infested" countries they came from, apparently unaware that 3 were born in the U.S.A., and asserting, falsely, to reporters, "These are people that hate our country." When asked if he was concerned that most people see his disgusting tweets as racist, he said, "It doesn't concern me because many people agree with me." That's true; many do-- basically his own revolting Know Nothing racist base. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats rallied behind the AOC, Ilhan, Ayanna and Rashida-- and Pelosi is scheduling a vote on a resolution condemning Trump's comments. This will force every Republican to take a stand. I wonder if it will make any of her "Majority Makers" uncomfortable too.

Milwaukie, Oregon Mayor Mark Gamba, like Ted Lieu, wants Trump to know what he thinks of his racist, xenophobic and unAmerica attack on the 4 congresswomen. "The Conman in Chief is terrified of the four young congresswomen because even at his level of self delusion he recognizes what true patriots look and sound like. He recognizes that if they can start to shift our country towards a direction that truly serves the 99%, his game is up as is that of all the status-quo corporate sellouts. I stand with @AOC, @RashidaTlaib, @IlhanMN, @AyannaPressley."

Jim Himes, a congressman from Connecticut who was born in Peru, told us a couple of hours after Trump's crazy tweet storm, that "Once again Trump demonstrates the contempt he holds for people of color and those he doesn’t deem sufficiently American because they’re not of European descent. Apart from betraying our country’s core values, he is encouraging white nationalism. This white guy is not holding his breath for the President’s demand that I return to Peru, the country of my birth."

It's worth remembering that although Ilhan Omar was born in Somalia-- but has been living in Minnesota since she was 10 years old-- the other 3 women Trump was attacking were all born in the U.S. Ayanna Pressley was born in Cincinnati. AOC was born in New York City. And Rashida Tlaib was born in Detroit, which she now represents in Congress. Ilhan responded by e-mailing her constituents that "Trump knows exactly what he is doing with this bigoted attack. He’s stoking white nationalism because he is angry that I am serving in Congress and fighting against his hate-filled agenda.

Since the beginning of Trump’s time in office he has tried to ban immigrants from Somalia from entering our country. He may have succeeded in getting his Muslim ban but he won’t succeed in banning my voice and fight.

I will fight each and every day to repeal the ban and put it into the dustbin of history where it belongs.

His administration has created and is fueling a human rights crisis on our southern border. He is keeping children in cages, detaining immigrants for profit, forcing people to live in unsanitary conditions separated from their loved ones. I have spoken out about these terrible conditions at every turn, have called for abolishing ICE, and voted ‘no’ on the recent bill to give the Trump administration more funding on the southern border with zero oversight or accountability.

I have repeatedly called for impeachment proceedings to begin in the House because we have a constitutional responsibility to investigate Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors.

Donald Trump is lashing out at me because I am fighting back against his hate-filled policies at every turn and that makes me a target. I am fighting for an agenda that is supported by the American people and that terrifies him.

By telling me that I should return to Somalia, Trump is trying to silence the voices of the people I represent. But I will always fight for what is right and will never back down in the face of Trump’s attacks on me.

I didn’t run for Congress to sit on the sidelines. I ran to restore moral clarity to Congress and to fight for and defend our democracy. And that is exactly what I plan to continue doing. Donald Trump lashing out at Alexandria, Ayanna, Rashida, and me shows that he is threatened and angry about our progressive, for-the-people movement.

One Republican congressman finally spoke up. Maryland's one Republican, far right crackpot Andy Harris, defended Señor Trumpanzee‘s tweets, telling a Baltimore radio station, WBAL, that they were not racist. "They’re obviously not racist. But again, when anyone disagrees with someone now the default is to call them a racist, and this no exception." So there you go! Harris' gerrymandered district-- by the Democratic-controlled legislature-- packs every Republican within reason into one big red district in otherwise all-blue Maryland. The state's PVI is a nice healthy D+12-- and Harris' is R+14. Trump beat Hillary there 62.0% to 33.4%, while statewide, she beat Trump 1,677,928 (60.33%) to 943,169 (33.91%).

Has anyone connected Trump's penchant for putting women and children into concentration camps with his German ancestry? Maybe instead of slamming these 4 women of color working for all of us in Congress, Trump should join Ted Cruz in condemning therapist Republican governor of Tennessee for honoring the founder of the KKK. Because of Bill Lee's proclamation, Saturday was officially Nathan Bedford Forrest Day in Tennessee, as it has been since 1921.

If if Trump refuses to condemn the Tennessee governor, Rep. Steve Cohen, who represents Memphis in Congress, sure did: "We should not be honoring Nathan Bedford Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and the perpetrator of the massacre at Fort Pillow. Gov. Lee should be bringing Tennessee into the 21st century not backsliding into the 19th."

