Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 3-22-19

Political News
Bullying McCain, Trump Shows His Fights Don't Stop At The Graveyard's Edge
Picking on a dead man seems like the ultimate bully move.
But President Donald Trump continues to trash the late Sen. John Mc- Cain, R-Ariz., all the same.
"I was never a fan of John McCain, and I never will be," Trump said at the White House on Tuesday, showing that his grudges don't stop at the graveyard's edge.
That followed a weekend Twitter tirade in which Trump identified "stains" on McCain's record that in- cluded his vote against re- pealing Obamacare and his role in forwarding a dossier on Trump to the FBI, which the president inaccurately said had happened before Election Day.
It's hardly a secret that Trump hated McCain, who was a frequent target of his barbs on the campaign trail. But McCain, a former pris- oner of war and the 2008 Re- publican nominee for president, is no longer in a position to defend himself.
That hasn't stopped Trump from treating him like a foil in an ongoing celebrity feud.
It's a one-sided fight, and
JOHN MCCAIN
one that has little obvious up- side for Trump, who already has won over the set of Re- publicans who came to dis- like McCain for his willingness to buck the party on a variety of issues over the years.
It's possible, though, that he could alienate Republi- cans who are fans of his poli- cies but either remain respectful of McCain's serv- ice to his country or simply find the specter of publicly bashing a deceased rival to be beneath the dignity of the presidency.
One former administra- tion official said Trump wasn't thinking about politi- cal strategy but was instead
just reacting instinctively to news reports mentioning McCain's role in handing over the dossier, which in- formed the FBI's investiga- tion into the Trump operation's ties to Russia.
"When it comes into his line of sight, then he cares," said the former official, who requested anonymity to de- scribe the president's behav- ior. "It’s like a reminder, 'Oh, I hate that guy.’”
The difference between Trump and others is that the president doesn't let it go at that.
"Most people don’t act out on it," the official said.
In McCain's absence, his family and friends have fired back at the president.
Meghan McCain, one of the senator's daughters, described her father as Trump's "kryptonite" in life and in death on ABC's "The View."
"Your life is spent on your weekend, not with your fam- ily, not with your friends, but obsessing, obsessing over great men you could never live up to," she said of Trump on Monday. "That tells you everything you need to know about his pathetic life right now."
Soledad O'Brien's Mother Dies Just 40 Days After Her Father’s Passing
Just 40 days after the death of her beloved father, Soledad O’Brien is now mourning the loss of her mother Estella O’Brien.
The journalist announced her mother’s passing Monday by posting a Twitter thread, featuring family photos cele- brating her mother’s life.
“My mom died today. Joining my dad who passed away 40 days ago. She was a pretty remarkable lady,” wrote O’Brien.
“An immigrant from Cuba, she lived with the Oblate Sis- ters of Providence in Balti- more during college.
O’Brien went on to share more details about her mother’s experiences as an immigrant, including her
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams says she’s willing to meet with any candidate run- ning for president in 2020, but warned she has two ground rules.
Abrams says she will meet with candidates who have a plan to address voter suppression, as well as be- lieve Georgia will be a swing state in the 2020 election.
The 45-year-old Abrams made the remarks while speaking in Nashville on Tuesday. Abrams has be- come a rising national star in the months after being de- feated in the Georgia gover- nor’s race last year. She is being heavily recruited to run for Senate, weighing another campaign for governor and even considering making a presidential bid herself.
SOLEDAD O’BRIEN
being unable to return to her home country because of its restrictions on citizens’ rights.
Stacey Abrams Is On Presidential Candidate’s Minds But She Has Some Rules
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The third-ranking Democrat in the House on Tuesday called President Donald Trump and his family “the greatest threats to democracy of my lifetime,” saying Congress needed to do more to re- spond to the president's at- tempts to undermine American institutions.
Responding to Trump's renewed attacks on the late Sen. John McCain, Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., went so far as to resurface his previous comparison of the president's actions to those of Hitler.
In an interview with NBC News, Clyburn noted that he had once been asked if he has ever seen a toxic political climate like today’s, and that while he hadn’t, he has stud- ied ones like it.
“Adolf Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany. And he went about the business of discrediting institutions to the point that people bought
JAMES CLYBURN
into" it, he said. "Nobody would have believed it now. But swastikas hung in churches throughout Ger- many. We had better be very careful.”
McCain was a “hero of our United States armed services,” Clyburn said, adding that Trump was tar- geting him just like he’d sought to discredit previous presidents, the Congress, and
the free press.
“We are asking for dire
consequences. And I think it’s time for the Congress — House and Senate — to grow spines, and do what is neces- sary to protect this democ- racy. This man and his family are the greatest threats to democracy of my lifetime,” he said.
Asked if that should in- clude impeachment, a step that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said should not be pur- sued without greater political support, Clyburn said that House committees investi- gating the president should be allowed to continue their work.
“I think all of us know that impeachment is a politi- cal concept. And if the com- mittees do their work properly they will be able to bring the public along with them,” he said. “They will be able to set the tone for im- peachment if that is de- served.”
STACEY ABRAMS
On Tuesday, Abrams did not reveal much about her next political move but said she’s open to being flexible to all options.
Rep. Clyburn Calls Trump Family 'Greatest Threats To Democracy In My Lifetime'
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