The Signorile Report

photo: Tyler Merbler, license: CC BY-ND 2.0

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As I was playing horrendous audio last week on my SiriusXM show of GOP members of Congress denying at a hearing that there was any insurrection on January 5th and comparing what happened to a “tourist” event, George from Michigan, a Trumper, called the program.

The called showed how much GOP House members are giving talking points to people who want to believe and promote the Big Lie — and also want to deny the January 6th attack on the Capitol.

George spouted the line from the Insurrectionist Caucus in Congress, claiming there was no insurrection — that it was a bunch of “idiots” and nothing organized.

George then claimed that nothing happened to any of the police officers, and that officer Brian Sicknik wasn’t killed due to the insurrection and that any officers who had their weapons taken away — beaten by the mob with their own batons — were “idiots.”

When I pointed out that the insurrectionists were looking to hang Vice President Mike Pence — and had brought a gallows — he said he didn’t “know that” to be true.

Then he argued I was putting words in his mouth, that he didn’t “see” the gallows so didn’t know it was true or not — even though the images have been broadcast around the world.

photo: Tyler Merbler, license: CC BY-ND 2.0

This is the demented brainwashing that has overtaken much of the Republican Party. And it’s sick and dangerous. As he kept trying to change the subject I had to just call out his b******t each and every time, as he got more confused and belligerent.

Listen in and let me know your thoughts.

Hi all, and thanks for reading and following The Signorile Report. Most of it is free to read, but if you’d like to support my writing and independent, ad-free opinion journalism (and join great discussion threads), please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 per month or $50 annually.

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Senator Elizabeth Warren, a champion for progressives and women who led the blue wave and the opposition to Donald Trump, is both celebrating the embrace of many of her ideas and detailed plans, and pressuring for more.

And that is the essence of her new book, Persist.

She spoke with me in a wide-ranging interview on my SiriusXM show last week, and we discussed how, as a presidential candidate, she moved the Democratic Party on key issues. Many of those have been embraced by President Joe Biden, who continues to respond to her ideas — like coming out for loosening patents on Covid vaccines to get access to many countries the rest of the world —and who called her early on to access her detailed plans on many issues.

At the same time, she made sure to keep up the pressure, even in our interview, stopping me for a minute so that she could send a message to the president about doing what he can to lower the exorbitant price of prescription drugs in this country.

We discussed Facebook’s continued ban on Donald Trump using the platform, but also the deep reform that needs to happen regarding social media companies, monopolies she’s called for breaking up.

Warren also spoke about her brother’s death from Covid, and how it impacted her family, something she goes into detail about in her very personal memoir. The book looks back on her past and the issues that shaped how she leads today — such as being “A Planner,” which is an entire chapter in her book.

We also spoke about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s vow to focus “100%” on stopping the Biden administration, and what Democrats need to do now.

Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

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Thought you’d all get a little kick out of this one.

Tim in New York called to my SiriusXM show to say he couldn’t believe Joe Biden signed so many executive orders — as if that was something Donald Trump never did — and that this made him a “dictator.” Tim must have been following Candace Owens’ Twitter feed. You can call Joe Biden a lot of things, but dictator is just laughable — and so I laughed.

Tim also said that Democrats, by having control of the House and Senate, are being “dictators.” Yeah, right.

I went through all of the extremist things Trump did, and how Biden was simply undoing them and returning us to normalcy.

I then asked Tim if he believed the Big Lie and if he thought it was right what the GOP was doing, purging Liz Cheney from the leadership, in true dictator fashion, because she dared to be critical of their messianic leader, Trump.

Tim then said he didn’t know about it because he’s so disgusted with everyone he doesn’t watch or listen to or read the news.

Oh yeah, a real doozy. Let me know your thoughts!

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe

photo: Tyler Merbler, license: CC BY-ND 2.0

If you’ve been enjoying The Signorile Report, consider subscribing for just $5.00 per month and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

I’m starting the week off by exposing more of the lies from Trump supporters who claim they’re “not all like that” — but can’t prove it with a simple phone call.