In Trump's world Forrest is the "real" American while AOC and her colleagues are not. Here's a biographical sketch of Forrest-- so you can decide for yourself:

Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of the most polarizing figures of the Civil War era, was born July 13, 1821 in Chapel Hill, Tennessee-- a small town on the Duck River. When his father, a blacksmith, died when he was 16, Forrest moved to the Memphis Delta and eventually became a successful businessman-- indeed a millionaire-- dealing in cotton, land and slaves.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Forrest volunteered as a private before deciding to raise and equip an entire unit at his own expense. He was commissioned lieutenant colonel, and issued this call to arms in June, 1861:

“I wish none but those who desire to be actively engaged. COME ON BOYS, IF YOU WANT A HEAP OF FUN AND TO KILL SOME YANKEES”

In February 1862, Forrest’s unit was stationed at Fort Donelson on the Cumberland when Gen. Ulysses S. Grant forced its surrender. Rather than accept Gen. Buckner’s decision to capitulate, Forrest and his men slipped away, through the snow, and fought at the Battle of Shiloh less than two months later. That summer he began to make the kind of lightning raids that made him perhaps the single most feared cavalry commander of the entire war and earned him the nickname “the wizard of the saddle.”

He was promoted to brigadier general and at the close of the year made himself a thorn in the side of Grant’s Vicksburg campaign, disrupting his lines of communication and attacking his supply depots. During a skirmish at Parker’s Crossroads on New Year’s Eve, Forrest and his men were totally surprised when a Union force suddenly appeared in their rear and threatened to surround them. “Charge ‘em both ways,” Forrest famously ordered. They did, and were able to escape the trap and to fight another day. Constantly on the move, bold on the attack and swift in retreat, no Union commander was able to effectively come to grips with Forrest’s cavalry during the war.  In September, they took part in the great battle of the Western Theater: Chickamauga. Forrest’s men pursued the retreating Union army into Chattanooga and took hundreds of prisoners. In December, 1863 he was again promoted to major general.

The following spring, in April 1864, Forrest and his men were involved in one of the most controversial episodes of the Civil War. After surrounding Fort Pillow, near Memphis, Forrest demanded the surrender of the garrison, which included 262 soldiers of the U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery. When the Union forces refused, Forrest’s men easily overran the fort. Then, according to several eyewitness accounts, the Confederates, enraged by the sight of black men in Federal uniform, executed many of the colored troops after they had surrendered: an unambiguous war crime.  Though accounts varied, the incident stands as one of the most gruesome of the Civil War era; “Remember Fort Pillow” became a rallying-cry for African-American soldiers throughout the Union Army.

Later in the summer, Forrest won one of his greatest victories at Brice’s Cross Roads, defeating a force twice the size of his own. His legend was constantly growing. That year, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman declared: “that devil Forrest must be hunted down and killed if it costs ten thousand lives and bankrupts the federal treasury.”

Forrest continued to torment the Union high command as the war entered its fourth year. In February, 1865 Forrest was again promoted, to lieutenant general, becoming the only man on either side to rise so far. When Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant in April, Forrest surrendered as well, declaring that, “any man who is in favor of a further prosecution of this war is a fit subject for a lunatic asylum.” Over the course of the conflict, Forrest had given as much as probably any man for the cause.  He had 29 horses shot from under him, killed or seriously wounded at least thirty enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand combat, and had been himself wounded four times.

After the war, Forrest is best known as having been a prominent figure in the foundation of the Ku Klux Klan, a group composed of mostly Confederate veterans committed to violent intimidation of blacks, northerners and republicans. He was “Grand Wizard” until he ordered the dissolution of the organization in 1869. Forrest died of diabetes in Memphis on October 29, 1877.

UPDATE: Mike Siegel's follow up:

I stand with Ilhan.

If you’ve been on this list for a while, you know I don’t spend much energy talking about the President. You hear enough about Trump elsewhere, I’m sure, and I prefer to focus on the concrete work we are doing here in the Texas 10th to improve the lives of the people.

But what the President said yesterday deserves comment. In essence, Trump told four members of Congress-- all women, from diverse racial backgrounds-- to “go back to where you came from.” A racist message, based on the assumption that only white people are “from here.”  Nonsensical, to an extent, given that three of the Representatives are American-born. But also targeted: in particular at Rep. Ilhan Omar, a naturalized U.S. citizen who arrived here as a refugee from Somalia.

Trump thinks that attacking Omar, who is Muslim, Black, and progressive, is good politics.

We need to show the world he is dead wrong.

Mike's young family

I was lucky enough to be born in this country. But I come from a family that includes Jewish ancestors, who came here as refugees; much of our family was not so lucky, unfortunately, and perished in the Holocaust. I also come from a family that includes Protestant ancestors, who came here as refugees, fleeing religious persecution. And so many of us have similar histories: how we came here, recently or generations ago, for sanctuary and opportunity.

And that, truly, is what makes America great. Despite the structural flaws in this country, the history of injustice and inequality, there is also a recurring theme: of families from around the world, from hundreds of countries and cultures, who arrived here to build a better life, not just for themselves, but for all of us.

