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Good Tax Tuesday, all. Today, no activism, because all of my thoughts are about Russia. Michael Cohen? Stormy Daniels and Sean Hannity are distractions from the fact that he very likely went to Prague to pay off Russian hackers to steal emails from the DNC. Collusion is a mild word for behavior that criminal and traitorous. Syria bombings? Russia was warned first, and no real damage was done. Sanctions? First yes, then no. Sorry, Nikki Haley – maybe the Mango Moron doesn’t love you as much as you think he does.
And then, of course, there is the sanctimonious partisan hack, James Comey, going around the media circuit trying (and succeeding) to sell his self-serving version of why he felt so honorably honor-bound to honorably leak the non-story of #ButHerEmails on October 28th. He’s given quite a few reasons for this, none of which hold water. Clearly the present danger in 2016 was the Russians, not a private email server from which a few classified emails may have escaped, several years before!
My opinion is that Comey wanted to damage Hillary. Honestly, what other explanation is there? He said he thought she would win, and he didn’t want her to be “illegitimate.” What in the world does that mean, when you know the guy running against her IS CHEATING with the help of RUSSIA?! Remember, the FBI had Christopher Steele yelling and screaming in their ears…and they didn’t listen or act on the information. In fact, according to “Russian Roulette,” the FBI knew in 2014 that Russia was launching a cyber war on us. Here’s an excerpt from an excellent WaPo article about Steele and the FBI – check the out the last sentence:
Steele’s last report for Fusion was submitted on Oct. 20. The Post reported that the FBI had reached an agreement with Steele to pay him to continue his work after the election but that the arrangement fell apart after his research became public. He may have been reimbursed for some travel expenses. [Update: In his testimony, Simpson revealed that Steele at one point broke off communications with the FBI after the New York Times published an article saying the agency had found little evidence of ties between Trump and Russia.]
Steele also provided a copy of his dossier to a national security official in Britain and to an associate of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who in turn gave it to Comey. Presumably it was not newsworthy at that point to the FBI director. [bolding mine]
So let me get this straight. A guy with an impeccable reputation for knowing what’s up with Pooty-Poot and Russia shows up at your doorstep and says, “Yoohoooooo, Mr. Comey! Did you know the Republican nominee for President is compromised by Russia?”…and it’s not newsworthy to you? On what planet is that likely?
Of course it was newsworthy, and of course it should have been disclosed. The American people deserved to know, and because Comey is, indeed, a Republican partisan hack, he instead decided what we REALLY needed to know was that there were three new emails on Anthony Weiner’s laptop (out of 49,000, not hundreds of thousands), none of which indicated the slightest bit of wrongdoing. No one needed to know anything was going on at all, UNLESS THEY FOUND SOMETHING!
Now, do I believe that Comey is telling the truth about Drumpf? Yes, I do, partly because he’s done it under oath already, and I see no reason to think he would be so brazen as to lie in that circumstance. In the main, though, his story deeply fits Donnie’s (lack of) character. I also think Comey is a model of rectitude in his own mind, so he is unlikely to lie in general. But it’s a huge mistake to think that he isn’t a Republican. He is, and as a Republican, I believe he wanted to cripple Hillary’s presidency from Day 1, giving new life into a non-scandal that the Republican Senate and House could then use as an excuse to impeach her. No more uppity Clinton female in the White House! Bonus for Comey, because ya know, TJSAHIDL (from Jennifer Palmieri’s book, this acronym stands for “There’s just something about her I don’t like,” code for the understanding that powerful women are always disliked because of that whole vajayjay thing). Yup, he did it because he’s a Republican, and he would do it again in a heartbeat, even though he knew he helped Drumpf get elected. Can you believe this f*ckwad?!
