The utter chaos that Trump and his cohorts continue to inflict on this country (and planet) is flying at us from all directions. Trump et al have left no doubt that our fears for this deplorable bunch of Republicans are actually downplayed, no one could have imagined this level of treachery and incompetence. The nomination of Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of HUD is pretty consistent with all Trump's ill-conceived and dangerous ideas thus far.
Lucky for Trump, he has the right wing media on his side: 'real' news, the Fox "News" network have been approved for the new media normal: fake propaganda on steroids. . Stuart Varney, a devoted fan of Trump and his British counterpart, Nigel Farage, examined Senator Elizabeth Warren's routine interrogation of HUD Secretary nominee, Dr. Ben Carson.
Varney was appalled that "Pocahontas" was too aggressive and brutally honest towards Native Americans -- a 'genuine minority.' He repeated the lie that her position as a law professor at Harvard was obtained fraudulently, claiming she exaggerated her Native American ethnicity and finally dared to ask, "How does she get over the Pocahontas charge?"
Really? He's going there? Yes, he did.
Varney also forgot that Carson was caught lying about living in HUD housing, but what do you expect from a genuine minority? He's not accountable for that.
Senator Warren brought up a possible conflict of interest that is quite likely to be an issue, and her line of questioning was totally appropriate, polite and valid. Varney saw the exchange as an 'elite' attacking a poor, defenseless, minority brain surgeon. Clutching his pearls, he mentions that Senator Professor Warren also owns a few nice houses in Massachusetts!
Varney did not like the optics. A Senator who was also a Harvard Law professor, who is now confronting a black man who brought himself up by his bootstraps. Oh the horror!
VARNEY: A little background here. Senator Warren was referring to a small holding which Donald Trump has in a housing project in Brooklyn, New York (Starret City). He owns a piece of that. So Senator Warren was implying that Mr. Trump would benefit financially from HUD programs, administered by Ben Carson. A conflict of interest. (which was also echoed by Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown)
Juan Williams, I'm not particularly interested in this "alleged" conflict of interest. What stood out to me was the ELITE Elizabeth Warren, who had not been truthful about her ethnicity and who owns a couple of very nice houses in Massachusetts, going after a man who is a genuine minority, a man who brought himself up.--by his bootstraps and knows firsthand what it's like to be in housing trouble.
WILLIAMS: You want someone in a powerful position as Secretary of HUD to be on guard over potential conflicts of interest with government dollars.
Varney agrees with the possibility of a conflict of interest, but let's forget about that for a moment. He hates the OPTICS, a genuine minority should never be substantively questioned by a smart woman, her questions should be frivolous and trivial in nature. Williams reminds Varney that he often says the same thing about his own situation, bootstraps and all.
WILLIAMS: You do that every Friday with me; a black man who brought himself up by the boot straps.I come out here and argue with a white man, who brought himself up by the bootstraps. I think Elizabeth Warren -- I know Trump likes to mock her, but the voters of Massachusetts have (legitimately) put her in a powerful position and she occupies a perch on the Left. She is viewed as a potential Presidential candidate.
Stuart is appalled that asking Ben Carson valid and direct questions is a regrettable position to begin a Presidential bid. It would be far better to have an uncensored conversation with a gossip TV host where she condones sexual assault. That would surely put her in the White House someday, right?
Williams addresses the fact that another Senator, a Republican, revealed a basic lack of knowledge about the industry he will head. Carson didn't know what 'under water' in a mortgage meant. It's not like that term was ubiquitous during the massive recession caused by the last Republican POTUS. What's worse is that Bush 43 seems like Einstein compared to Herr Drumpf.
WILLIAMS: The Senator from Nevada, Senator Heller, who is from Las Vegas said Carson didn't know what it meant to have housing under water. I will say, that with regard to Carson, I understand your 'elitist' argument.
VARNEY: MY elitist argument? I'm going after the elites?
WILLIAMS: You are going after the elites. (a.k.a. people who ask valid questions)
The former PBS anchor erased any doubt that Carson is woefully unprepared for this important position, but Varney is not at all concerned about silly things like qualifications. He believes that some poverty earlier in Carson's life makes him absolutely qualified to run a multi-billion dollar agency.
WILLIAMS: (People should be asking) Let's talk about housing. What do you know about housing? Have you ever managed a bureaucracy? He comes up short in many of these areas.
VARNEY: You're right...He knows all about being at the bottom of the housing pile. What is the expression liberals use these days? "Housing challenged" or something like that?
WILLIAMS: ...You are saying, he said he grew up in public housing. Here (Williams points to himself) is somebody who did grow up in public housing, and I would like to know (if) the man in charge of HUD is not only a God-fearing, moral man, but someone who knows how to make housing work and care for people in this country.
Stuart Varney claims he won the exchange and Juan slams his assertion with a simple fact: the refs aren't usually the players.
WILLIAMS: You can't be the referee and my opponent.
VARNEY: Yes, I can. I will see you on "The Five."
In post-factual America, you can say or do anything that benefits Dear Leader, Trump. It's likely that Juan Williams won't have the freedom to express himself in just a week's time. Isn't that comforting?