And the attack on Rep. Omar-- at the same time we are locking up asylum seekers in concentration camps, and announcing nationwide “raids” to terrorize immigrant communities-- is an attack on the promise of America itself. Trump knows he cannot win if the diverse, open-hearted people of this country come together. His regime only prospers through division, fear and hatred.

We must fight back. We must stand up for Rep. Omar-- not just because she is an important voice and leader, a loving community member and sincere and committed representative, but also because she represents the best of this country. The promise of a better life. The poetry inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, that all will be welcome within these borders.

So let’s stand up for Ilhan. Let’s stand up for refugees. Let’s stand up for all of the marginalized communities in this country. Let’s unite across cultures and differences.

Together, we are strong. Unbeatable, even. And Trump knows that. Let’s make sure his days are numbered.

There May Be Racism In Alabama

The only federal contribution I could find from Goodloe Sutton of Linden, Alabama (population, almost 2,000 is about half white) was to Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III. I can certainly understand the affinity. Sutton edits the local newspaper, the Democrat Reporter and he's a proud Klan guy. Tuesday, USA Today shined a light on Sutton's coat and tie brand of murderous KKK extremism. Wait, wait... he didn't kill anyone, as far as we know; he just urged others to-- people in DC. There's one very gerrymandered congressional district in Alabama. It goes hither and thither to sweep up as many African American communities as possible and wall them off in one district: AL-07. Linden (and Marengo County, of which it is the county seat) wound up in the 7th-- which is only 32% white and also happens to be the 431st poorest congressional district out of the country's 435. I have a strong feeling Goodloe Sutton isn't happy his Representative is Terri Sewell, a black woman and a Democrat.

Last Thursday-- Valentine's Day-- Sutton penned a short Op-Ed, Klan Needs To Ride Again. Take a look:

Questioned about it by Melissa Brown, a reporter from the Montgomery Advertiser Sutton said "If we could get the Klan to go up there and clean out D.C., we'd all been better of."

Asked to elaborate what he meant by "cleaning up D.C.," Sutton suggested lynching.

  "We'll get the hemp ropes out, loop them over a tall limb and hang all of them," Sutton said.

When asked if he felt it was appropriate for the publisher of a newspaper to call for the lynching of Americans, Sutton doubled down on his position.

"... It's not calling for the lynchings of Americans. These are socialist-communists we're talking about. Do you know what socialism and communism is?" Sutton said.

When asked if he recognized the KKK as a racist and violent organization, Sutton disagreed, comparing the Klan to the NAACP.

"A violent organization? Well, they didn't kill but a few people," Sutton said. "The Klan wasn't violent until they needed to be."

Sutton, 79, said he didn't know any Klan remaining in the area, stating most died out after the 1960s.

The editor said he welcomed people to call him, write him a letter or boycott him.

Sutton, who has worked at the paper since 1964, inherited the publication from his father.

...Locals in west Alabama say the Democrat-Reporter has a history of inflammatory, racist and offensive language on the editorial page. A review of archived print editions reveal headlines such as "Homosexuals take black spotlight" and an editorial which stated "Slavery was a good lesson for Jews."

In 2015, the paper ran a headline titled: “Selma black thugs murder Demopolite Saturday night.” At that time, the paper had about 3,000 subscribers.

The paper also regularly republishes what appear to old editorials from the 1930s and 1940s, which include multiple instances of racist slurs.

Judson Coleman, a 38-year-old who calls the Linden and Demopolis area home, said the Democrat-Reporter has "called for violence against minorities for years."

"It has gone unchecked for decades," said Coleman, who is African-American.

Coleman said people in the community have "become numb" to the weekly newspaper. But he's frustrated by the idea that outsiders might have of Marengo County, which was about 51 percent black and 46 percent white, according to 2018 U.S. Census numbers.

Monday evening Democratic Senator Doug Jones and Rep. Sewell both called for Sutton to step down. "For the millions of people of color who have been terrorized by white supremacy, this kind of 'editorializing' about lynching is not a joke-- it is a threat," wrote Sewell. "These comments are deeply offensive and inappropriate, especially in 2019. Mr. Sutton should apologize and resign." Jones has been tweeting:

Republican Richard Shelby, a former Democrat and Alabama’s senior Senator, urged Sutton to apologize and resign in a Tuesday-morning statement to Yahoo News. "The rhetoric displayed by the Democrat-Reporter is disturbing, disgusting and entirely unacceptable. I urge the newspaper to issue an apology and the publisher to resign from his duties. We cannot tolerate this sort of repulsive speech, particularly from our fourth estate."

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

The sooner we recognize that these red Republican MAGA hats like the one being worn by the critter above are the new white KKK hood, the better. The rodent may be cute, but there is nothing cute about today's Republicans.

Trump has an idiot savant's gift for marketing and he knew from the time he glided down his Trump Tower escalator to launch his campaign on a platform of xenophobia and racism that he couldn't be so overt as to wear the pointy white hood that he probably inherited from his father. No, instead he needed a new symbol for the same old racist attitudes, but he needed one that could be worn out in the open. Hence, the MAGA hat, the hat that has become an essential part of any Republican wardrobe.