One interesting thing came out about Jimmie’s Great Adventure in the past few days…Comey has claimed that Drumpf won’t criticize Putin even in private. He certainly hasn’t said anything critical about the suspicious death of yet another Russian journalist, now, has he? Maybe that’s because, Lordy, he knows there are tapes…and Michael Cohen has them! And now, the FBI has them too. They seem to think it’s newsworthy now, don’t they?
Scout’s honor, Widdershins: this is an open thread.
- In: 2016 Election | Donald Trump | FBI | Open Thread
- 71 Comments
It’s a wild and horrifying time in our country’s history. The Russian, GOP, Comey and media-installed traitor in the White House has been in the job about 13 and a half months, and he has truly realized that he owns the Republican Party. They have only drawn one red line: Do not, in any way, get Robert Mueller fired. Other than that, they appear to be all right with absolutely anything he wants to do.
This is not normal.
When he attacks private citizens on Twitter, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
When he fires people via Tweet, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
When he attacks the media for telling the truth about him and his corruption, and his incompetency, and his treason, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
When he attacks the FBI, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
When he attacks NFL players for kneeling during the National Anthem, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
When he nominates crooked, unqualified, idiotic crackpots to be Cabinet members, it’s not normal. The GOP shouldn’t have confirmed a single one of them.
When he causes the market to fluctuate wildly by starting ridiculous trade wars, or making up crazy lies about the Post Office and Amazon, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
When he goes golfing for about 1/3 of his Presidency, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
When he has Jared and Ivanka go to foreign countries without anyone from the State Department, to set up corrupt deals with heads of countries so he can further monetize the Presidency, it’s not normal. The GOP should have already impeached him.
Most of all, when he unilaterally decides to ignore every rule and norm of how to govern this country, and starts consolidating all the power into his own hands, it’s not normal.
What could be the reason for the GOP’s supine nature? Is it fear of their own base, now wholly owned by the Orange Blob oozing all over the lamé curtains in the Oval office?
No, I don’t think so. I think it’s fear of Russia.
Remember when I asked the question, a while back, “How long has Russia been in control of the Republican Party’s agenda?” I connected many dots, fully acknowledging that the proof was not yet quite there.
Now, it is. The missing piece is: The NRA.
You know all that money the NRA gives to only Republican candidates, starting in 2014? It comes from Russia.
However, the NRA reported spending a record $55 million on the 2016 elections, including $30 million to support Trump – triple what the group devoted to backing Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race. Most of that was money was spent by an arm of the NRA that is not required to disclose its donors.
Two people with close connections to the powerful gun lobby said its total election spending actually approached or exceeded $70 million. The reporting gap could be explained by the fact that independent groups are not required to reveal how much they spend on Internet ads or field operations, including get-out-the-vote efforts.
And/or, it could be explained by the fact that they also gave money to Republican candidates and leaders to ensure their compliance when the election was stolen for their puppet.
Honestly, what other reason is there for their behavior? Trump isn’t doing anything for them. He certainly isn’t getting them re-elected. Yes, they barely passed the tax cuts, but gee, how will they spend their newfound riches when nuclear war annihilates us? John F*cking Bolton as SOS?! How in the world is this okay?
Are you seriously telling me none of these people care at all? You know some of them have to…and yet, they do nothing, they say nothing. Why, if not kompromat and terror of being Putin’s latest poisoning victim?
At the end of the post I linked to, I wrote,
“Let’s hope Mueller has a really, really big shovel. I think the dirt is a lot deeper than anyone suspected.”
Well, I’m seeing now that it’s both deep, and wide. I think we have not even begun to realize what has happened to our country while giant swaths of America elected Republican governors and legislators, who then gerrymandered their way into an almost permanent majority. Not only are Republicans profoundly lacking in any kind of moral character, and in the pockets of the wealthy; they’re also agents of a foreign power.
If Trump had never been “elected,” would we ever have found this out?
This. Is. Not. Normal. Always remember, and never stop asking why.
This is an open thread.
