INTERNATIONAL CLASH DAY UPDATES

You Know What They Said? Well Some Of It Is TRUE!

-Tonight, President Biden delivers the State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress. The speech comes at an odd moment: President Biden has just concluded what most historians agree was one of the most successful first two years of a Presidency since at least Franklin Roosevelt, yet after a polling surge after the midterm election, an ABC poll claims most Americans think Biden has not done such a good job. That could be a reflection on the continued remnants of inflation, the revving up of infrastructure construction programs, the winter blahs, or continued media focus on Biden’s age and whether he will run for re-election (with the same poll claiming most Democrats would prefer a younger candidate).

-Nonetheless, Biden is expected to tout his achievements and draw a contrast with the new House majority, with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (SINO-R, CA) “warning” the President not to use his platform to call his MAGA extremist Republican majority a MAGA extremist Republican majority – this as UltraMAGA leader Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Z-Q-R, GA) spent part of yesterday presiding over the House, and myriad investigations into everything from Hunter Biden’s “laptop” (show me the physical laptop and I’ll begin to think about what might be on it) to the COVID “hoax” to why the FBI started to single out parents at school boards (hint: many of them issued threats against school board members for teaching “critical race theory” that literally no K-12 school teaches or book bans) started to gear up.

-Republicans and right-wing media continue to try to use the shooting down of the Chinese surveillance balloon as “proof” that the Biden Administration is too soft on China – this despite new stories that not only conclusively prove that China sent at least three such balloons over American territory while Ex-President Trump was President, but that the military was told not to look too hard for such aircraft from that country while Trump was President (Biden reversed that order hours after coming in to office, where it learned of both these and the other craft). To try to address skepticism from right leaders that Trump would do no such thing that he did, the Defense Department has offered to give all those leaders – and even ex-Trump officials – a briefing on the matter. No word on whether any GOP leaders will take up that offer.

-Like it or not, the 2024 Presidential cycle is revving into high gear – and with it an interesting poll from the right-wing Club for Growth on the GOP nomination. While the poll shows a one-to-one match between Trump and hoped-for front runner Gov. Ron DeSantis has DeSantis with a comfortable 49%-40% lead, adding what is expected to be multiple candidates (including Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Mike Pompeo and Glenn Youngkin) flips the numbers and gives Trump a 37%-33% lead over DeSantis. Combined with a clear ‘threat’ from Trump to run as a third party candidate should DeSantis win the nomination (or in Trumpworld, if DeSantis steals what should be given to Trump), it explains why most observers simply don’t buy the idea that the GOP really wants to ditch Trump (because to have a prayer of winning they can’t).

-Over 5,100 have died in the dual earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria last weekend, with terrifying videos of building after building collapsing in freezing temperatures, which are making rescue efforts difficult. Another issue is trying to get help in areas in Syria which are not controlled by the Assad government, not to mention prisons holding ISIS prisoners which were damaged enough to allow many such prisoners to escape. Turkish President Erdogan has appealed for international aid and has declared a three-month state of emergency to begin recovery efforts.

 -To close, todays’ answer to the evergreen question “What is right-wing media freaking out about?” is … Sam Smith! Smith is a Grammy-nominated musician who performed at Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony dressed as a demon with similarly-attired band and a smoke-spewing dragon-type creature belting out a song called “Unholy.” And of COURSE that has led many media types on the right – from Tucker “Tan My Private Parts To Show I’m A Man!” Carlson to Ben “I Still Don’t Know What “WAP” Means Or Why My Wife Weeps Whenever I Ask The Question” Shapiro – to decry the woke gay trans tolerant evil Grammy Awards and everyone who literally plays the Devil’s Music.

-Did I mention this is International Clash Day? This is International Clash Day.

-On this date in 1940, Disney’s PINNOCHIO premiered. On this date in 1964 The Beatles landed in New York to prepare for their seminal performances on The Ed Sullivan Show and the launch of the British Invasion (that we welcomed this time). On this date in 1974, BLAZING SADDLES premiered – at a drive-in theatre with patrons watching while sitting on horses. On this date in 1984 the first untethered space walk was made by Astronaut Bruce McCandless II. And on this date in 1992, the Masstricht Treaty that paved the way for the creation of the European Union (minus Great Britain after a while) was signed.

-Happy Birthday to Sir Thomas More, John Deere, Charles Dickens, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Sinclair Lewis, Eubie Blake, Buster Crabbe, Gay Talese, King Curtis, Pete Posthlethwaite, Burt Hooton, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Dan Quisenberry, Miguel Ferrer, Rolf Benirschke, Emo Phillips, James Spader, Eddie Izzard, Garth Brooks, Chris Rock, Juwan Howard, Steve Nash, Ashton Kutcher, Jon Leicester, Matthew Stafford, and Steve Stamkos.

-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Harvey Firestone, Nap Lajoie, George Trevelyan, King Hussein of Jordan, Bobby Troup, Anne Morrow Lindberg, Dale Evans, Blossom Dearie, Billy Casper, Dean Smith, Richard Hatch, Albert Finney, Frank Robinson, John Dingell, and Orson Bean.

-Feed the Worms: the hideous Josef Mengele drowned on this date.