I love watching Stephanie Ruhle & Bill Maher spank NYT's Bret Stephens

She Ruhled.Really funny too.

Bret Stephens is correct and Stephanie Ruhle is not wrong.

Wait - there's a Republican politician names Brad Stephens from Illinois, then there's Bret Stephens from NYT.

Bret Stephens from NYT is a conservative. Of course he's gonna say stupid shit.

What people like r2 and Bret Stephens want Democrats to admit is essentially that there is indeed gambling in Casablanca. Harris’ job is to win this election, not to to articulate a perfect agenda.

No candidate with this short of a runway has any business taking controversial stands if they can avoid it. In addition, Trump has a unique ability to say batshit things and lose no support or face much media scrutiny.

R4 - the problem is - she HAS talked about policy. They keep mentioning that over and over as some sort of gotcha - but she has. Meanwhile 'concepts of a plan' guy gets no criticism from them.

He's a hater - as all conservatives are.

[quote]What people like [R2] and Bret Stephens want Democrats to admit is essentially that there is indeed gambling in Casablanca. Harris’ job is to win this election, not to to articulate a perfect agenda.

Typical strawman argument. Note how R4 slips in the word "perfect". Stephans said nothing of the kind.

That prick was demanding that Kamala share her policy on Houthi pirates in the Red Sea! He’s so desperate for her to flame out that’s he’s grasping at tiny straws.

She talks about it over and over again. A huge problem is decades of propaganda from both parties completely misrepresenting the civic process. Our media has no interest in elevating or educating the public, and neither do political campaigns. The president doesn't necessarily lead the legislative agenda. Some have more than others. You can't even really construct an actionable legislative platform without knowing what the power balance in congress is after the election. Trump gets away with concepts of a plan, we're going to do it really big and strong, we're going to make it the best ever. You know what, for a week she should just talk like he does to show how fucking ridiculous it is. Go out Kamala and give a speech and just say over and over, we're going to have the best economy and I'll make it so big and strong believe me. For Healthcare, I'm going to make it so beautiful and tremendous and fast your head is gonna spin. We're going to have no crime and I'll stop all the wars with one phone call. My trade policy is that we're gonna win and we're gonna win really big. We're going to create so many jobs you won't believe it. My education policy? We're going to do it very good and very strong and it's going to be the best in the world and fast. Just do that since apparently that meets the fucking standard.

One of my favorite Pelosi stories is that she confronted Trump in ‘17 over his lack of a healthcare plan. The fucker waved a napkin in front of her and said “it’s here!” She and Schumer had it out with him again in ‘19. He pointed vaguely to a stack of papers. We know that he brought a blank folder to an interview in 2020. At the debate this year he has a “concept of a plan” The NYT would love to get their hands on a big binder of Harris plans so that they can rip them apart. But Don’s napkin blew away in the breeze, he can’t share one single point from his concept of a plan and they have nothing to say. They’re too busy trawling PA diners looking for a black man who doesn’t like Harris so they put him on the front cover with the headline “Kamala has a big problem.”

So am I to understand that Maher is back on the Democratic bandwagon, after saying for years the Dems were on the road to total destruction because of their PC policies and pro-trans stances?

Bitch sure does blow hot and cold. So much for the courage of his convictions. Asshole.

My main takeaway — Why is it Kamala and Trump? They act as if it is somehow rude to refer to a woman by her last name. Retro-misogyny at play just like with Clinton. At least he pronounced her name correctly.

R11 It’s not about gender. The use of Trump’s last name (formal) and Kamala's first name (casual) speaks to the fundamental difference between them.

Can anyone recall a news article or report in which donald was referred to by his given name only?

It's as though the media have bestowed the vile creature with a higher level of respect, specific only to himself, a station not afforded his peers.

I hope Vice President Harris acknowledges him with a nod and the word "donald" at the start of the next debate.