Washington, DC on 3/24/18
Last weekend was an astonishingly successful demonstration of the power of those beautiful, heartbreaking and inspiring kids from Generation Z. Their words and, in Emma Gonzalez’ case, hersilence, were devastating.
Since we live in America, the kids cannot now rest on their laurels and congratulate themselves for the incredible work they have done. Instead, they have to eternally answer the same question from the pundits, “Do you REALLY think what you’re doing makes any difference?”
To this question, the Parkland students replied, “We’re going to vote.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a historic groundswell of youth activism, hundreds of thousands of teenagers and their supporters rallied across the U.S. against gun violence Saturday, vowing to transform fear and grief into a “vote-them-out” movement and tougher laws against weapons and ammo.
(snip)
“If you listen real close, you can hear the people in power shaking,” Parkland survivor David Hogg said to roars from the protesters packing Pennsylvania Avenue from the stage near the Capitol many blocks back toward the White House. “We’re going to take this to every election, to every state and every city. We’re going to make sure the best people get in our elections to run, not as politicians but as Americans.
“Because this,” he said, pointing behind him to the Capitol dome, “this is not cutting it.”
The #MSDStrong kids have drawn a bright connection between dots that have stayed unconnected for decades by tens of millions of adults: By golly, in order to make change, you have to vote. (May I just add a “duh f*cking duh” there?!) They are shaming the generations before them, who sat out election after election, or numbly voted as they felt they should, without critical thinking, without bothering to inform themselves, like animals being led to slaughter.
Literally.
Even worse, the (so-called) adults, by not voting responsibly, have left the rest of us vulnerable to mass shootings; in theaters, at concerts, on the streets, in our backyards, in church and yes, in schools. And by these adults’ inaction, they have allowed the cancer of the NRA to metastasize to such a horrifying degree that now it, a private organization is controlling the discourse on gun violence, silencing the voices of elected officials, and terrifying ordinary people into submission. And still, till these kids stepped up, there were few news reports on the NRA; each mass shooting was reported without the NRA context; thoughts and prayers were duly sent; and everyone knew, just KNEW, that nothing would change. Meanwhile, an average of 96 people a day continue to die from gun violence.
The Marjory Stoneman Douglas kids, and all of us whom they’ve inspired, don’t see any reason to accept the unacceptable, or believe they should limit their voices just because politicians would rather send thoughts and prayers than to act. They don’t fear or care about the NRA. They have a concrete list of demands, and they won’t rest until they’ve gotten everything they want. It’s such a simple approach, and that’s why it works. It’s, dare I say, common sense! And everywhere they go, they register more and more kids to vote in November. Talk about turning your rage and grief into action!
It’s estimated that by the time the mid-terms come around, there will be 8 million Generation Z voters who could turn out. Given the passion we’ve seen so far, I think most of them will show up, don’t you? They say they will only vote for politicians with F ratings from the NRA. Hmmm…which Party gets the most F ratings from the NRA again? 😉
We may just be underestimating that #bluetsunami after all.
This is an open thread.
Good Tuesday, all! I hope those who can do so are joining the #MarchforOurLives this weekend. The kids need our support, and they really are making a difference. Just one example: did you see that the Rethug who slammed Emma Gonzales has now been shamed into dropping out of his 2018 race? Yeah baby, she’s too big for him to take down…and she’s a 17-year-old girl!
I’m afraid this is a bit of a rant today, Widdershins. I am so, so, SO TIRED of the utter lack of common sense that informs our political discourse! What is it about these (mostly white men) pundits that causes them to twist themselves into pretzels to avoid the clear and simple truth? Is it that hard to say one thing is right, and another is wrong?
Let’s take the big “mystery” about the Mango (F*cking) Moron’s motivations. The bloviators on my Teevee have adopted the frame that there are two possible explanations for our pResident’s outrageously anti-democratic behavior:
1) He’s innocent of collusion with Russia, and is melting down all over Twitter because he doesn’t like people looking into his money laundering, I mean, challenging his legitimacy as President; I mean, proving his cheating on Melania, I mean, delving into his “business;” or
2) He’s guilty as sh*t.