For the hat, Trump even pointedly chose a slogan that has echoes of the Klan slogans of the 1920's, the Klan's peak years when tens of thousand of Klan members marched through the streets of Washington. The slogan Trump chose has even word for word echoes at that. To drive his sick bigotry essence home, he tied it to an even more infamous and popular KKK slogan, "America First!" In a May 2016 tweet, he said:

In trade, military and everything else, it will be AMERICA FIRST! This will quickly lead to our ultimate goal: MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Trump isn't the first politician of either party to use either slogan. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton occasionally uttered the phrase "Make America Great Again" in speeches, but neither man used "Make America Great Again" as a slogan or buzz phrase so heavily, so effectively, or with such deliberate anti-immigrant, white supremacy meaning. Trump, in fact, trademarked "Male America Great Again" in 2012. In 2008, Clinton hypocritically, yet correctly, pointed out-

If you're a white southerner, you know exactly what it means, don't you?

The choice of the word 'Again' dredges up feelings of grievance and longing for a world long gone. The Teabagger political element is often heard saying they want "their country" back, often when addressing the topics of immigration or race, or even just tangentially related to them.The choice of the word 'Great' is also key when it comes to reaching Trump's targeted demographic, regardless of where they live. Today's Confederates live in every state as we continue to fight the Civil War. It's just that now the Civil War is, ironically, a war without borders. 'Great' is vague enough that it means whatever the beholder wants it to mean, which is usually, when it comes to Republicans, 'white' of course. "Great" can pointedly ignore many of those who think America has been great for them. Such people have already decided their voting preferences one way of the other. But, 'Great' also eliminates those who, have, in their personal experience, felt the sting of being ostracized through bigotry and kept from the opportunities and benefits of living in America. They know that a Trump-style America not only dashes what dreams of 'Great' they may still have, they know it will never hold even a glimmer of a dream of 'Great' for them. Trump isn't really trying to reach them either. He is only interested in manipulating those with specific grievances; grievances embraced by those looking to place blame for their misfortunes on "others" and those who have a bigoted axe to grind about them.

Tonight's meme tells a story. If you do think that mice or rats might be cute, think again. They are great carriers of disease, especially if they're wearing that little red republican hat. The FOX "News" logo? Think of it as the new national flag of Confederacy. The last one, from from 1863, featured what most people consider to be the Confederate flag (but is actually the Confederacy's battle flag) set against a field of symbolic solid white. See below. The flag's designer, Savannah newspaperman William Tappan Thompson, pushing and promoting his design, proudly declared-

As a people, we are fighting to maintain the heaven ordained supremacy of the white man over the inferior or colored race: a white flag would thus be emblematic of our cause.

In Thompson's day, it was a Republican president who freed the slaves. Most of the Democrats, at least those known as Dixiecrats, were the racist bad guys for the next 100 years, until John Kennedy started speaking out against racial discrimination in 1960 and Nixon put together his infamous "southern strategy" in 1968. I'm sure that would confuse William Tappan Thompson but I have no doubt that he would love Donald Trump and today's Republican Party.

Happy Martin Luther King Day, to all.

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Others know history and repeat it gleefully.

And now a word about Herr Trump's favorite slogan; "America First": As a slogan, "America First" came to major prominence in the late 1920s. It was the slogan most often used by the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan didn't invent the slogan. In fact, as early as 1916, Woodrow Wilson, a man of racist persuasions, used it as his platform. Presidents Coolidge and Harding used it as well, with various implications. Even as far back as President McKinley, the slogan was in use, but, it was the Klan that took the phrase to new heights, or should I say, lows, and branded it with it's fully white supremacist meaning. As the original cartoon shows, at the time of FDR's tragic mistake involving the turning back of Jewish refugees, the slogan was still in use, and not for any good reason. As recently as 2016, David Duke, not just Donald Trump adopted the slogan. Peas in a modern day pod.

As events in Texas unfold, it's clear that there is no coincidence involved in Trump using "America First" and continuing its sad history.

KKK Triggers Concern Over Political Correctness In Virginia

Colonial Beach, Virginia-- on Virginia's Northern Neck-- is closer to DC than it is to Richmond and people can commute to DC to work. It's part of the solidly red first congressional district, which went for McCain and Romney and in 2016 gave Trump a 53.6% to 41.2%% win over Hillary. The district PVI is a daunting R+8. Colonial Beach was founded-- as Monrovia in 1650-- by the great, great grandfather of James Monroe and George Washington was born just outside the town. It's a small town, with a median income of $31,711, and just over 3,500 inhabitants.

It's part of Westmoreland County, which has its own newspaper, the Westmoreland News, which decided to report on how KKK recruitment flyers and DVDs had started appearing in Colonial Beach. And now the paper is in trouble-- well not in real trouble, but in small town trouble. Some of the readers are upset because the paper ran a Klan recruitment flyer-- racist language and all-- on the front page. It was an illustration for the story but... you know what a trigger warning? There wasn't one... and not everyone understands the difference between running a Klan flyer as advocacy and running a Klan flyer as exposure.

