Thursday News: “Trump, Corker, Flake and the GOP Civil War”; Mark Halperin a Horrible Political “Analyst” and Horrible Person Too?

by Lowell

Here are a few national and Virginia news headlines, political and otherwise, for Thursday, October 26.

• GOP majority in Senate hangs in balance as McConnell allies declare open warfare on Bannon (“Former White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon’s attacks on establishment Republicans have prompted eruptions in once-sleepy races and on Capitol Hill, with retirements and acrimony following. The fallout may pose a threat to Republicans’ Senate majority, prompting Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s allies to launch personal attacks on Bannon to blunt his efforts.”)
• The Limits of the Flake-Corker-McCain Rebellion Against Trump (“…so far, the overwhelming majority of Republicans are declining to serve as Trump watchdogs. As Kristol noted, ‘one of the corruptions of the moment is that many Republicans in Congress have totally abdicated that responsibility.'”)
• Republicans Just Caved to the Big Banks and Exposed Trump’s Sham Populism
• Frank Rich: What Jeff Flake Couldn’t Bring Himself to Say About Donald Trump (“But the notion that Flake’s words — or Corker’s or McCain’s — are going to change the mind of a single member of the Trump base, or that lame-duck senators might at last encourage an anti-Trump outpouring among their GOP colleagues on Capitol Hill, is preposterous. They can read polls. Some 80 percent of Republicans still support Trump.”)
• Blow: The Menace of Trumpism (“Trump-era Republicans have accepted depravity and vitriol as the price they’re willing to pay to have a person willing to fight the people and institutions they distrust and detest. Encouraging violence isn’t disqualifying. Defaming Mexicans and Muslims is not disqualifying. Bragging about sexual assault is not disqualifying. Being a pathological liar is not disqualifying. Coddling white supremacists is not disqualifying. Attacking Gold Star families is not disqualifying. None of it is disqualifying. To the contrary, it is supremely satisfying. the Moral Majority has become the iniquitous minority.”)
• G.O.P. Becomes Party of Trump, and Critics Give In or Give Up
• Republicans won’t quit Trump (“A Pew Research Center study breaking down GOP types indicates a victory will be an uphill struggle.”)
• Jeff Flake is out, and Roy Moore is in. Heaven help us. (Forget “Heaven”; we need to help ourselves.)
• Remember When Democrats Used To Hate George W. Bush? So Much For That. (People apparently have the memories of gnats.)
• How Trump Is Endangering His Prized Tax Cuts (“One by one, and to the annoyance of GOP lawmakers, the president is rejecting proposals Republicans may need to adopt to pay for their costly plan.”)
• Study: CNN’s paid Trump shills made more than 500 appearances over the last three months
  (“The network is making a big show of its commitment to facts while paying Trump apologists to lie”)
• Finally, a health-care proposal that actually pays off (“A Congressional Budget Office analysis shows that the Alexander-Murray bill would do much good.” Which means, of course,
  that nihilist Trump will be against it?
• Congressional Democrats Are Crushing The GOP In 2018 Midterm Fundraising
• You Will Lose Your Job to a Robot—and Sooner Than You Think (Well, that’s something to look forward to, huh?)
• Five women accuse journalist and ‘Game Change’ co-author Mark Halperin of sexual harassment (Halperin is so awful.)
• Fox News poll: Dems lead by 15 points on generic ballot
• Trump feuds endangering tax reform
• Trump approval rating dips to new low in Fox News poll (“President Donald Trump’s approval rating reached the lowest mark it has been in any Fox News poll, 38 percent.”)
• The Recruitables: Why Trump’s Team Was Easy Prey for Putin (“A former CIA officer looks at the personality traits that might have allowed Russian intelligence to manipulate key members of the president’s inner circle.”)
• How Facebook, Google and Twitter ’embeds’ helped Trump in 2016 (“A study reveals employees the companies placed in the Trump campaign played a surprisingly active role in shaping its message and targeting voters.”)
• George H.W. Bush issues worst possible apology in response to sexual assault allegation (“Sexual assault isn’t a joke, guys.”)
• Trump says the Russian dossier has been ‘completely discredited.’ He’s wrong. (“Many of the dossier’s disturbing allegations have already been independently corroborated.”)
• Ed Gillespie Advertises His Opposition to Voting Rights (“The Virginia Republican states the premise on voter suppression.”)
• Kaine: Military spouse employment a bipartisan issue
• Gillespie, a career tactician, tries to navigate Trump and a GOP civil war (Good luck with that!)
• Please read this before you freak out about that new poll in the Virginia governor’s race (In short, this poll is garbage.)
• Marshall ad accuses Roem of ‘lewd behavior’ in old video of her band (Typical “Sideshow Bob” stuff – obsessed, in strange and unhealthful ways, with sex)
• Danica Roem’s Historic Candidacy Puts Spotlight on Virginia Delegate Race
• Northam stands by Democratic mailer tying Gillespie, Trump to white nationalists
• Education drives debate between VanValkenburg, Whitlock for open House seat in Henrico
• $70 for a visit to Skyline Drive or Old Rag? Federal proposal would nearly triple cost (That’s bonkers.)
• Richmond Police Chief Durham says Mayor Stoney gave police a blank check for Monument Avenue rally
• Editorial: It’s Miyares, Davis and Holcomb (This is crazy wrong on Holcomb in particular. Instead, vote Democrat Cheryl Turpin on 11/7!)
• CASEY: A curious claim (“Richmond attorney Joseph Morrissey is seeking $1.3 million from a Richmond TV station and a commentator, alleging they defamed him in a 2016 broadcast by calling him ‘stupid’ a ‘fool,’ a ‘liar’ and a ‘clown.'” I wouldn’t say Morrissey is “stupid.” As for the rest of the adjectives…well, LOL)
• At forum, council hopefuls’ criticism of city runs the gamut (“In what is expected to be their final forum all together before the election Nov. 7, the candidates for Charlottesville City Council discussed the recent series of protests at council meetings, lifting up low-income residents and affordability issues.”)
• Roanoke County to request rehearing on FERC’s pipeline certification (“People are very worried that this behemoth of a pipeline, the construction is going to affect the water supply and the water sources”)
• Miller turns to holding off Carter’s challenge in 50th District (Jackson Miller is hard right, wrong on everything, such as raising the felony grand larceny threshold from its current $200, the lowest in the country. In short, Jackson Miller is one of the worst members of the Virginia House of Delegates and needs to go on 11/7 – vote Lee Carter instead!)
• Greater Greater Washington: Our endorsements for Virginia elections (Ralph Northam, Erik Gutshall, Danica Roem, Kathleen Murphy)
• Plans for a wind farm in Botetourt County delayed again
• Short Pump Middle School meeting on locker room video gives rise to passionate critiques of policies on racism and bullying
• D.C.-area forecast: On the cool side today, with a stormy Sunday likely in the cards