Last week, in a discussion on my SiriusXM show about the insurrection and the resistance by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and others in the GOP to support a bipartisan commission to investigate, Trump supporter Derek from California called in.

I’d noted that the only reason the GOP is opposing an investigation is that they’re afraid of Trump, and his base. And Trump doesn’t want any investigation of the insurrection he inspired his supporters to engage in.

“What happened at the Capitol was appalling,” Derek said, “but I don’t think it’s fair to tie all Trump supporters to that because that’s only a small handful of nut jobs who went in there and broke the law and killed a police officer and yada, yada, yada.”

I replied that he and all Trump supporters were complicit if they don’t demand an investigation and asked if he’s voting for a Republican in 2022 if Republicans don’t demand an investigation.

“Yeah — better than a Democrat,” he replied.

“Then you are complicit,” I repeated. “You are as bad as them, Derek.”

He claimed, “I want justice,” but then failed to prove it.

“Did you call your congressman?” to demand an investigation, I asked.

And yes, a few F-bombs came out of my mouth. (I know, some will say I got too angry, but man, this guy was so full of crap.)

After I pressed him further, Derek admitted he didn’t call his congress member because, “I was busy.”

I then just had to tell him that he shouldn’t be wasting my time, that in the amount of time he spent calling my show, sitting on the line, and then challenging me, he could have just called his member of Congress and demanded an investigation.

“So just stop the b******t,” I said.

Listen in, and let me know your thoughts.

Hi all, and thanks for reading and following The Signorile Report. Most of it is free to read, but if you’d like to support my writing and independent, ad-free opinion journalism (and join great discussion threads), please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 per month or $50 annually.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe

If you’ve been enjoying The Signorile Report, consider subscribing for just $5.00 per month and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

HuffPost reporter Travis Waldron wrote a story this week about the alarming attempt by some right-wing radicals to rewrite the Constitution by triggering a provision in Article V of the Constitution that allows a constitutional convention to be called if 34 states demand it.

With states increasingly controlled by Republican legislatures and governors, the possibility is more real than ever. Still, Waldron points out, there’s been pushback or indifference by some Republicans, including by some Trump loyalists. (And a constitutional convention has also been something some on the left have advocated for in the past as well.)

But at a time when an authoritarian former president who incited an insurrection is leading the Republican Party — a man who would certainly support an effort to take away freedoms and protections in the Constitution, including around speech and equal protections — I think we all agree anything can happen.

As Waldron writes:

Opponents…see a far more nefarious plot: a master class in astroturfing that could open the entire document up to a radical rewrite meant to serve the right-wing corporate interests that already dominate our politics, especially at the state level. The convention, they argue, could lead to the demolition of everything from the social safety net and environmental protections to civil rights laws. Or maybe even the Constitution itself.

I spoke with Waldron on my SiriusXM show about why this effort is closer to happening than it’s been in the past, and exactly what the process is. It’s something very important to be focused on. Listen in and let me know your thoughts.

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Scott from Idaho called my SiriusXM program while I was pointing out the glaring hypocrisy of Trump supporters — like GOP Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin — having pushed hydroxychloroquine and other dangerous, unproven drugs to treat Covid but who won’t take Covid vaccines.

Scott said he doesn’t take any drugs of any kind and he’s “not going to take this shot.”

He said, “I don’t believe that makes me a quote/unquote Trumper.” But then he stated, “I did vote for Trump — I don’t just agree with everything he does, but I don’t agree with both sides a lot.”

Scott couldn’t fathom why I “care” if he gets the shot if I’m already “protected” since I got the shot. I had to explain, beyond concern for fellow man, the science behind herd immunity and ending the pandemic, which he didn’t seem to get.

I thought maybe appealing to his pocketbook would work better. So I explained that while the unvaccinated would keep getting sick and dying, we’d be spending billions of dollars treating them and giving booster shots to everyone else — spending all of our taxpayer dollars, including Scott’s.

That’s when Scott responded: “I don’t even agree that the government should be giving you a shot…Why are you charging me for you to get a shot?”

I then explained the government’s interest in keeping millions of people alive — can you believe I had to explain this? —and asked who would pick up his garbage or take care of him when he got sick from something else if everyone else died.

“Or do you live in a cave there in Idaho?” I asked, to which Scott became insulted, told me to “be careful with your words,” and then, out of the blue, stated, “I make a hell of a lot more money than you do, I’m sure of it.”

He then claimed, “I just take care of myself,” and, “I don’t get sick.”

I warned him that by not getting the vaccine he or someone close to him will get Covid, and someone will die, and then he’ll probably get the vaccine. And that it’s sad that that’s how it is going to have to be.

I really do try to listen and find out where these people are coming from — because it only betters our understanding. But this was a hard one! Listen in and let me know your thoughts.

Hi all, and thanks for reading and following The Signorile Report. Most of it is free to read, but if you’d like to support my writing and independent, ad-free opinion journalism (and join great discussion threads), please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 per month or $50 annually.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe

If you’ve been enjoying The Signorile Report, consider subscribing for just $5.00 per month and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

Jeff from Wisconsin called into my SiriusXM program yesterday while we were having a discussion about Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings, who was a police officer for 30 years, taking odious GOP Congressman Jim Jordan to task for the GOP’s using the police as “pawns.”

She pointed out how they only care about “Blue Lives Matter,” when it can benefit them, but not on January 6th, when Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and brutally beat up police officers.

Jeff said it was wrong to say Republicans didn’t care about the police and tried to shift the discussion to Democrats and protests. But I brought him back to January 6th.

Yes, I had to tell my producer to “shut him down!” when he refused to answer my questions about what Trump said in videos and tweets after the attack — calling the terrorists “patriots” and “special” — trying to shift to Trump telling people to “peacefully” march before the rally. I’m just not going to let these people take over the show with their talking points — they have to stay on the topic or they’re off.

When finally forced to answer the question about whether Trump was right in calling the vile white supremacists patriots and special people, Jeff blurted out a feeble, “yes,” and then did it again.

I think that said it all about what conservatives, Trumpists and the rest of this bunch think about the police.

Listen in and let me know your thoughts.

Hi all, and thanks for reading and following The Signorile Report,most of which isfree to read, but if you’d like to support my writing and independent, ad-free opinion journalism (and join great discussion threads), please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 per month or $50 annually.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe

If you’ve been enjoying The Signorile Report, consider subscribing for just $5.00 per month and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

Richard from Seattle called into my SiriusXM program yesterday right before the verdict in the murder trial of Derek Chauvin, who was of course later found guilty on three counts in the killing of George Floyd.

I’d been discussing the trial, and in particular at the moment, how conservatives had taken Congresswoman Maxine Waters’ words out of context in their ridiculous claim that she had affected the jury with her appearance at a protest.

Richard said he was glad for that “context” I provided on Waters, and now had more “context” to offer and wanted more “context” from me on the trial. He claimed to be a “big-thinking liberal” who believes in “defunding” the police. But he said that he was persuaded by the closing arguments of Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s defense attorney, because it provided “context.”

I smelled a phony a mile away and reacted with suspicion, at which point Richard admitted he’d not seen the rest of the trial — just the closing arguments — and asked for me to give him the “context” of the rest of the trial. Like I’m going to go through the whole trial for him and waste everyone’s time?

It amazes me how right-wingers will do anything to try to poke holes in justice finally working for Black people who’ve been brutalized at the hands of the police. But this seemed utterly ludicrous.

Perhaps I’m wrong about his motives, though — take a listen to the short clip and let me know your thoughts.

Hi all, and thanks for reading and following The Signorile Report,most of which isfree to read, but if you’d like to support my writing and independent, ad-free opinion journalism (and join great discussion threads), please consider becoming a paid subscriber for just $5 per month or $50 annually.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe

If you’ve been a long-time reader of The Signorile Report, or signed up recently, consider subscribing for just $5.00 per month and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

In a discussion on my SiriusXM show about resistance to the coronavirus vaccines among evangelical Christians, the conversation at one point focused on businesses and other venues requiring proof of vaccination for entry.