Some residents considered it giving the KKK and its heinous ideas free ad space. "It even had the number on flyer to contact the head of the KKK," complained one reader. But the “Westmoreland News ran a disclaimer saying it "in no way condones or supports the content or message of this flyer, nor does it condone or support any branch of the Loyal White Knights, or the KKK." That wasn't enough for some, who are on Facebook calling for a boycott.

“When I look into a newspaper from my community, I expect to be informed about the happenings of my local atmosphere. I don't expect to feel threatened, belittled, and unwanted,” Facebook user J Lemar Smith wrote. “There is no problem with making the locals aware of the events surrounding these advertisements, but submitting a free advertisement on the front page is unacceptable.”

Jeremy Edouard Whitfield added: “This story could have been told without promoting these lunatics. Them and any other racially biased hate group have no business on the front page of any paper. Or any page for that matter. It is utterly ridiculous that you would print something like this without thinking of the repercussions.”

Colonial Beach Police Chief Danny Plott was also unhappy with the paper after admitting he was the one who handed them the flyer to help cover the story, not expecting to see it on the front page.

Plott told WTVR he called the paper’s editor, Brittlynn Powell, demanding an explanation. “She explained that she wanted to put it in to show people that those of us in Colonial Beach who may think there’s not racism…I think she didn’t expect for this to blow up the way it did,” Plott said.

The congressman from the area, since 2007, is Rob Wittman, who's never had a serious opponent. Although there are 3 Democrats vying for the nomination to go up against him, none are raising enough money to mount a competitive campaign. The likeliest to win the primary is John Suddarth who's running on a progressive platform:

• "I believe single payer healthcare insurance—Medicare for all—is the best and most efficient solution"
• Ban on assault weapons
• "Accepting climate change and taking action to mitigate it essentially means reducing carbon emissions and preparing the infrastructure for more intense storms and a more severe climate."
• "I will work diligently with both Democratic and Republican colleagues in Congress who will work in good faith want to reduce the overwhelming influence of money in politics."
• "I and other progressive Democrats want to raise the minimum wage over time to $15 per hour. Someone working 40 hours per week should be able to earn a living."

Midnight Meme Of The Day

-by Noah

Trump-worshipping congressional Republicans returned to Washington this week. Before pretending to get down to work, they ate a big meal on our dime and paused for a team photo.

Business Leaders And Political Leaders Abandon Trump In Disgust

The Last Supper by Nancy Ohanian

If you've never heard of it before, Trump's Manufacturing Jobs Initiative council has come into the public eye in the last couple of days-- and for all the wrong reasons. He established the council in January to informally advice him on job creation issues. This is the list of the initial roster of executives:

• Andrew Liveris, Dow Chemical
• Bill Brown, Harris Corporation
• Michael Dell, Dell Technologies
• John Ferriola, Nucor Corporation
• Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool Corporation
• Mark Fields, Ford Motor Company
• Ken Frazier, Merck & Co.
• Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson
• Greg Hayes, United Technologies Corp.
• Marilynn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Corp.
• Jeff Immelt, General Electric
• Jim Kamsickas, Dana Inc.
• Klaus Kleinfeld, Arconic
• Brian Krzanich, Intel Corp.
• Rich Kyle, The Timken Company
• Thea Lee, AFL-CIO
• Mario Longhi, U.S. Steel
• Denise Morrison, Campbell Soup
• Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing
• Elon Musk, Tesla
• Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar
• Scott Paul, Alliance for American Manufacturing
• Kevin Plank, Under Armour
• Michael Polk, Newell Brands
• Mark Sutton, International Paper
• Inge Thulin, 3M
• Richard Tumka, AFL-CIO
• Wendell Weeks, Corning

Trump's policies on immigration and Climate Change have alienated some of the members and some, like Tesla's Elon Musk, Uber's Travis Kalanick and Disney's Bob Iger saw the writing on the wall long ago and resigned. When anyone leaves, Trump curses them out and adds new members. Typical Trumpy-the-Clown tweet from yesterday:

His response to the tragedy in Charlottesville was widely seen as too sympathetic to domestic terrorists, the KKK and Nazis and more members quit, infuriating Señor Trumpanzee and driving him into a rage. Ken Frazier, the CEO of Merck was the first to bail, issuing this statement that left Trump climbing the walls at Bedminster. When Trump read "America’s leaders must honor our fundamental values by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry and group supremacy, which run counter to the American ideal that all people are created equal," Trump immediately tweeted menacingly-- in a Queens middle school playground kind of way-- "Now that Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President's Manufacturing Council,he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!" Trump is such a douche bag!