Or, on second thought, what would be donald's reaction were she to say "I trust you won't mind me calling you donald," and proceeding to do so for the duration.

donald is superior to no one; he steps into his adult diapers one leg at a time, same as the similarly-incontinent. Call him by his name.

meh, it could just be that Kamala is distinctive and Harris is generic. The opposite of Donald and Trump.

I tend to call her Kamala, and her running mate Walz or Tim Walz, not out of some mythical formality or patriarchy, but just because some names are more distinctive than others.

I loved her light mocking of "undecided voters," followed by smiling at Bretbug and saying something like, "And then I open The New York Times and THERE'S the undecided voter!""

Stephens is the living embodiment of a pompous ass.

Tom Nichols:

If you're stuck between Trump and Harris, or like Stephens, "no vote for Trump but not Harris," because, gosh, you just haven't heard enough about tax policy and Israel, then you're not really all that undecided, you just want to keep your hands clean

Guess Trump still watches Maher:

^ huh love it. Ms Ruhle knows a hellva lot more about economics than tRump. Bimbo she ain't.

See, that's part of the problem at r17. Once upon a time that might have been kind of interesting and weird for a presidential candidate. Now it's just same ole stale and stupid from the most ridiculous clown in American political history. Lashing out idiotically as the election slips away from him.

Bimbo. Trump is so old now that every woman under 60 looks like a cute little chippy to him. Lawl at Stephens getting insulted by Trump after lightly endorsing him in every article. All for nothing.

Right after Kamala explains her Middle East plans ,in detail, she'll be asked specifically about how she plans to pay for it and the impact on the deficit and the out of control spending in Washington which the majority of Americans hate.

[quote]It's as though the media have bestowed the vile creature with a higher level of respect, specific only to himself, a station not afforded his peers.

Oh, for Christ's sake.

"Kamala" and "Trump" are distinctive.

"Harris" and "Donald" are not.

At 48, Stephanie should take the bimbo sobriquet as a compliment.

r22: We read (and ignored) this the first time you posted it at r14.

We're actually not the same people r24, though feel free to ignore this as well. It's a trivial issue, really, and you should move past it.

It's that time, Saturday afternoon, folks. Here they come, frothing at the lips and screaming:

"LET'S TROLL!!!!

Send them to the Ignored Ward for the weekend.

Well, that's not an insane overreaction r26. Jesus, bitch, calm yourself.

“Harris” is being used in official campaign ads, so it’s distinctive enough. The reason people use “Kamala” is because she’s warm and relatable, and has no problem with strangers calling her by her first name. If a stranger were to call Trump by his first name, he’d be insulted because he’s a pompous and entitled brat who thinks he’s better than everyone else.

Let's put Bret's answer through the reality translation decoder: "I don't like Kamala because she won't bow down to me and the other Times opinion writers. Wahhhhhh."

More "both sides" bullshit from the NY Times.

Why are the people who work at this rag allowed to display their stupidity, ignorance and, most important, there total irrelevance, anywhere everywhere, then getting all fucking indignant when challenged, just like this empty suit.

They're constantly pulling this "don't you know who I am and where I work" horseshit.

Stephens is a concern troll, and I hate concern trolls. He’s not raising important questions that need to be asked, he’s just putting on a display of ostentatious contrarianism that he think makes him look noble. But it’s just a dumb, disingenuous shtick.

That's is probably part of it r29, it certainly was with Biden and the idiotic publishers.

But also it's just this stupid game. Democrats are supposed to all have detailed policy prescriptions, but even if they do, it's just so media whores can laugh at them for being stupid policy wonks who don't get it, man, that people just want to relate to the candidate. And it didn't even start with Trump. The same shit with Gore and Bush. Gore was boring and wonky and stiff. Bush was a lovable moron who wasn't expected to know shit about shit, but dammit, you could have a beer with him.

Stephens is an outrageous narcissist, subjecting readers and anyone who will listen to his niche prism on an historic election, untethered to its unprecedented stakes. His personal quandary - an amorphous set of grievances serving his center-right agenda - should be shouted down. Daily.

