Jim and Greg discuss the conservative debate over Ferguson, predictions of an ISIS attack on the U.S., and the politics behind a book about Bowe Bergdahl.
Rand Paul on Ferguson: We must demilitarize the police
As expected, here he is belatedly seizing an obvious opportunity. The only question for Paul was which angle of the Ferguson drama to emphasize. Racial disparities in how the law is enforced? He mentions it in his op-ed but rarely does a would-be presidential nominee profit from expounding at length on race at a moment when tensions are high. State suppression of civil liberties, in particular the police restricting press activity in Ferguson? He mentions that too but no Republican will ever get much mileage from defending the media.
How about the militarization of the police, then? That's the sweet spot for Paul as it influences both of the other problems above and carries obvious appeal to all of the constituencies he's trying to reach, namely, blacks, libertarians, and conservatives that have grown more leery of state power in the Obama era. And best of all, it's an issue on which there's bipartisan support. There are valuable pieces online this morning on how the feds turned small-town cops into Special Forces by Alec MacGillis of TNR, Conn Carroll of Townhall, and Mark Thompson of Time — left, right, and center-ish. Big government has shoveled billions in money and materiel at PDs since 9/11, with predictable results. And if there's one thing that summarizes the Paul brand, it's skepticism of big government in all its aspects...
Also read:
Police excess, attacks on the press have made the situation in Ferguson worse
The left professes ignorance about conservative, libertarian concerns over police militarization
Jim and Greg discuss new polls from Iowa and Georgia, Hillary's claim that she and Bill were practically destitute when they left the White House, and DiFi's fuming over the Bergdahl swap.
Pew poll: "Liberals" overwhelmingly say Obama had no duty to inform Congress of Bergdahl swap
Of all the polls over the past few years exposing Democrats' Bush hysteria as the partisan hackery it was - see the ones on drones and spying on reporters, for starters - today's is my very favorite, just because the demand it places on Obama is so small. Surely, surely, people who spent years screeching about "King George" and the executive run amok don't object to a federal law that simply requires O to notify Congress a month before releasing any Gitmo detainees. There's nothing Congress can do to stop him; his Article II power is supreme. All they ask is a little heads-up before we start sending jihadis back out into the big brave world.
Nope. And note that it's "liberals," not "Democrats," who are the most extreme in their position. Centrist Dems are the ones being consistent with their Bush-era rhetoric about a runaway executive, not lefties.
The other key finding from today's poll is unsurprising given the reaction among members of Bergdahl's own unit to the prisoner exchange, but here you go. Proof positive that "leave no man behind" isn't working in this case with the audience that should, in theory, be most receptive to it...
Also read:
Andrea Mitchell not buying State Dept.'s spin on Bergdahl Swap
Hillary Clinton's Entitlement Problem
Tom Shillue hosts and he welcomes guests Dennis Prager and Jesse Joyce.
Poll: Veterans Oppose Bergdahl Deal By 4-to-1
Most Americans oppose President Obama's handling of the exchange of five Taliban prisoners for captive Army sergeant Bowe Bergdahl and don't have a strong opinion of Bergdahl himself.
Forty-three percent of Americans say it was wrong for Obama to make the deal, while 34 percent supported it, according to a USA Today/Pew Research Center poll.
Only 30 percent of respondents have a positive opinion of Bergdahl, whose departure from his post in 2009 and capture by the Taliban is being investigated by the Pentagon.
The 128 veterans who participated in the poll are significantly more upset with Bergdahl than the other respondents: Only 6 percent of the veteran respondents say they sympathized with him, and 33 percent say they were angry. Sixty-eight percent of veterans say Obama made the wrong decision, while 16 percent support the deal.
Also read: The 8 Stupidest Arguments Being Made About Obama's Bergdahl Swap
Jim and Greg like that even liberals in the media are getting tough on the White House for the Bergdahl swap, shake their heads at Dear Leader's latest excuses, and laugh at Chuck Schumer's ignorance about who wrote the Bill of Rights.
Harry Reid on when he got a heads up on the Bergdahl: "What difference does it make?"
Via Greg Hengler, I realize that modern politics is all about brand-building but "whatevs" is a weird brand to choose. Hillary uttered these same words during her Benghazi testimony, now here's Dingy recycling the sentiment for the Bergdahl swap. We're one apathetic Obama soundbite away from a campaign commercial. Given his waning interest in his job these days, I'm thinking we'll eventually get it.
Reid's being asked here if it's true that the White House notified him on Friday that the Bergdahl swap was impending, which would be curious since apparently no one else -- no one -- in Congress received that courtesy. Boehner wasn't told, in case you're wondering whether Reid's tip-off was something they did as a matter of course for the majority leader in each chamber. Could be there's a simple explanation, though: Maybe Reid was told on Saturday, after the deal had gone down, like everyone else and was simply mistaken about when he was notified. Right? Wrong!
Sounds like what happened is that Reid did get a heads up from someone on Friday and either assumed that all the other key players in Congress had received one too or couldn't keep his big mouth shut when someone asked him about his unique privilege. Being a sleazebag hatchet man for the White House's enemy du jour has earned him some special treatment, no? Exit question: If it's true that the Taliban threatened to kill Bergdahl if the prisoner swap leaked before it happened, why on earth would anyone have risked telling Reid or anyone else beforehand?
Also read:
Angry debate on Morning Joe over Bergdahl dad's actions
New WH Spin: Criticism of Taliban Swap is Really Just About Obama 'Hatred'
Jim and Greg like that Obama is tanking in the polls on all major issues, dislike accusations that Bergdahl's platoon mates are "swiftboating" him, and groan over a GOP run-off in Mississippi.
GOP establishment wonders: Is it time to abandon Thad Cochran?
Realistically, Cochran's got maybe a 10 percent chance of winning the runoff. McDaniel's base is excited to knock off the incumbent and outside groups like the Senate Conservatives Fund are prepared to keep pumping in money to send a conservative to the Senate. Cochran's base, which includes lots of casual voters who favor him for name-recognition reasons alone, probably can't be bothered to trudge to the polls for the second time in three weeks. That's why insurgent candidates almost always pull the upset once they make it to a runoff. The only way to get Cochran voters back out there on June 24th is for his allies to spend boatloads more money tearing down McDaniel and promoting Cochran. And if it doesn't work and McDaniel wins the runoff anyway, then you've spent three more weeks tearing your party's new nominee apart for no reason.
The NRSC insists it's "all in" for Cochran, but don't kid yourself. They're saying that as a precaution, until Team Establishment can huddle and come to a decision. They may end up going in again for Cochran, but rest assured, it won't be "all in." And some outfits, like Karl Rove's group American Crossroads, won't go in at all.
In lieu of an exit question, read Philip Klein on why the tea party's already won in Mississippi regardless of what happens in the runoff. The goal here, always, is to pressure Republicans in Congress into voting a more conservative line. The best way to do that is to elect conservatives, but merely scaring the shinola out of an incumbent in a losing effort is enough to make the rest of the caucus sit up and take notice.
Also read:
New Bergdahl counter-scandal: A Republican put soldiers in his unit in touch with the media, you know
Reports: WH Considered Paying Cash Ransom for Bergdahl Last Year