And his bullying tactics didn't seem to deter anyone. Right after his screed against Frazier, Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour announced that he had "joined the American Manufacturing Council because I believed it was important for Under Armour to have an active seat at the table and represent our industry. We remain resolute in our potential and ability to improve American manufacturing. However, Under Armour engages in innovation and sports, not politics. I am appreciative of the opportunity to have served, but have decided to step down from the council. I love our country and our company and will continue to focus my efforts on inspiring every person that they can do anything through the power of sport which promotes unity, diversity and inclusion."

Next came Intel CEO Brian Krzanich with this statement condemning the "very fine" racists at the core of Trump's support, something that further enraged the already enraged Trump: "Earlier today, I tendered my resignation from the American Manufacturing Council. I resigned to call attention to the serious harm our divided political climate is causing to critical issues, including the serious need to address the decline of American manufacturing. Politics and political agendas have sidelined the important mission of rebuilding America’s manufacturing base. I have already made clear my abhorrence at the recent hate-spawned violence in Charlottesville, and earlier today I called on all leaders to condemn the white supremacists and their ilk who marched and committed violence. I resigned because I want to make progress, while many in Washington seem more concerned with attacking anyone who disagrees with them. We should honor-- not attack-- those who have stood up for equality and other cherished American values. I hope this will change, and I remain willing to serve when it does."

Scott Paul, CEO of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, Scott Paul, announced his resignation from The Trumpist panel on twitter. About a quarter of the panel, including Mark Fields of Ford Motors, Mario Longhi of U.S. Steel and Klaus Kleinfeld of Arconic, have resigned. Still left are:

• Andrew Liveris, Dow Chemical
• Bill Brown, Harris Corporation
• Michael Dell, Dell Technologies
• John Ferriola, Nucor Corporation
• Jeff Fettig, Whirlpool Corporation
• Alex Gorsky, Johnson & Johnson
• Greg Hayes, United Technologies Corp.
• Marilynn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Corp.
• Jeff Immelt, General Electric
• Jim Kamsickas, Dana Inc.
• Rich Kyle, The Timken Company
• Thea Lee, AFL-CIO
• Denise Morrison, Campbell Soup
• Dennis Muilenburg, Boeing
• Doug Oberhelman, Caterpillar
• Michael Polk, Newell Brands
• Mark Sutton, International Paper
• Inge Thulin, 3M
• Richard Tumka, AFL-CIO
• Wendell Weeks, Corning

Bankster Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase is still hanging on as a Trump outside adviser (on the Strategic and Policy Forum). He claims he's doing it because, for all his flaws, Trumpanzee "the pilot flying our airplane. We’re trying to help. I would try to help any president of the United States because I’m a patriot. We do not-- it does not mean we agree with all the policies that the administration comes up with." Andrew Liveris of Dow, is a true believer and a dyed-in-the-wool Trumpist. He gave a million dollars to the Trump inauguration slush fund and Trump made him chairman of the Manufacturing Jobs Initiative council. When Trump is holed up in the Oval Office refusing the accept the subpoenas from Mueller, Liveris will be with him, as will Michael Dell who just wants to keep Trump focused on tax breaks for billionaires and Marilyn Hewson, who wants nothing more than to have Trumpanzee buy lots more of the over-priced military equipment Lockheed Martin sells, like the F-35 fighter jet Trump has stopped criticizing.

As for the AFL-CIO's Richard Trumka and Thea Lee, they've never even been informed about where meetings subsequent to the first one have been held so they're not being treated by Trump as members anyway. [UPDATE: Lee and Trumka resigned late yesterday. And Inge Thulin, president of 3M dumped Trump this morning: "Sustainability, diversity and inclusion are my personal values and also fundamental to the 3M Vision. The past few months have provided me with an opportunity to reflect upon my commitment to these values... After careful consideration, I believe the initiative is no longer an effective vehicle for 3M to advance these goals. As a result, today I am resigning from the Manufacturing Advisory Council. At 3M, we will continue to champion an environment that supports sustainability, diversity and inclusion. I am committed to building a company that improves lives in every corner of the world."]

Trumpanzee had an actual press conference yestreday. Expect more resignations soon. Here are some nuggets from the transcript of that shit-show:

Reporter: Why do you think these CEOs are leaving your manufacturing council?

Trump: Because they are not taking their job seriously as it pertains to this country. We want jobs, manufacturing in this country. If you look at some of those people that you're talking about, they're outside of the country. They're having a lot of their product made outside. If you look at Merck as an example. Take a look where-- excuse me, excuse me. Take a look at where their product is made. It's made outside of our country. We want products made in the country. Now, I have to tell you, some of the folks that will leave, they are leaving out of embarrassment because they make their products outside and I've been lecturing them, including the gentleman that you're referring to, about you have to bring it back to this country. You can't do it necessarily in Ireland and all of these other places. You have to bring this work back to this country. That's what I want. I want manufacturing to be back into the United States so that American workers can benefit.

Reporter: Why did you wait so long to put that last statement out?

Trump: I didn't wait long. I didn't wait long. I didn't wait long.

Reporter: It was at least 48 hours.

