{"id":75952,"date":"2019-12-19T19:57:48","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T00:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=75952"},"modified":"2019-12-19T19:57:55","modified_gmt":"2019-12-20T00:57:55","slug":"the-daily-gouge-archive-wednesday-december-18th-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thedailygouge.com\/?p=75952","title":{"rendered":"The Daily Gouge Archive, Wednesday, December 18th, 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s Wednesday, December 18th, 2019…and guys, there are only six<\/em><\/span> shopping days left before Christmas.\u00a0 But before we begin, here’s today’s winner of the James Comey “Pat Myself on the Back” award for chutzpah, as…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harvey Weinstein blames sex assault charges for ruining legacy, brags about creating female-led films ‘first<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>‘<\/span><\/h1>\n

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In a related item, based on our knowledge as a B.S. in History from the U.S. Naval Academy focused on Nazi Germany and<\/em><\/span> the FIRST American Civil War, we understand the last thing to go through Der\u00a0F\u00fchrer’s mind…other than that 7.65mm slug from his Walther PPK…was…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adolf Hitler blames Holocaust charges for ruining his legacy, brags about creating defense sector employment opportunities for Jews ‘first<\/span>‘<\/span><\/h1>\n

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Okay, unlike Alexander Vindman, we admit<\/em><\/span>\u00a0a portion<\/em><\/span> of what we we testified to above is solely our opinion<\/em><\/span>, without<\/em> any basis in fact<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0 Still, this particular expression of Weinstein’s remorse should play well with his jury…<\/strong><\/p>\n

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…particularly the female members.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though it’s worth noting, should Weinstein ever offer to provide evidence of malfeasance by the Clintons in exchange for leniency, the last thing through his head might well match that of Hitler’s.\u00a0 Oh,…and<\/em><\/span> that Vindman was the only hearsay witness in as poor a physical condition as Harvey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, here’s The Gouge<\/em>!<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up, the Editorial Board of the WSJ highlights the hijinks of…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Incredibly Incurious Mr. Comey<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

The IG report shows investigators who didn\u2019t investigate Steele<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h3>\n

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“James Comey has finally<\/em> admitted some \u201csloppiness<\/em><\/span>\u201d over the surveillance warrant for former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. The former FBI director should re-read Inspector General Michael Horowitz\u2019s report because it lays out a record of willful incuriosity about Christopher Steele and his dossier that is hard to credit as mere incompetence<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The report quotes Bill Priestap, a key FBI player in the 2016 Crossfire Hurricane probe<\/em><\/span> into the Trump campaign, that the FBI had \u201cconcerns<\/em><\/span>\u201d about Mr. Steele\u2019s \u201creporting the day we got it<\/em><\/span>…[S]ome of it was so sensational<\/em><\/span>, that we just, we did not take it at face value<\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

But if<\/em><\/span> the FBI was initially skeptical<\/em><\/span>, it isn\u2019t evident in the IG report<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span>…<\/p>\n

…Which brings us to Mr. Comey\u2019s incredible incuriosity<\/em><\/span>. Crossfire Hurricane was among the most politically fraught investigations in recent American history<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> Yet the IG says Mr. Comey recalls few details<\/em><\/span>, says he was only periodically updated on the \u201cstatus<\/em><\/span>,\u201d and didn\u2019t make any \u201csignificant investigative decisions<\/em><\/span>.\u201d This is at odds with former Attorney General Loretta Lynch\u2019s testimony to the IG<\/em><\/span> that Mr. Comey in spring 2016 went out of his way to \u201c[pull] her aside\u201d to tell her the FBI believed the Russians intended to \u201cuse Page for information<\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Had the FBI done even basic due diligence<\/em><\/span> on Mr. Steele, his financiers and sources, it would never have sought a FISA warrant<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0(Or maybe it still would have<\/span>; or, perhaps more likely they already knew all about Steele<\/span>!<\/em>)<\/span>\u00a0Mr. Comey and his investigators have more to answer for than sloppiness.<\/span><\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, writing at Best of the Web<\/em>, Jim Freeman points out…<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Real Trump Scandal<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h1>\n

