Have You No Shame?

AZ Sen. Jeff Flake compares Trumpism to Mcarthyism in Washington Post op-ed:

“We face just such a time now. We have again forgotten who we are supposed to be. … There is a sickness in our system — and it is contagious. … How many more disgraceful public feuds with Gold Star families can we witness in silence before we ourselves are disgraced? How many more childish insults do we need to see hurled. … How many more times will we see moral ambiguity in the face of shocking bigotry and shrug it off?”

Flake cites the famous line by Army Counsel Joseph Welch admonishing Joseph Mcarthy: “Until this moment, senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty, or your recklessness. You’ve done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”

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Author: craigcrawford

Trail Mix Host. Lapsed journalist, author & retired pundit happily promoting nothing but the truth for Social Security checks.

52 thoughts on “Have You No Shame?”

  2. Sadly, while it might be fun to delight in Flake’s words, I see his retirement as a sign of Trump’s strength. After all he was forced out of running for reelection because most of his state’s GOP voters prefer Trump over him. That’s the lesson other pols will take from this, which is why Trump got standing ovations yesterday from Senate Republicans.

  3. “…Trump got standing ovations yesterday from Senate Republicans.”

    boss, not all standing or clapping according to one of the newies reporting this morning. there were several who sat on their hands.    [probably to make sure their middle fingers didn’t flip forth]

  4. Flake should have stayed on and fought it out. His likely primary challenger, contrail Kelly Ward is a piece of work on the same level as Roy Moore. She is absolutely dangerous, and given enough time would probably self destruct. Dems have a good candidate for that seat. Republicans should not feel all that good about holding it.

    Mr. EProf will,probably have a very accurate take on the whole thing.

     

  5. I don’t get the whole standing ovation thing. A year ago a lot of those clowns were looking for the off ramp, and that was before the wheels started to come off.

    Gutless, self serving bastards! May the plague be upon their houses.

  6. From previous thread:
    This might be a great day to start a real war against this foulest of Presidents.

    This day is call’d the feast of Crispian
    He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
    Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam’d,
    And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
    He that shall see this day, and live old age,
    Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
    And say “To-morrow is Saint Crispian.”
    Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
    And say “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.”
    Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
    But he’ll remember, with advantages,
    What feats he did that day.
    Then shall our names,
    Familiar in his mouth as household words—Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester
    Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb’red.
    This story shall the good man teach his son;
    And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
    From this day to the ending of the world,
    But we in it shall be rememberèd-
    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
    For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
    Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
    This day shall gentle his condition;
    And gentlemen in England now a-bed
    Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
    And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
    That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

  7. Loving all the Faux Spews watchers running around about DNC funding of the Trump dossier.  They never mention that funding was originally oppo research paid for by GOP donor.  Was it dropped for being too dangerous?  What exactly is in there?  Just because it is oppo doesn’t mean it isn’t all true.

     

  9. As a Democrat, it’s great to see the destruction of the republican party.  But it’s scary to think of how much destruction they can cause this country before all is said and done.  I’m trying not to get distracted by all the shiny objects that SFB keeps throwing out there.  Unfortunately, the media seems stuck on the stuff lately…  I’ve stopped watching cable news again.  Thank god there’s still newspapers.

  10. Jamie, has anyone asked jeb! about the oppo his very well-heeled campaign did?  might be one in the same that initially hired fusion.

  12. renee, rather see the weakening of the fringe freaks than the centrists of both parties.  let the bigots, anarchists and the flat earthers slither back under their rocks, but save the ones who still believe in Lincoln, bill of rights (especially free press) and compromise.

  14. copied
    TO ALL THOSE SINGING FLAKE’S PRAISES…Sorry. I don’t agree. I think it’s great that he and Corker and McCain are driving 45 to tweet insanely at 3am and I THANK them for that. But look at their voting records. They are as deplorable as the deplorables.
    Listening to and watching ALL the freakin’ clips today – Flake sounding reasonable, worrying about what his children and grandchildren will learn from this, even the little quiver in his voice – almost makes you forget that he votes STRAIGHT PARTY LINE about 95% of the time. His closing quote from Lincoln was meant to be inspiring. A calculated, brilliant move.
    His back to back to back interviews today make his smiling, tanned face look appealing to those who don’t know better. And he managed to mention his book over and over and over. The book that borrowed its title from AZ legend Barry Goldwater.
    While I LOVE a respite from 45’s histrionics, let this day pass and for what it is: a conveniently timed sensational announcement from an arch conservative AZ senator who saw the writing on the wall and bowed out, keeping his campaign war chest intact for future use. Thinking…a Flake/Corker 2020 ticket coming your way.
    Never a dull moment.

  16. The timing of the dossier funding switcharoo leads me to think it was the Cruz camp originally paying for the research, then they obviously dropped out when he quit the race — which appears to be about the time when the company sought funding from democrats.

    The funny thing about this story is that it puts the dossier and its contents back in the spotlight, much of which was confirmed by intel agencies. That ‘aint so good for trump world.

  18. Jamie, one of my fondest moviegoing memories: seeing Branagh’s rendition of “Henry V” just after its release in NYC. The only time I’ve been to that city. That speech of Henry’s still gives me thrills.

    We also saw the Woodman’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors” during that visit. That conversation he had with his sister about her recent dating experience. Wow.

    Craig, I’m merely a civilian onlooker, but I view Flake’s Senate retirement news as a short-term triumph for Trump. Hope I’m wrong (and I often am).

  19. The Steele dossier: hurrah for the Democrats for paying for it. Medals bestowed all around.

    Last year, the alleged salacious and depraved Trump behavior in that report seemed incredible. Now, in the wake of the unfolding Weinstein story, that pee tape scenario doesn’t seem so outlandish. In fact, seems par for the bullying, monied, privileged, crazy course.