Trump: I wanted to make sure-- unlike most politicians, that what I said was correct. Not make a quick statement. The statement I made on Saturday, the first statement, was a fine statement. But you don't make statements that direct unless you know the fact. It takes a little while to get the facts. You still don't know the facts, and it's a very, very important process to me, and it's a very important statement, so I don't want to go quickly and just make a statement for the sake of making a political statement. I want to know the facts. If you go back to-- I brought it. I brought it. I brought it. As I said-- remember this, Saturday-- we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence. It has no place in America, and then I went on from there. Now, here's the thing. Excuse me, excuse me. Take it nice and easy. Here's the thing. When I make a statement, I like to be correct. I want the facts. This event just happened. In fact, a lot of the event didn't even happen yet, as we were speaking. This event just happened. Before I make a statement, I need the facts, so I don't want to rush into a statement.

So, making the statement when I made it was excellent. In fact, the young woman, who I hear is a fantastic young woman-- and it was on NBC-- her mother wrote me and said-- through I guess Twitter, social media-- the nicest things, and I very much appreciated that. I hear she was a fine, really actually an incredible young woman. But her mother on Twitter thanked me for what I said. And honestly, if the press were not fake and if it was honest, the press would have said what I said was very nice. But unlike you and unlike-- excuse me-- unlike you and unlike the media, before I make a statement I like to know the facts.

...Reporter: The CEO of WalMart said you missed a critical opportunity to help bring the country together. Did you?

Trump: Not at all. I think the country-- look, you take a look. I've created over a million jobs since I'm president. The country is booming, the stock market is setting records. We have the highest employment numbers we've ever had in the history of our country. We're doing record business. We have the highest levels of enthusiasm. So, the head of WalMart, whom I know, who is a very nice guy, was making a political statement. I mean, I do it the same way. You know why? Because I want to make sure, when I make a statement that the statement is correct, and there was no way-- there was no way of making a correct statement that early. I had to see the facts, unlike a lot of reporters-- unlike a lot of reporters. I know, David Duke was there. I wanted to see the facts, and the facts as they started coming out were very well-stated. In fact, everybody said his statement was beautiful. If he would have made it sooner, that would have been good. I couldn't have made it sooner because I didn't know all of the facts. Frankly, people still don't know all of the facts. It was very important-- excuse me, excuse me. It was very important to me to get the facts out and correctly, because if I would have made a fast statement-- and the first statement was made without knowing much other than what we were seeing. The second statement was made with knowledge, with great knowledge. There's still things-- excuse me, there's still things that people don't know. I want to make a statement with knowledge. I wanted to know the facts. Okay.

...Reporter: Senator McCain said that the alt-right is behind these attacks, and he linked that same group to those who perpetrated the attack in Charlottesville.

Trump: Well, I don't know. I can't tell you. I'm sure Senator McCain must know what he's talking about. But when you say the alt-right...uh, define alt-right to me. You define it. Go ahead... define it for me. Come on, let's go.

Reporter: Senator McCain defined them as the same groups.

Trump: OK. What about the alt-left that came charging at... Excuse me, what about the alt-left that came charging at the, as you say, the alt-right. Do they have any semblance of guilt? Let me ask you this. What about the fact they came charging-- that they came charging, with clubs in their hands, swinging clubs? Do they have any problem? I think they do. So, you know, as far as I'm concerned, that was a horrible, horrible day... Wait a minute. I'm not finished. I'm not finished, fake news. That was a horrible day.

Reporter: Is it the same level as neo-Nazis?

Trump: I will tell you something. I watched those very closely, much more closely than you people watched it, and you have-- You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I'll say it right now. You had a group, you had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit and they were very, very violent... Those people were also there because they wanted to protest the taking down of a statue of Robert E. Lee. So … Excuse me. And you take a look at some of the groups and you see and you'd know it if you were honest reporters-- which in many cases you're not. But many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. So, this week it's Robert E. Lee. I noticed that Stonewall Jackson is coming down. I wonder is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You know, you really do have to ask yourself where does it stop? But they were there to protest- excuse me. You take a look the night before, they were there to protest the taking down of the statue of the Robert E. Lee... I do think there's blame-- Yes. I do think there's blame on both sides. You look at both sides. I think there's blame on both sides and I have no doubt about it and you don't have any doubt about it either and-- and- and-- and if you reported it accurately, you would say it.

Reporter: Neo-Nazis started this in Charlottesville. They showed up at Charlottesville, they...

Trump: Excuse me.

Reporter: To protest the removal of that...

Trump: ...You have some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. You had people in that group-- excuse me, excuse me-- I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name.

Reporter: Do you support white nationalists, then?

Trump: Well, George Washington was a slave owner. Was George Washington a slave owner? So, will George Washington now lose his status? Are we going to take down- Excuse me. Are we going to take down, are we going to take down statues to George Washington? How about Thomas Jefferson? What do you think of Thomas Jefferson? You like him?

Reporter: I do love Thomas Jefferson...