There\u2019s no impeachment case. But federal spending is outrageous<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

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“In an understandably angry letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today, President Donald Trump makes his case against Democrats\u2019 impeachment effort. If only Mr. Trump could summon the same anger<\/span> to counter the Pelosi spending agenda<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span>.<\/span>..”<\/p>\n

As Rand Paul was quoted in the same item…<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The dirty little secret is that there is actually too much compromise<\/em><\/span> in Washington. Republicans want more military money<\/em><\/span> and Democrats want more welfare money<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> (Or, more specifically, to buy more votes<\/span>!<\/em>)<\/span> Every time they compromise<\/em><\/span>, Congress chooses to spend and borrow more<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong>“<\/p>\n

And we<\/em><\/span>…along with our children<\/em><\/span>, our children’s children<\/em><\/span>, and THEIR progeny…for generations to come…will be footing the bill.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Next up, in the Ignorance Loves Company<\/em><\/span> segment, it appears Joy Behar isn’t the only Progressive who jumps to politically-convenient conclusions, as\u00a0NRO<\/em>‘s John Hirschauer calls an anti-Semitic spade a Jew-hating garden implement in describing…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tlaib\u2019s Confusion, and Ours<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

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“In response to Tuesday\u2019s\u00a0shooting spree\u00a0at a kosher market in New Jersey, Rashida Tlaib took to Twitter to offer her<\/span>\u00a0since-deleted<\/a><\/span><\/em>\u00a0lament: \u201cWhite supremacy kills<\/em><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s insist, for a moment<\/em><\/span>, upon the Occam\u2019s razor explanation<\/em><\/span> for the New Jersey massacre, undertaken by two now-deceased African-American suspects, one of whom had alleged ties to the Black Hebrew Israelites and a history of anti-Semitic and anti-police activity online.<\/span> Simplicity stipulated, the explanation should be clear enough<\/em><\/span>: Two African-American assailants harbored some amalgam of anti-Semitism and anti-police fervor, which culminated in their slaying a police officer and several Jewish citizens<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> It\u2019s possible<\/em><\/span> that such an explanation is not true<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> It\u2019s possible<\/em><\/span> that the pair were suffering a heretofore unreported psychotic break<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> It\u2019s possible<\/em><\/span> that the two woke up on Tuesday and decided to kill four random people, three of whom, by stochastic accident, just so happened to be either Jewish or a police officer<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> It\u2019s possible<\/em><\/span> that the two were operating under some false conciousness foisted upon them by the clandestine forces of \u201cwhite supremacy<\/em><\/span>,\u201d and that \u2014 if you really think about it \u2014 their actions were enabled by a broader \u201cclimate of hate\u201d enabled by Donald Trump, the Republican party, Jeff Sessions, Brett Kavanaugh<\/em><\/span>, and<\/em><\/span> the 2017 tax reform.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably the anti-Semitism and anti-police stuff<\/span>, though<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tlaib has, of this writing, yet to post anything on her personal Twitter account offering her condolences to the four people killed in New Jersey since she deleted her tweet<\/em><\/span>.<\/span> Apparently<\/em><\/span> \u2014 Occam\u2019s razor again \u2014 the condolences<\/em><\/span> were never the point<\/em><\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/span>“<\/p>\n

It’s\u00a0possible<\/em><\/span> Tlaib isn’t a sterling example of contemporary anti-Western, anti-Semitic Progressivism; but as Occam’s Razor suggests, it ain’t probable<\/em><\/span>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Turning now to the Follow-Up<\/em><\/span> segment, NRO<\/em>‘s Robert Verbruggen provides us…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Virginia\u2019s Second Amendment Sanctuaries: An Update<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n

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