    BTW, what does “SFB” stand for? I must have been away when that term developed. Sad Fat Bastard?

  21. Mrdoodlesdog,

    SFB is shit for brains, however I very much like Sad Fat Bastard, It sounds like one of his tweets. Hashtag Sad Fat Bastard? Sounds good to me.

    I generally refer to him as just plain SF.

  24. Jace, OK. Sounds appropriately descriptive.

    Speaking of which . . .  Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the pearls and the cleavage. Nope. Doesn’t work. She’s still a no-good. I still see her lies coming out of her wherever.

  25. Jamie, thanks for pointing out the “brave” ones voted for this ridiculous ban on consumer lawsuits against banks/credit card companies. And lest we get carried away with Flake, he is a dedicated right winger, in the House he led the unsuccessful fight to stop W’s Medicare Part D drug coverage, possibly the only good thing Bush ever did.

  26. Craig, I give him earned credit for going to Manhattan; when our Country desperately needed presidential leadership/humanity/humility he was there.

  27. The rest of the gooper senators especially Lindsay Graham are certainly a study in cowardice

  28. Not really Flatus…he was leading us into a completely wrong and senseless war

  29. SFB….  yup… shit for brains…  and/or  stupid fat bastard…  whichever one floats your boat.

    rather see the weakening of the fringe freaks than the centrists of both parties. 

    patd…  I agree….  but unfortunately the centrist republican is an endangered species.  They have been leaning evermore rightward to the point that I’m sure many old timers no longer recognize the breed.

     

  30. KGC, I was talking about the period immediately after 9/11. Iraq was a disaster and a misplaced effort. Nothing should have diverted us from the punitive attacks against the facilities and terrorists/headquarters in Afghanistan.

  32. The Bullhorn speech – the one that urged us to capture at any costs the “evil doers”

    that is the one I am talking about.   He lucked on the form of the event but the message was clear

    revenge

    How is it that we never invaded Saudi Arabia or put them on the terrorist watch list?

  33. repubs have moved so far toward racist fascism that ‘ultra conservative’ General Barry Goldwater was kicked out of the party for being ‘too liberal’. Guys like lindsey graham and John McCain are now considered ‘liberals.’

     

     

  34. Ms Cracker,

    ‘Cuz the saudis have a controlling interest in 7th Century fux and enormous investments in Wall Street Banks.

  35. Exactly XR
    it was never about getting the evil doers but about assigning blame to a convenient target

  36. Nothing could have diverted us because the people telling the truth were denounced as traitors

  37. All ripoffs self-I.D. as Conservative. The species comes in 3 races –  Jingoist neocons, Money/Market worshippers, and the sex-obsessed Phallo-Xtians. These each tend to hate a particular sexual, racial, or religious group or two, as follows:

    Jingoists hate Muslims, Latins, and Blacks. They love poor people who look so charming in flag draped caskets.

    Money/Market worshippers hate Blacks and poor people.

    Phallo-Xtians hate GLBTIQs,Muslims, Latins, Blacks, and poor people, all of whom would have been born White, superstraight, comfy, and lucky, if only the Phallo-XT had loved them.

    Jingoists claim to be Pro-Life, and they love the use of rockets, bombs, land mines, grenades, and bullets.

    Money/Market worshippers are Pro-Death, as long as there is a buck in it.

    Phallo-Xtians are Pro-Life except for pollution-caused abortions, which they strongly favor.

  41. Trump holds “press conference” so he and nobody else can hear the questions over roar of helicopters. Makes it easier to tell lies.

  42. Yesterday was Gooper Lie-A-Palooza  The liddle post lunch parade of liars and topped off with the liar in chief.  In my view not enough time spent on the lies.  These aren’t even new lies — they are the same old ones that have been repudiated over and over and over.

  43. Mr Crawford,

    I left a piece of something for your review. It takes off at a tangent from the language of advertising.

  44. collins, corker, & flake leave in the face of insuperable opposition. McCain, too, but in the face of a different opponent. These pols are all 96%ers, but 96% is still waaaaaaaaaaay too Libbrul. The trumphant Fuehrer can brook no heresy, be it ever so tiny. YUUUUUJ Victory for trump/loss for ripper party.

    Now that flake has a book out and has made his heroic speech, can anyone doubt that he is running for president ? Or, that he will be a front runner for the few months before actual primaries and caucuses begin ?

  45. The last two weeks of the BS from SFB has left me speechless.  There is nothing left to say except he and the oompa loompa guy need to be removed from office.  Along with the rest of the kkk, birchers and white supremacists in the Senate and House.

  47. Just guessing, but I think you can either have the Suitless Bank Act (aka the naked power act) or the citizens united decision, but not both. After all, they’re both about $$$ and under cu, $$$ are speech. A sharp lawyer is going to sue, & give the court a choice of keeping cu or protecting banks (actually, just bank shareholders, execs, & board members)

  48. Standing ovation?  Like the staged brown noser meeting where cabinet members humiliated and relieved themselves in front of America?    More props, stacks of empty papers, fake Renoirs, phony charities and fool’s gold of the admin.   trump was actually quite controlled today at the impromptu presser in front of the jet engines.  Calmer…not as angry.  Something was different.   Med change?

     

  50. Changes at the FCC — big changes.
    Chairman Ajit Pai told Congress he’ll ask the FCC, where he leads a Republican majority, to eliminate the rule barring common ownership of a newspaper and nearby broadcast station, and to revise restrictions on owning multiple broadcast outlets in a single market.

    “If you believe, as I do, that the federal government has no business intervening in the news, then we must stop the federal government from intervening in the news business,” Pai said in a hearing of the House communications subcommittee. He said that’s why he offered his rules revision to “help pull the government once and for all out of the newsroom.”

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