Let’s examine these options, shall we?
From a common sense perspective, option 1) is a complete non-starter. Yes, 45 is dirtier than a frat house after a hazing; in addition, all of his nefarious deeds are done so incompetently, it only takes a tiny scratch to uncover a mountain of doo-doo. (Stormy Daniels, anyone?) A stellar investigator like Robert Mueller can find enough to send him and his entire disgusting crime family to jail, without a single bead of sweat crossing his forehead.
But let’s use our common sense: just because Drumpf may not want Mueller to look into all those things, doesn’t mean he’s innocent of collusion. (And please, let’s not forget that he admitted to obstruction of justice on national Teevee. Come ON!)
More to the point, DOZENS of Trump’s staffers and appointees have deep ties to Russia. During the campaign, of course, there were even more, like Manafort, Flynn, Page and Papadopolous – now indicted and/or cooperating with Mueller.
What is the innocent explanation for all of these Russian connections? Has there ever been a single Presidential candidate, of any Party, in the last several decades, who had a single Russian-connected staffer or adviser? Go ahead, I’ll wait.
Did you remember to phrase the answer in the form of a question? I was looking for, “What is OH HELL NO?”
Given that there is no chance #1 is viable, and that, in fact, we’ve known it ever since Flynn and Manafort joined the campaign in 2016…why is the media still pushing that flawed narrative? Why is anyone allowed on TeeVee to propagate the myth of victimized 45, the horribly maligned innocent who is “just” a lying, cheating, grifting, tantrum-throwing man-child being mercilessly targeted by the Deep State, ELEVEN?
I see this narrative taking shape. It’s been built over the past year, brick by brick, outrageous lie by outrageous lie; and it has weight and mass now. There are documents to support it, there are mountains of tweets, and there are repeated assertions by (formerly) respected Goopers like Chuck Grassley, that the real collusion was with Russia and Hillary Clinton. Drumpf spends all day on Twitter screaming “WITCH HUNT!” and yelling that the FBI is corrupt and full of mean Democrats who hate him. Most of the media is being led around by the nose, or is bought off, or is complicit. People like Kellyanne ConJob and other malevolent purveyors of “alternate facts” are repeatedly allowed to spew their corrosive fake news without ever being held to account. Why? What is so hard about saying “That’s a lie?”
Back over here in reality, there simply isn’t an innocent explanation for the feces-throwing baboon’s behavior. Therefore, Trump is guilty of conspiracy. He is a traitor who stole the election with the help of Russia and its puppet, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
I’m going to go a bit farther, and say that I fully believe the election of 2016 was illegitimate. The Russians were in the voting machines, but we’re supposed to believe they just squatted for months, then left? They were in our country hiring actresses to play Hillary in prison. We’re supposed to believe these spies did nothing else in America?
Nope, I don’t believe the Russians had access to our votes, but because they’re so trustworthy, they didn’t change any. I don’t believe Drumpf “won” by a suspiciously small amount of votes that “happened” to swing in just the right states. I don’t believe it’s okay for a campaign to steal personal data from a social media platform and weaponize it to mind-f*ck unsuspecting people into voting for a corrupt sexual predator, against all reason and logic. Why? Because I have common sense, and I don’t believe in ridiculous lies. Why won’t the media stop pretending that lies are an acceptable alternative to truth?
The kids from Marjorie Stoneman Douglas have common sense. They have standing, and they have nothing to lose, and they tell it like it is. That is why they are so powerful that nasty, lying politicians break against their strength, like porcelain shatters against granite.
The truth is unbreakable. And it’s coming for Drumpf and his Kremlin Kabal. May the media and Facebook also reap what they’ve sown.
This is an open thread.
