Valerie Strauss calls out Attorney General Jeff Sessions as “the worst teacher of the week.” He might be the worst teacher of the year.
Speaking to a conservative group of high school students, he did not stop them when they chanted, “Lock her up.” He laughed and may have joined them.
Strauss writes:
“Whatever he actually thought he was doing, this is what he did not do: educate the crowd about the fact that Clinton was never charged with any crimes, and that U.S. presidents don’t jail their opponents because they don’t like them.
“He could have given them a basic lesson in American jurisprudence. He didn’t.
“He could have done what John McCain did in 2008 during a town hall meeting in Minnesota when people in the crowd leveled racial and ethnic attacks against Barack Obama. McCain told them they were wrong. When one of his own supporters said he was scared of Obama, McCain said: “I have to tell you: He is a decent person and a person you don’t have to be scared of as president of the United States.”
“When another of McCain’s supporters said Obama was an “Arab,” meant by the backer as a pejorative, McCain took the microphone from her and said: “No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about.”
“Sessions didn’t act anything remotely like that. Which makes him the worst teacher of the week — even though it is only Tuesday.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
How about Sessions as the worst teacher of the year — or is J.S. in 2nd place behind The Kremlin’s Agent Orange?
How anyone in the Trump Administration can be laughing along to “lock her up” at this point is astonishing.
How many indictments are we up to for the Trump people? Is it 22? Twenty two indicted in the first two years of an administration? That’s gotta be a record.
They better be looking behind when they’re chanting about locking people up. Looks to me like they’re the ones getting locked up.
The former campaign manager is actually IN JAIL, is he not?
I’m glad Sessions is amused by that. If I were him I’d be a little nervous.
Since you said this, “How many indictments are we up to for the Trump people? Is it 22? Twenty two indicted in the first two years of an administration? That’s gotta be a record.”
You may enjoy this (when you click the link at the bottom of this comment, scroll down for the chart that shows criminal indictments, convictions, and prison sentences covering eight presidents (Nixon through Obama).
The Trump administration isn’t #1 — yet.
The Nixon Administration had 76 criminal indictments, 55 criminal convictions, and 15 prison sentences.
Ronald Reagan had 25, 16, and 8.
George W. Bush had 16, 16, and 9.
Just criminal convictions alone, Republican vs Democratic administrations for the previous eight presidents (not counting the Trump administration since it is still in office):
Republicans 89
Democrats 2
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/1/11/1619079/-Comparing-Presidential-Administrations-by-Arrests-and-Convictions-A-Warning-for-Trump-Appointees
How can anyone but a totally ignorant and morally corrupt fool be a registered Republican supporting any Republican administration?
Where is NSBA?
Where is AASA?
Where is CCSSO?
NASSP? NAESP?
Heck – where is Secretary DeVos?
Where are their “strongly worded” statements denouncing such vulgarity?
(I’ve checked but if I missed a real stance by any of these groups, I apologize)
Yeh yeh yeh – – these national (and state) organizations have members paying with taxpayer funds from red and blue states, counties, and beliefs so they stay pretty neutral so as not to offend or lose members. They are hesistant to take a political stance because half of their members will disagree. Lose members. Lead. The unions representing all kinds of teachers take a stance on what is right and good and just
When a President or Cabinet Member get a pass for allowing kids to chant against any official, to break promises (DACA, bump stocks, etc.) – where is the outrage?
Can you imagine a superintendent at an opening of school celebration / convocation or principal in an opening staff meeting making any political commentary? Many have been raked over the coals for taking a stance on guns, sexual orientation, or even showing President Obama’s back to school message few years ago.
Congressional silence is despicable. History will get them for their blind silent loyalty to a president and cronies who want absolute, unchecked self-serving power.
Professional silence is inexcusable.
To start, it’s worth saying – and repeating a thousand times – that Charlie Kirk, the founder and face of Turning point USA, is a conservative, right-wing punk who has a very, very difficult time telling the truth. Just like the guy he admires so much, Agent Orange.
Turning Point USA makes the claim that one of its core purposes is ““to educate students about the benefits of limited government, capitalism, and freedom” but its emphasis is clearly on “free market values.” And even then, it usually gets the history and economics of “free market values” all wrong.
