The Banter Brief: #OBAMAGATE!!!!
Welcome to the best round up on the interwebs.
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Banter Brief — the only guide you need to the week that was.
Reminder: During the Coronavirus pandemic are offering readers 50% off, so please take advantage today!:
1. Most Important Story Of The Week
Obamagate!
What happens when you screw up the response to a pandemic so badly that your chances of re-election disintegrate before your very eyes? You change the topic and pray to God enough of your supporters forget about their dying relatives and dwindling bank accounts. And who better to use than the black guy who came before you for, well, something?
From the NYTimes:
President Trump has embarked on an aggressive new drive to rewrite the narrative of the Russia investigation by making dark and unsubstantiated accusations that former President Barack Obama masterminded a sinister plot to bring him down.
On Twitter, on television, in the Rose Garden and even on an official White House social media page, Mr. Trump in recent days has taken aim at his most recent predecessor in a way that no sitting president has in modern times, accusing Mr. Obama of undefined and unspecified crimes under the vague but politically charged catchphrase “Obamagate.”
What is Obamagate? No one really knows, but it trended on Twitter for a while, and Fox News is dumping Coronavirus coverage to report on it. Said Trump:
It was the greatest political crime in the history of our country. If I were a Democrat instead of a Republican, I think everybody would have been in jail a long time ago, and I’m talking with 50-year sentences. It is a disgrace what’s happened. This is the greatest political scam, hoax in the history of our country.
It should be noted that Trump has thus far provided no evidence for any wrongdoing on the part of President Obama, and has yet to specify exactly what crime he committed. Otherwise, it’s clearly an airtight case and a clear sign we must move on from the 86,607 Americans who have died from Coronavirus under Trump’s watch.
Go Deeper With Banter Members:
A Second Trump Term Would Be A Hellscape Of Indescribable Proportions
No impeachment, no 25th Amendment, no indictments. And, worst of all, no election, writes Bob Cesca.
2. Poll Analysis
The only polls that matter from now on are from the battleground states for 2020, and despite Biden sagging in a recent CNN poll, the averages look far better for the former VP. From Real Clear Politics:
The Biden campaign absolutely cannot become complacent about their lead, and the recent CNN poll is genuine cause for concern. Nevertheless, Biden is still up and there is no data to suggest he should be anything but the favorite going into November.
3. Quote Of The Week
“The oddity in all of this is the people Trump despises most, love him the most. The people who are voting for Trump for the most part... he wouldn’t even let them in a fucking hotel. He’d be disgusted by them. Go to Mar-a-Lago, see if there’s any people who look like you. I’m talking to you in the audience.”
- Howard Stern on his SiriusXM show
4. What to Watch
Wall Street
Following our great 80’s and 90’s film recommendations this month, this weekend is a good time to watch Oliver Stone’s classic Wall Street starring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen. Stone might be a conspiracy theory nut, but he’s still a fantastic director and his films are highly entertaining. Wall Street is undoubtedly one of his best — an ageless classic that is just as relevant today as it was in 1987.
Gordon Gekko (Douglas), a ruthless corporate raider, takes on aspiring trader Bud Fox (Sheen) to do his dirty work and teach him how to make a fortune. Fox is caught between the values of his trade union rep father (played by Sheen’s own father, Martin Sheen), and the seductive world of fast cars, beautiful women, and limitless wealth Gekko presents to him. The film isn’t just a morality tale, but a story about the competing economic theories that did battle in the 1970’s and 80’s, and the ultimate victory of market capitalism over socialism. Stone has an obvious leftwing bias, but he knows his enemy well making Gekko one of the most interesting and memorable characters in movie history.
Great quotes, great script, and electric performances from Douglas and Sheen make Wall Street a must watch classic.
5. Good News
Sifting through new developments in the battle against COVID-19 is a complicated business given we are still in the middle of the pandemic and don’t have enough data to fully understand what is going on. However, this Biopharma company Sorrento announced today that it has made a potential breakthrough treatment for the Coronavirus. From Tech Crunch:
Therapeutics company Sorrento has made what it believes could be a breakthrough in potential treatment of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that leads to COVID-19. The company released details its preclinical research on Friday, announcing that it has found an antibody that provides “100% inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection of healthy cells after four days incubation.” These results are from a preclinical study that still has to undergo peer review, and in an in vitro laboratory study (meaning not in an actual human being) but still a promising development as the company continues to work on production of an antibody “cocktail” that could provide protection against SARS-CoV-2 even in case of mutations in the virus.
Clinical trials are key here, but as scientists get a better grasp of how the virus behaves, the field for a potential vaccine and effective treatment is beginning to narrow down. The Sorrento cocktail is extremely interesting because it is potentially both a preventative and a treatment.
Have great weekend!
Read the latest for Banter Members:
A Second Trump Term Would Be A Hellscape Of Indescribable Proportions
No impeachment, no 25th Amendment, no indictments. And, worst of all, no election, says Bob Cesca
A Message To Americans From The Future: Do Not Let Trump Get Away With This
It is the distant year of 2022 and we thought it would be nice to give you a preview of the hellscape you left us in the wake of Trump's Coronavirus disaster - by Justin Rosario
How I'm Avoiding Disaster And Family Dissolution Under Lockdown
Three parents, three kids and never ending isolation during the Coronavirus pandemic is a recipe for disaster. Here's how the Rosario family is navigating these incredibly difficult times.
By all means, let Drumpf attempt to smear and attack one of the most popular and beloved politicians in America and the world all because the dumbfuck couldn't and wouldn't get his shit together to deal with the coronavirus, among his other sins and crimes. All it means is that Joe Biden, Obama's VP, will destroy the orange anus in November, no matter how hard news outlets in the Liberally Biased Mainstream Media™, like CNN, put their thumbs on the scales in a sickening attempt to fix the polls so that they can have their precious horserace they feel they're entitled to have.
"The Biden campaign absolutely cannot become complacent about their lead, and the recent CNN poll is genuine cause for concern. Nevertheless, Biden is still up and there is no data to suggest he should be anything but the favorite going into November."
Can't be complacent AT ALL. After all, even closer to the last election, "Nevertheless, Clinton is still up and there is no data to suggest she should be anything but the favorite going into November."