Tuesday NewsDay
Posted on: March 13, 2018
MB In the Snow
Good morning, all. Here in the wilds of Noo Yawk, I am on my third week of big snowstorms, and I must say that I am rather over it. Everything is being disrupted, planning is difficult, power goes out.
Since it’s been such a crazy few weeks, I decided to do a newsday today. Here are just a few choice excerpts:
- I’m bitching about days of power out…there are 185,000 people in Puerto Rico still without power.
- Special election in #PA18 today, where a Democrat hasn’t won in over 20 years, and where Drumpf won by over 20 points. Looks like the Democrats could be flipping this one, too, even if people don’t turn out in droves as they have been.
- The extra sweet parts about this potential victory:
- Democrats forced Rethugs to spend over $10M on a losing candidate. We are competing everywhere again, instead of ceding ground to that out-of-control fascist organization formerly known as the Republican Party.
- The steel tariffs did not materially impact the race. So much for making national policy to sway voters in one district, in one state. Who knew trade policy was so difficult? (eyeroll)
- According to Politico, the tax cuts were **gasp** not resonating as a positive message with voters. Republicans have “abandoned” it.
- So I’m confused. What are Congressional Republicans going to point to as an accomplishment in 2018? And I’m not talking about being racist, fascist, corrupt thugs, which only appeals to their ever-diminishing base. I’m talking about actual policy, in the real world, not the fake one Fox pushes every night. The only thing they’ve done is that awful tax bill, which people clearly don’t like. Why should people vote Republican? Maybe the ever-negative media should ask THAT question instead of consistently hammering Democrats, claiming they have no message. Gee, for a Party with no message, we are certainly flipping a lot of f*cking seats.
- The extra sweet parts about this potential victory:
- And leaving the most explosive for last: Rexxon is out. Pompeo is in.
- It’s clear to me that Tillerson was not on board with the general supine posture of the Administration towards Russia. Yesterday and today, he backed up Prime Minister May’s statements that Russia tried to kill defectors on British soil, and should be punished for it. When you’re Putin’s puppet, and tasked with ensuring Russia destroys everything good and democratic about our country, that’s not okay. Off with his head, says the Mango Meerkat!
- What’s not clear to me is how Drumpf thinks Pompeo will be friendlier to his agenda. Pompeo has already called the Russians out on their cyber war on America’s democratic institutions, and has stated Putin will certainly strike again in the mid-terms. My guess is, our pResident is running out of useful idiots, and has been reduced to appointing anyone with an R next to his/her name, who hasn’t bashed him in public yet.
It’s going to be yet another interesting day. Everyone enjoy, and tawk amongst yerselves, while Seth Myers documents the recent insanity. It’s the most open of open threads.
Image courtesy of PBS
The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Hello and happy Tuesday, Widdershins! Who know what infobombs will drop before this post is published? Perhaps via the Democrats (whose memo debunking the Nunes lie-fest was released in the evening on Saturday) or Mango Meerkat nemesis Mueller?
Regardless of what else is going on, I am quite sure that the “March for Our Lives” movement, which has sprung organically from the activism of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shooting survivors, will still be in the news. (Have you signed up for a sister march? They’re being set up across the country. Check it out here! I’m excited for the one in NYC.)
The effectiveness of this movement, led with moral clarity and ustified outrage is growing daily. Calling out the way the NRA has been buying Congresscritters’ inaction on any gun-control initiatives was a brilliant strategic move. Corporations who used to offer discounts or other benefits to NRA members, are running away from the now-toxic organization. As of today, here’s the list of companies that have jumped off the NRA ship.
- First National Bank of Omaha
- Delta Airlines
- United Airlines
- Allied Van Lines
- North American Van Lines
- Avis
- Hertz
- Alamo
- Enterprise
- National
- Starkey Hearing Technologies
- MetLife
- Chubb
- TrueCar
- SimpliSafe
- Symantec
This movement is only 11 days old. What might it become as it becomes stronger and gains support?