For example, it claims to promote “the importance of fiscal responsibility.” But Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk never seem to get around to discussing the fiscal reprehensibility of the Reagan or George W, Bush administrations, which piled up deficits and debt. Reagan and Bush1 more than quadrupled the national debt. W disregarded dire warnings of imminent terrorist threats, lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, launched a two-prong war that was badly mismanaged, and refused to pay for it. W’s laissez-faire approach to Wall Street broke the economy. Millions lost jobs and homes. W bailed out the bankers and hedge-funders who caused the harm. Charlies Kirk called what W did, “amazing.”
But you’ll never hear Charlie Kirk or Turning Point talk about any of this. Instead, Kirk will laud the Trump tax cut, which went to corporations and the rich, which will do virtually nothing to promote prosperity, and which will add $2.5 trillion to the nation’s debt. Charlie Kirk said, “The tax cut has been phenomenal.” Oh what a silly boy.
To Charlie Kirk (did I mention that he’s a right wing punk?), climate change is just “Al Gore propaganda.” Trump “is on track to be America’s greatest president!” because “America was a broken country when he took it over. In fact, it was a country in crisis.” Trump
“saw a decline in American patriotism” and started – you know -talking about “the flag.”
Charlies Kirk seems to be completely, totally, incomprehensibly unaware of Trump’s deep ties to Russia and ignorant of the Russian ratf*cking of the Constitution and the American electorate on behalf of Trump. But of course, that’s purposeful.
Valerie Strauss writes that the Turning Point USA conference attended by Sessions, he told the high school group “You’re going to stand up and defend yourselves and the values that you believe in.” Strauss said that Sessions “could have given them a basic lesson in American jurisprudence. He didn’t.”
What Sessions could have said and done – but didn’t, because he doesn’t believe in them – was to explain to students and give them a basic lesson in American democratic values.
Values that are embedded in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Values that are at the heart of a democratic republic. Values like popular sovereignty, and equality, and justice, and freedoms for ALL citizens, and tolerance, and promoting the general welfare of the country. But the Republican party doesn’t subscribe to these values. Nor does Trump, or Charlie Kirk.
We are at a critical turning point in our country’s history. We can continue to try and improve on our commitment to the core values of the Republic, or we can embrace Russia.
Charlie Kirk has made his choice. So has Jeff Sessions.
I’ll opt for the Republic.
UnKochMyCampus.org is a counter organization to the ugly Turning Points USA funded by Foster Freiss, who infamously mocked women by saying birth control should be an aspirin between their knees.
Are there any differences among Turning Point USA and the groups of 4 and 8 Chan, the alt right and the incel clusters?
HOPEFULLY there is also an UNKOCHMYPUBLICSCHOOL organization out there
Public schools have the best, Diane’s Network for Public Education.
“He was clearly acknowledging what the high school students were chanting and chuckled before moving on.”
Sessions railed against college campus culture, characterizing it as a sort of “snowflake” factory, a pejorative for entitled, college-educated liberals that comes from the 1999 film “Fight Club.” He was speaking to high school students at a High School Leadership Summit at George Washington University in Washington, DC, an event sponsored by the conservative student group Turning Point USA (TPUSA).
NewsBusters Managing Editor Curtis Houck told Fox News that it is another basic example of how many on the left have lost their minds and seize upon every perceived allegation, joke, or even slight against someone on their side of the aisle.
Sessions talks “snowflakes” as students chant “lock her up’”
CBS News
Published on Jul 24, 2018
Speaking at a leadership summit for conservative high school students, Attorney General Jeff Sessions says he heard the chant “lock her up” repeated many times over the course of the 2016 campaign.
Trump – Michael Cohen SECRET AUDIO RECORDING (tape 2: Karen McDougal CASH )
Hot Topic Updates
Published on Jul 24, 2018
CNN Obtains SECRET AUDIO RECORDING of President Trump and his Lawyer Michael Cohen
Opps. Put this recording under the wrong story. Oh well, there are bad people in both videos. How much more are we supposed to take?
So, “We’ll have to pay” comes up in a conversation making sure the national Enquirer doesn’t print anything about a Playboy model’s affair with the Orange IDIOT. Clinton got impeached for his playtime. When is the Orange Monster going to pay? Republicans are wimp-heads. How is Fox spinning this?
…………………………………………
CNN obtains secret Trump-Cohen tape
By Chris Cuomo, Kara Scannell and Eli Watkins, CNN
Updated 11:37 PM ET, Tue July 24, 2018
CNN)Presidential candidate Donald Trump is heard on tape discussing with his attorney Michael Cohen how they would buy the rights to a Playboy model’s story about an alleged affair Trump had with her years earlier, according to the audio recording of the conversation aired exclusively on CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time.”
The recording offers the public a glimpse at the confidential discussions between Trump and Cohen, and it confirms the man who now occupies the Oval Office had contemporaneous knowledge of a proposal to buy the rights to the story of Karen McDougal, a woman who has alleged she had an extramarital affair with Trump about a decade ago.
Cohen told Trump about his plans to set up a company and finance the purchase of the rights from American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer. The recording captures what appears to be a routine business conversation of several matters on their agenda. The audio is muddled and the meaning of Trump’s use of the word “cash” is disputed by the two sides.
“I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend David,” Cohen said in the recording, likely a reference to American Media head David Pecker.
When financing comes up again later in the conversation, Trump interrupts Cohen asking, “What financing?” according to the recording. When Cohen tells Trump, “We’ll have to pay,” …
Check out this story on CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/michael-cohen-donald-trump-tape/index.html
Sessions is proof that Republicans can’t govern.
Linda: Sessions is one of many in the Republican party who can prove Republicans aren’t capable of doing a job to help Americans. The biggest stooge is Trump. Look at how much this country is suffering under him. He, with all of his ‘superior intelligence’, and ‘great genes’ picked Sessions and DeVos.
Sessions is proof that evil is rewarded.
This entire administration is proof of that. I cannot think of one honorable person in it.
So Jeff Sessions pokes fun at Hillary to rile up his base. This is not new, it is tired, worn out mouthing that is growing reminiscent of the way Goebells stuck to the message on German TV in the face of sure defeat as the allied armies advanced.
As has been pointed out above, the Trump administration has not reached the lofty placed occupied by the Nixon Administration, but he is off to a breathtaking start, sacking cabinet members and creating constant news diversions with the Twitter Fingers. This too is old, older than anything in the playbook. How long have the guilty pointed to their opponents, projecting their own guilt on their opponents?
The amazing hing is the degree to which modern Trump supporters ignore the news. No matter what the Orange guy does, Hillary would have been worse. Most of these supporters have already taken the brunt of the bad economic policies of the past three decades on their own backs. So they look to a super patriot to save them. Fat chance.
Correction. German radio
The tweets and vicious rhetoric are working for his base. See the disgusting threat to nukeIran. His base is solid as a rock. They are not enough to win again. Independents and Dems together can beat this scourge, unless there is a third party candidate like Jill Stein. Maybe Putin will invite her again to sit at his table in 2019.
Former Republican, Comey, who torpedoed Hillary’s chance to win, recommends the Democratic Party avoid moving to the left (even after it lost 1000 legislative seats).
I tell you I’m shocked.
Even the Republican “elite” prefers socialism for the rich over government of, by, and FOR the people.
Let’s never forget that Senator Susan Collins was Jeff Sessions’ biggest champion in the Senate and introduced him to the committee and gave her word that he would be a good Attorney General. Collins vouched for Sessions and has never admitted she was wrong about that.
I wish the people of Maine could recall Susan Collins who is one of the Trump Administration’s great enablers.
Collins pretends to be responsible but she voted for DeVos in Committee when she could have been stopped. She will vote for Brett Kavanaugh even though he is certain to be the vote that ends Roe v. Wade.
Collins is like McCain- guilty of grandstanding but, never forgetting their singular goal which is to stay in D.C.
I also despise everything about Sessions so don’t get me wrong, but while John McCain did well in the situation, as a person whose father was an “Arab”, I resent the way he worded it – either you are a good family man OR an Arab? Pretty tired of my ethnic group being maligned.
Lock them all up. Hurry up Mueller
Sessions is a repulsive bigot. He is symptomatic of the huge divide in our country. How can Trump have an 88% approval rating among Republicans unless a lot of them are attracted to racist policies?
All Republican voters are stupid and/or venal, which explains why Trump’s corruption and Putin’s infiltration don’t matter to them.
Linda: Trump said that Putin did not interfere in our elections. That’s all that is needed for his loyal followers to understand that the main stream media is full of liars who hate our wonderful dear president. Fox is to blame for always praising Trump.
It’s sickening. How long are we going to have to endure this continuous, daily spewing of Twitter garbage? What kind of president rules the world by Twitter? He is just scary.
What I have heard is that Trump has solid Republican support but the number of people calling themselves Republicans has declined. He is shrinking the party and changing it to be the party of racists and isolationists. We haven’t had a party like that since the 1930s or earlier.
The 30’s and 40’s ushered in a strong union movement and a court that protected labor’s rights.
The Republican Court of Roberts never denies opportunities for the rich to rip off workers and the poor.
This came from my Canadian friend. Obviously she dislikes Trump as much as I do. It is refreshing to learn that there are jokes going around the world and the butt of the jokes is the Orange IDIOT.
………………………. Still chuckling…
He thinks long and hard, looks God in the eye, and says, “I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I believe in giving. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my countrymen”.
God can’t help but see the essential goodness of Obama, and offers him a seat to his left.
Then God turns to Hillary and says, “What do you believe?”
Hillary says, “I believe passion, discipline, courage and honor are the fundamentals of life. Like Obama I believe in hard work I, too, have been lucky, but win or lose, I’ve always tried to be a true patriot and a loyal American.”
God is greatly moved by Hillary’s high-pitched eloquence, and he offers her a seat to his right.
Finally, God turns to Trump and says, “And you, Donald, what do you believe?”
Trump replies, “I believe you’re in my seat.”
Looks like the Orange One is having to back down. Oh my goodness, the outcry got to him!!
The New York Times
Breaking News Alert
July 25, 2018
BREAKING NEWS
President Trump wants to delay a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Washington until next year, “after the Russia witch hunt,” the White House said
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 3:13 PM EST
The White House said on Wednesday that President Trump wants to delay a planned follow-up meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia until after the investigation of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is concluded — which it predicted would be next year.
Rightwing Republicans have introduced a resolution to impeach Rod Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller. Let’s see if the Republicans have any moderates left, or anyone with a spine.
Sessions isn’t the only one who is a disgrace. Huckabee Sanders and the WH deputy chief of staff banned a journalist because the journalist asked questions Sanders didn’t want to answer. How interesting that even Fox thought this went too far.
………………………………..
White House Bans CNN Reporter Who Asked Trump About Cohen And Putin
The president of Fox News came to Kaitlan Collins’ defense, saying the network stands “in strong solidarity with CNN.”
By Carla Herreria
…According to CNN, Collins asked Trump questions about Michael Cohen, his former attorney who is under federal investigation and whose secret recording of Trump was recently released. She also asked about Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom the Trump administration planned to invite to Washington. D.C., this fall before pushing back the meeting.
…Collins later said she was called to White House deputy chief of staff Bill Shine’s office, where Shine and White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders disinvited her from the next press event.
CNN said in a statement that Shine and Huckabee Sanders told Collins her questions were “inappropriate.”
“They were not,” CNN’s statement read. “Just because the White House is uncomfortable with a question regarding the news of the day doesn’t mean the question isn’t relevant and shouldn’t be asked.”
“This decision to bar a member of the press is retaliatory in nature and not indicative of an open and free press,” the statement continued. “We demand better.”…
Article: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-house-bans-cnn-reporter_us_5b58fc0fe4b0fd5c73cb677d
Since Trump blabs everything that comes into his absent mind, this might turn into something useful in caging the Orange IDIOT. We can hope.
………………………………………
The New York Times
Top Stories
July 26, 2018
President Trump has long wielded Twitter as a weapon. Now the special counsel is investigating his tweets as part of a broad obstruction inquiry.
Thursday, July 26, 2018 12:20 PM EST
The special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, is scrutinizing tweets and negative statements from the president about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey, according to three people briefed on the matter.