My position is that everyone should get the vaccine to protect themselves and others —and help bring us to herd immunity — but if they choose not to, no business or public venue should be required to allow them entry.

In fact, it would only be responsible for operators of open public places, including private businesses, to require proof of a vaccination. And government has a responsibility to make sure they do — contrary to the reckless efforts of politicians like Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, who’s moved to ban businesses from turning away those without proof of vaccination — if we’re to stop the transmission of coronavirus and end the pandemic.

Rob said “I’m a 40-year-old male” who is healthy and I’m not going to take a vaccine that was “spit out” in less than ten months, and claimed Covid-19 posed him little risk. Never mind that the basics of the coronavirus vaccines were actually developed over 10 years ago, going back to the SARS epidemic, and Covid vaccines would have been developed even more quickly if not for the Trump administration’s defunding of the National Institutes of Health and then, later, the botched rollout of the vaccines; Rob’s claim that Covid-19 isn’t a concern or a threat to his health — and others he might infect — is ludicrous and dangerous.

I told Rob that it was his choice not to get the vaccine, but he should not be allowed into any public place where he could transmit it to others. This was met of course with outrage, as he complained, as a “libertarian,” about the “government” encroaching on his rights.

But then Rob couldn’t answer why he should be required to wear clothes into a store — and why he didn’t walk around naked — nor why he follows the speed limit while driving.

His reasoning completely fell apart, and exposed the anti-vaxxers as devoid of logic or consistency. For many of these people, it’s about fears and phobias and myths — and they all have to be addressed as we need as many people as possible to get vaccinated — but for others, as Trumpers, it’s simply attempting to own the libs.

Listen in and let me know your thoughts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe

If’ you’ve been a long-time reader of The Signorile Report, or signed up recently, consider subscribing for just $5.00 per month and supporting independent, ad-free opinion journalism. Thanks!

I spoke with Adam Jentleson on my SiriusXM show again last week. He’s a former deputy chief of staff to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and author of Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy,” an excellent and important book about the dark history of the Senate filibuster.

The pressure has been on to end or change the filibuster, as even President Joe Biden has agreed it is a Jim Crow relic and that something has to be done. And Jentleson, who I’d first had on the program a few months ago, described that history again in this interview.

The main reason I invited him back, however, was to hear his take on what he, as a former staffer to a Senate majority leader, thinks will really happen, particularly as he hears Democratic senators putting out statements or giving interviews about their positions on the filibuster.

Every Democrat will have to vote for any change to the filibuster, since there are only 51 votes with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie. And the only way we’ll see voting rights legislation, immigration reform, the Equality Act and a slew of other laws passed is if the filibuster is curtailed.

It’s often felt like whiplash in recent weeks, however, in which we hear moderate Senator Amy Klobuchar come out for reforming the filibuster and Senator Joe Manchin proposing change, only to then hear Manchin backtrack or hear Senator Kyrsten Sinema once again throw cold water on the idea. This has spun a lot of people — yes, myself included — into social media outrage many a time. And I do think that’s not a bad thing, as we’ve got to keep the pressure up.

Jentleson suggests, however, that we watch the Senate Democrats collectively, and not get hung up on the comments of any one senator. And he believes we’re seeing the Democrats moving toward reforming or ending the filibuster. It’s notable, he says, that just three months into the Biden presidency, various senators have been talking about it no matter the details of their statements, when they could be shutting it down and just uselessly searching for Republican votes.

“I think there’s a reality sort of setting in among the Democrats, where they’re saying, ‘Well, man, we’re not just going to give up on our agenda three months in and sit around and twiddle our thumbs for next two years,’” Jentleson observes. “I’m very pleased with what I see in the caucus. They sort of reach a point where they start to move as a unit, and I think that’s what we’re seeing…I wouldn’t be concerned about the backtracking [by individual senators].”

Listen in to what he has to say — and keep the pressure up, nonetheless. And let me know your thoughts.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.signorile.com/subscribe