Trump: OK, good. Well, are we going to take down the statue? Because he was a major slave owner. Now, are we going to take down his statue? So, you know what? It's fine. You're changing history. You're changing culture and you had people, and I'm not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists because they should be condemned, totally. But you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists, OK? And the press has treated them absolutely unfairly. Now, in the other group also, you had some fine people, but you also had troublemakers and you see them come with the black outfits and with the helmets and with the baseball bats. You got a lot of bad people in the other group, too.

Meanwhile... Trumpanzee yesterday, clarifying his remarks about Charlottesville after he hurt the feelings of his Nazi supporters: "Many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. This week, it is Robert E. Lee and this week, Stonewall Jackson. Is it George Washington next? You have to ask yourself, where does it stop? ... I've condemned neo-Nazis. I've condemned many different groups. Not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch."

But they were. New Hampshire's progressive member of Congress, Carol Shea-Porter spoke out immediately after Trump backtracked. "There are," she made clear, no 'very fine' neo-Nazis. I never thought we would hear such disgusting and outrageous comments from a President of the United States-- comments that were immediately praised by David Duke, the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Today’s comments from President Trump are a disgrace to our nation. Over the past week, the President has twice failed to condemn white supremacists’ violence and terror, and today, he went so far as to suggest there is moral equivalence between neo-Nazis and those who protest hate. If President Trump and his pro-white-supremacist staffers in the White House think they can tear down everything America stands for, they are wrong. We will not let them extinguish America’s beacon of hope and tolerance."

Carol was one of the nearly 3 dozen members of Congress to sign on as co-sponsors of Pramila Jayapal's resolution demanding Trump fire the neo-Nazis working in the White House. Co-sponsors include Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Judy Chu (D-CA). The resolution

• Condemns the role of white supremacist, neo-Nazi, KKK and other hate groups in the “Unite the Right” rally and domestic terror attack in Charlottesville, Virginia;
• Denounces the increase in organizing, fear-mongering, racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry and violence perpetrated by white supremacists, neo-Nazis, the KKK and other hate groups;
• Offers condolences and sympathies to the families of Heather Heyer, Lt. H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, and urges a quick recovery to those injured;
• Strongly urges the president to:

• Fire individuals in the White House and Trump administration who have supported or encouraged support for white supremacists;
• Quickly and publicly repudiate and denounce white supremacist, neo-Nazi, KKK and other hate groups;
• Use all available resources of the Office of the President and the Cabinet to address the growing prevalence of such hate groups domestically;
• Use his office to unite all Americans against hate.

Needless to say, none of the Trump-aligned Blue Dogs are co-sponsoring Pramila's resolution. And, of course, that includes Chicagoland conservative Dan Lipinski. Blue America is backing his primary opponent, Marie Newman, who told us that she was "horrified by Trump's comments today. When white supremacists and neo-nazis are supporting a politician's comments both verbally and visually, it is extremely clear that politician, Donald Trump and those disgusting groups are in agreement and alignment. Therefore, from here forward I will place Donald Trump and those groups in the same despicable category: racist and vile. I would have gladly and immediately signed onto Pramila Jayapal's resolution today. I am shocked and deeply disturbed that congressman Lipinski did not sign on to Jayapal's resolution and continues to support Trump, but not support America, freedom and human rights."

Similarly, Randy Bryce, the progressive Democrat running for the southeast Wisconsin seat currently occupied by Paul Ryan-- who has refused to condemn Trump's racism-- said he would have been an initial co-sponsor on Pramila's resolution. Last night he told us that he "would have happily signed on. I plan on making a bigger table that includes everyone, not begging to be seated at one where those who support racists are seated."


UPDATE: Trump's Candidate Failed In Alabama's GOP Primary Last Night

Mitch McConnell spent over $3,000,000 on bolstering incumbent Luther Strange and a Trump PAC spent another $500,000 in the last 2 days. But last night Roy Moore whipped Strange's ass 162,570 (38.9%) to 136,910 (32.8%), with another right-wing crackpot, Mo Brooks, taking 82,363 votes (19.7%). Trump endorsed Strange loudly and publicly several times and begged Alabama voters to back him. Last year Trump won Alabama's 9 electoral votes with 62% to Hillary's 34%. Looks like even voters there think he's a loud mouthed a-hole. Moore and Strange will face off in a primary September 26.

Decrepit right-wing freak David Bozell attacked McConnell, but noticeably left Trumpanzee out of his hateful screed: "Alabama's GOP primary results should serve as a bucket of cold water for Mitch McConnell and his cohorts in the DC Establishment. Unequivocally, the Republican base will not support Mitch McConnell's weak kneed, devoid of principals, pay-for-play, brand of politics. McConnell's political toxicity infects all of those around him, including  six-month-long Senator Luther Strange. We looking forward to Roy Moore, the next U.S. Senator from Alabama, and encourage him to join our chorus of conservatives who want to end McConnell's leadership reign in Washington."