Paramount caves, Grassley misbehaves and Iowans get played
Iowa's delegation votes to defund Iowa Public Radio and Iowa PBS
One of my rules for this column is to focus on one subject at a time, but rules are made to be broken and today, as I write this Thursday evening, has been one of those days filled with things that cannot be ignored.
Colbert is cancelled!
Is anybody out there buying Paramount’s rationale to cancel the Stephen Colbert show after next season? Paramount calls it a strictly financial decision but coming less than two weeks after agreeing to pay $16 million dollars to Donald Trump’s future presidential library, it’s hard to believe this is anything but Paramount bowing to Trump by deep sixing a show that pokes fun at Trump every night.
Here's what Colbert said off the top of his show Thursday night. (The link is on Facebook.)
Two weeks ago, I wrote that I am boycotting CBS News and Paramount over its decision to settle Trump’s lawsuit, which made bogus allegations against 60 Minutes. My one exception to the boycott has been Colbert, because he’s my nightly therapy. Colbert and his writers confirm for me that I am not the crazy one in these troubled times.
Although cancelling Colbert may not officially be a part of the legal settlement, it’s clear Paramount views any criticism of Trump as incompatible with their corporate goal of not offending anyone. They are in the wrong business. Good journalism, and even good entertainment programming, will challenge people’s beliefs and occasionally offend them. I look forward to a CBS network schedule filled with videos of cute cats.
Senator Grassley is a tool
Grassley has clearly demonstrated his disdain for proper procedure as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman by sitting on President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court with nearly a year left in Obama’s term and then racing through Trump’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett with less than four month’s left in Trump’s term. There is no ceiling to Grassley’s hypocrisy, but his actions Thursday demonstrate he is nothing more than a tool for Donald Trump.
Trump has nominated one of his lawyers, Emil Bove, to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals. Bove is completely unqualified. He has never spent one second of his life as a judge. More than 900 former Justice Department lawyers signed a letter opposing Bove. His main qualification is total loyalty to Trump.
The Judiciary Committee met Thursday to vote whether to advance Bove’s nomination to the full Senate. Chairing the committee, Grassley cut off debate before all Democrats had a chance to air their concerns about Bove. Grassley also refused to vote whether to hear testimony from a whistleblower who claims Bove told other Justice lawyers to ignore court orders.
Democrats were stunned by Grassley’s disdain for Senate rules. New Jersey’s Cory Booker blistered Grassley. “This lacks decorum. This lacks decency,” Booker said. You can watch Booker ripping Grassley here. Grassley ignored him, proceeding with the vote. Incensed Democrats walked out.
Grassley is an embarrassment to Iowans. In fact, the entire Iowa delegation is nothing but a rubber stamp. Every one of them voted this week to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, stripping funding from PBS and NPR nationwide. Is this what Iowans want? Monolithic decisions made by everyone they send to Washington? Did anyone vote for Congressman Zach Nunn hoping he would defund River to River on Iowa Public Radio and Iowa PBS nightly coverage of the Iowa State Fair?
Do Nunn, Hinson, Miller-Meeks, Feenstra, Ernst and Grassley EVER talk to Iowans about these issues? It seems clear they only vote to keep Trump happy – not the Iowans who send them off to DC to earn their $174,000 a year, gold-plated medical insurance, pensions and free parking spot at DC’s airports.
The Epstein affair
Of all the scandals rocking our country these days, the least consequential of them all is the hubbub over the Trump administration not releasing enough information about Jeffrey Epstein to suit the conspiracy theory nuts who put him in office. Unlike the damage Trump is doing to our standing in the world, it doesn’t affect any of our lives but it’s the one thing that has divided Trump and his MAGA loyalists.
All I know is that my reporter instincts tell me where there’s smoke there’s usually fire. And when Trump starts rolling out his usual attacks, calling it a “hoax”, and blaming the Clintons, then I figure he must be hiding something.
I like to highlight columns from the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative that hit the nail on the head. Two recommendations:
Ed Tibbetts’ column along the Mississippi hits the nail on the head this week with his column “Iowa Republicans are blind to the state’s economic woes”.
And my friend and fellow StL Cardinals fan Rick Morain writes that the state should be funding nitrate removal from drinking water.
Check the full roster of IWC writers here.
It’s a crying shame what years of Republican control has done to the state of Iowa. It’s past time for Iowans to get their heads out of the sand and recognize what has happened. Quit blaming the coastal elites and your flyover status and look in the mirror. Grassley, Ernst and the Iowa congressional delegation are trying to do nationally what they have done to Iowa and we don’t Want it!
I am also done with CBS and Paramount. Agree with all you wrote about all three topics. Thank you!