Coups are fun! [podcast]

This week on the big show, Fingers and Tracy discuss the latest developments in the UAW strike, the democratic debate, the flame war between Tulsi Gabbard and Hillary Clinton, Matt Taibbi’s excellent piece “We’re in a permanent coup”, and Beto getting pushback from CNN for his insane gun-grabbing proposal.

Show notes:

Joe Biden making less sense than usual during the Democratic Debate

Biden’s pathetic fundraising numbers via CNN

Joe Biden, the former vice president of the United States and the 2020 Democratic front-runner from the day he entered the race officially in the spring, ended September with less than $9 million in the bank after spending more money than he raised in the previous three months.

Then consider this: Biden’s total cash on hand is less than all of his main rivals for the Democratic nomination, including even California Sen. Kamala Harris ($10.5 million) who has dropped precipitously in polling over recent months. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ($33.7 million) has more than three times more left to spend than Biden, while Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren ($25.7 million) and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg ($23.4 million) have well more than double Biden’s total.

After Biden’s pathetic, rambling performance at Tuesday night’s debate, we highly doubt that the fundraising numbers will improve in the next quarter.

Joe Biden Bad Lip Reading

Tulsi’s big moment at the debate, pointing out that she has the best credentials to be the next Commander in Chief

Hillary has a hate on for Tulsi, and she’s not keeping quiet about it and Tulsi isn’t having it. Via Mediaite:

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard fired back this afternoon at Hillary Clinton over comments she made suggesting the Hawaii congresswoman and 2020 candidate is being groomed by the Russians.

Clinton said in a recent interview, of the Russians, “I think they’ve got their eye somebody who’s currently in the Democratic primary and are grooming her to be the third-party candidate. She’s a favorite of the Russians.”

When asked by NBC News if this was a reference to Gabbard, a Clinton spokesperson responded, “If the nesting doll fits…”

Gabbard responded this afternoon

Matt Taibbi’s excellent piece We’re in a Permanent Coup

I’ve lived through a few coups. They’re insane, random, and terrifying, like watching sports, except your political future depends on the score.

The kickoff begins when a key official decides to buck the executive. From that moment, government becomes a high-speed head-counting exercise. Who’s got the power plant, the airport, the police in the capital? How many department chiefs are answering their phones? Who’s writing tonight’s newscast?

When the KGB in 1991 tried to reassume control of the crumbling Soviet Union by placing Mikhail Gorbachev under arrest and attempting to seize Moscow, logistics ruled. Boris Yeltsin’s crew drove to the Russian White House in ordinary cars, beating KGB coup plotters who were trying to reach the seat of Russian government in armored vehicles. A key moment came when one of Yeltsin’s men, Alexander Rutskoi – who two years later would himself lead a coup against Yeltsin – prevailed upon a Major in a tank unit to defy KGB orders and turn on the “criminals.”

We have long been spared this madness in America. Our head-counting ceremony was Election Day. We did it once every four years.

That’s all over, in the Trump era.

Read the whole piece here.

Beto gets pushed on his gun-grabbing policy by CNN

And finally, the tweet of the week courtesy of Michael Malice