It’s having ripple effects beyond any that the kids could have imagined. A huge voter registration effort is under way; Florida Republicans are running scared; and Drumpf is promising action, although we all know what his promises are worth – and the NRA is already pushing back. Between the fierceness of the Parkland activists and the supreme professionalism and skills of Team Mueller, life is going to be getting more and more uncomfortable for Drumpf, the GOP, the gun nuts of the NRA, and the alt-right enablers attacking the movement and issuing death threats to kids…who have already survived death. Deplorables, all.
I tie this all back to the Women’s March on January 21, 2017. The March was underestimated by the media and even those of us who participated – we had no idea what we were starting – but now, over a year later, #TheResistance has grown into an enormous countrywide presence, with chapters in every state. We are organized, active and we make a difference. And now, kids and teachers are joining in with single-issue focus.
I am hopeful in a way I haven’t been in a long time. This movement is bigger than Drumpf, bigger than the GOP, and bigger than the NRA. It’s about citizens forcing leaders to go the way they want. It’s about engagement, caring and passion. And it’s an amazing thing to see.
I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?
– Benjamin DisraeliNever doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.
—Margaret Mead
This is an open thread.
Activist Tuesday: Be Prepared…
Posted on: February 13, 2018
- In: Civil Liberties | Current Events | Donald Trump | FBI | Open Thread | Republicans | Resistance | Trump | Women
- 118 Comments
Hello Widdershins! Thank you for all the good wishes! Things are definitely getting better here chez MadamaB.
Last week was a doozy even in the Era of Drumpf and Republicans sans spinal cartilage, moral compasses or patriotism. The Rob Porter scandal has taken hold the way few of the multitudinous scandals of this benighted, horrible administration have managed to. And for the first time, unbelievable though it may seem, the Mango Meerkat’s approval rating has been seriously damaged amongst women.
The most recent Washington Post-ABC poll has found that approval from white women has fallen since the president’s first 100 days. While most white women voted for Trump in 2016, his approval rating has fallen 10 points since then, and strong disapproval of the president by this group rose 12 points, from 39 percent to 51 percent.
I would take issue with the verbiage that “While most white women voted for Trump in 2016,” and replace it with the wording, “While a slim majority of white women voted for Trump in 2016,” since 53% is hardly “most” in most peoples’ minds. But whatevs…the bottom line is that Drumpf is in trouble, again, and the sainted General Kelly, as well as pResidential serial-dating spokesmodel Hope Hicks, are in trouble with him. But even this major disaster could be eclipsed by a greater one, which has been brewing for many months now: the potential firing of Rod Rosenstein.
I have always been of the opinion that the Orange Crusher won’t dare fire Robert Mueller, and that his preferred tactic was to discredit the investigation. So far, that opinion has held at least partially true, especially with the myriad attacks the Republicans, and their enablers in the press, have been making against the FBI and DOJ. But that doesn’t mean Drumpf won’t take a page from Nixon’s book, and try to make the people overseeing the investigation fire him. He is a desperate, cornered animal, and may risk it all to try to escape the consequences of his actions. And everything from the release of the ridiculous dud called the Nunes Memo, to the recent resignation of Rachel Brand, is showing that this reckless and dangerous course of action might be imminent.
So what do we do if that happens?
WE TAKE TO THE STREETS!!!
Moveon.org has organized a march that can take place at a moment’s notice, if Trump fires his way to find a Bork who will fire Mueller. The marches are called “Nobody is Above the Law,” and are organized all over the country. You can sign up here:
https://act.moveon.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response-events/search/
If the firing of Mueller happens before 2 pm, the local march will take place that day. If it happens after 2 pm, it will take place the day after. I’m ready to go. Are you?
In these dark times, we never know what may happen. Let’s make sure we are as prepared for action as we can be.
This is an open thread.
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