I don't know who is more full of themselves-Bret Stephens or Maureen Dowd. 🤔

[quote]The reason people use “Kamala” is because she’s warm and relatable, and has no problem with strangers calling her by her first name.

You know she has no problem with this how? Is "Whitesplaining" a word? Asking for our Vice President.

[quote] So am I to understand that Maher is back on the Democratic bandwagon, after saying for years the Dems were on the road to total destruction because of their PC policies and pro-trans stances?

Probably because he was always more in the center of the spectrum, and the Democrats are moving toward that center again. The illiberal left has noticed that they don't win elections in states where the Democrats need to win. In a way the Democrats have become more inclusive - of the center.

[quote]I don't know who is more full of themselves-Bret Stephens or Maureen Dowd. 🤔

Bretbug is the NYT's columnist with the highest opinion of themself, and that's a HIGH bar.

Earlier this week, Hillary Clinton did an interview with Katie Couric to promote her new book. She pointed out the Catch 22. She had endless policies and was mocked and attacked for them. Kamala Harris is mocked and attacked for not having them, while Trump muses about concepts of plans. Nothing is going to satisfy Bret Stephens.

r35 doesn't like Ike.

For Donald’s Wet Dream @ R35:

You know, it's too bad. Bret Stephens is intelligent and at least gets how ridiculous Trump is. But in the end, he's a thin-skinned asshole who preens and postures to a ridiculous extent. This unfortunately is the story that will always sum up who he is:

It was a pleasure to block the fucking shit out of psycho-sourpuss R26, a long, long, long, long time ago.

[quote]You know (Kamala) has no problem with this how? Is "Whitesplaining" a word? Asking for our Vice President.

Unlike donalds-worst-nightmare, I can’t detect the race of other posters, but I will say that DWN comes off sounding like a white feminist and “Black ally” who is always policing the opinions of other white people, yet has few (if any) actual Black friends.

[quote] Probably because he was always more in the center of the spectrum, and the Democrats are moving toward that center again.

You could list in your post the issues on which the Democrats held extreme views in 2016 or 2020 that they have changed in 2024. Otherwise, we have no clue what you are talking about.

It is notable that both times a woman has been the presidential nominee she has been primarily called by her first name. In 2016 you could say it was to distinguish the candidate from her politician husband. 2024 shows that it is instead a habit.

Trump and his posse always called Nancy Pelosi Nancy. My skin crawled every time he called her Nancy during that WH meeting. She called him Mr President. I could never take the high road and keep it classy.

r45, Notable is a good word and branding is important. It' fun to say Kamala and Obama rolls off the tongue while Barak or Harris seem more clumsy and we already had a Clinton so Hillary makes sense. Nancy sounds like and was used as a taunt.

I've been thinking about the familial archetypes of all of them. Grandpa Joe, Hillary was Matriarchal Grandma, Kamala is smart, cool mom, Tim is all American dad, Trump is abusive asshole dad/Godfather depending. Pence/Vance are weird uncles. And we're all the extended family hoping we get at least get invited to the reunion.

[quote] My skin crawled every time he called her Nancy

And it was super creepy when that J6 asshole from Arkansas (the one that took photos of his feet up on her desk) went through Congress calling "Nancy...Nancy...Where are you?" And then months later her husband is brutally attacked in their home by a lunatic.

But keep gaslighting us JD and say how Democrats are the violent ones (except both of Dump's assassins had voted for him). They are such liars.

[quote]It was a pleasure to block the fucking shit out of psycho-sourpuss [R26], a long, long, long, long time ago

I’ve never noticed DWN being such an asshat before. I’m a bit surprised! Maybe he/she needs a break from the internet.

[quote]I’ve never noticed DWN being such an asshat before

I have.

Good line:

"Stephens sounds like a parent who is unsure about whether he should hire a serial killer to babysit his children because the only other candidate hasn’t supplied enough references."

R31 is right. Bret is a concern troll.

I really like Stephanie Ruhle.

Yesterday's full episode, with guests David Hogg, Joe Scarborough, and Mark Cuban: