;)
The Commentariat -- October 20, 2019
Late Morning Update:
Mrs. McCrabbie: I did catch Trump's saying last week that he supported Turkey's "cleaning out" the Kurds from Northern Syria, but I missed this: Mark Sumner of Crooks & Liars: In a tweet on Friday, Trump wrote, "that Erdoğan wants this plan to work and 'the Kurds want it, and the ultimate solution, to happen.'" These barely-disguised euphemisms for ethnic cleansing & the "Final Solution" are not accidents, IMO. This is what Erdoğan wants, so it's what Trump wants, too. He has a mindset that makes "ultimate solution" roll off his tongue & allows him to placidly watch Turkish & Arab fighters roll over ethnic Kurds.
Patrick Kingsley of the New York Times: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi has traveled to Jordan [as head of a bipartisan congressional delegation] to meet with the Jordanian king for 'vital' discussions about the Turkish incursion into Syria and other regional challenges, amid uncertainty about whether an American-brokered cease-fire with Turkey in northern Syria was holding. The visit by senior United States officials came as sporadic clashes continued on Sunday morning along the Turkish-Syrian border, where, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry, a Turkish soldier was killed by Kurdish fighters in the Syrian border town of Tel Abyad. Confusion and continued shelling have marred the cease-fire deal announced by Vice President Mike Pence last week, with both Turkey and Kurdish leaders accusing each other of violating the truce."
Pompeo Has Worked Out His Cover Story. Adia Robinson of ABC News: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he never saw the kind of quid pro quo that acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney referred to on Thursday with regard to the decision-making process he was involved in. The conversation was always around what were the strategic implications," Pompeo said on ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday. 'Would that money get to the right place or would there be corruption in Ukraine and the money wouldn't flow to the mission that it was intended for.'"
Maya Parhasarathy of Politico: "... Donald Trump was 'surprised' by the harsh pushback over his initial decision to host the G-7 conference at his Trump National Doral Miami resort..., acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Sunday.... 'He was honestly surprised by the level of pushback.'" Mrs. McC: Well, Trump doesn't do anything "honestly," but I'll bet he was surprised/pissed off that people said they were appalled he would so flagrantly violate the Constitution because as far as Trump understands it, the Constitution says he can do whatever he wants.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Cave. Katie Rogers & Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "President Trump said on Saturday that he would no longer hold next year's Group of 7 meeting at his luxury golf club near Miami, a swift reversal after two days of intense criticism over awarding his family company a major diplomatic event. 'I thought I was doing something very good for our country by using Trump National Doral, in Miami, for hosting the G-7 leaders,' Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter, before again promoting the resort's amenities. 'But, as usual, the hostile media & Democrat partners went CRAZY!' Mr. Trump added: 'Therefore, based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in 2020.'" [Mrs. McC Translation: "My lawyers kept screaming, 'You'll be impeached! You'll be booted out of the White House! You'll do jail time!'"] ...
... [Mick] Mulvaney said aides created a short list of about a dozen sites, and narrowed it down to three possibilities in Hawaii and Utah. Local officials in those states said they were never notified that the White House had been scouting for venues for a major event. A spokeswoman for David Ige, the Democratic governor of Hawaii, said officials determined that the White House had been looking for locations only after the fact.... Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut..., said the president's reversal was a sign that he himself saw that his standing in Washington was weakening. 'He backed down because of cracks in support from his own party, plain and simple,' Mr. Blumenthal said. 'The threat that his shattering Republican support on this issue and Syria potentially impacting the solid wall on impeachment -- that all is threatening him more deeply than he ever expected.'... ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Time to rewrite the THUG bill to make it more general-purpose. As the Times report notes, "Even without the Group of 7 at Trump Doral in Florida, the president has made visits to one of his resorts, golf clubs or hotels a total of 308 days since he was sworn in -- about a third of his tenure as president." In the meantime, we still need to know the specifics of the White House's "site selection process." Since the "selection process" likely involves criminality, let's get some of those "deep-state" FBI investigators on the case. ~~~
~~~ Anita Kumar & Evan Semones of Politico: "Trump made the change after members of Congress and government ethics experts accused him of violating the Constitution by holding the summit at his financially struggling Trump National Doral Miami resort. It was a rare about-face for Trump on his businesses. He has spent nearly three years in office insisting he is allowed to visit and promote his properties around the globe. But his decision to hold the G-7 at Doral brought him criticism from even pundits on Fox News, his favorite television network and a growing number of his own party -- the same lawmakers he needs to help him fight impeachment.... Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened an impeachment inquiry that includes examining whether Trump is illegally making money off his presidency. The Oversight and Judiciary committees have demanded the administration and Trump's company provide details about the president suggesting the summit be held at one of his resorts.... Trump already faces lawsuits alleging he violated the Constitution by accepting payments from foreign officials at his resorts and hotels. His company donated nearly $200,000 to the U.S. Treasury in February that it said came from profits from foreign governments, but watchdog groups say the amount should be higher." ~~~
~~~ Philip Rucker & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "Trump was buffeted by two straight days of allegations of self-dealing and exasperation from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including some Republican allies who said the selection of Doral as the venue for a gathering of world leaders was indefensible. The decision -- while it lasted -- was an unprecedented one in modern American politics: The president awarded a huge contract to himself."
~~~ Democrats Introduce THUG Act. Tal Axelrod of the Hill: "Democrats introduced legislation Friday that would block federal funding for next year's Group of Seven (G-7) summit at Trump National Doral Miami. Democratic Reps. Lois Frankel (Fla.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.) and Steve Cohen (Tenn.) introduced the Trump's Heist Undermines the G-7 (THUG) Act after acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told reporters Thursday that the Trump resort near Miami will host the annual summit of world leaders June 10-12. A companion bill is being introduced in the Senate by Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.).... The legislation also would require Trump to provide Congress with any documents related to his decision to host the event at his property. The measure is unlikely to be taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate." (Also linked yesterday.)
The wheels are not off the car. The situation is way worse than that. The car has been impounded and we are now waiting to figure out what the fine is and to see whether or not we're going to get the car back....Mulvaney is a good Catholic and in fairness to him, that was a full-blown Catholic confessional on Thursday afternoon. -- Anthony Scaramucci, on the condition of the West wing ~~~
~~~ Daniel Lippman of Politico rounds up the usual anonymous suspects: "Former Trump White House officials and other Republicans close to the White House are increasingly worried about President Trump's erratic behavior and say there are no longer enough safeguards around him to prevent self-inflicted disasters large and small.... Under the strain of a metastasizing impeachment probe on Capitol Hill and helming an administration run by a diminishing number of heavyweight officials of independent stature, the president is displaying the kind of capricious behavior that once might have been contained or at least mitigated, former officials say.... 'It's just looking like everything is coming apart,' said a former White House official.... Some current White House officials say they are simply exhausted after all the constant fighting, and lack the energy to try to constrain a wilful president bent on having his own way.... A current White House official described a 'who cares' attitude creeping through the building under [Mick] Mulvaney's hands-off management style."
Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "President Trump, whose paramount concern long has been showing strength, has entered the most challenging stretch of his term, weakened on virtually every front and in danger of being forced from office as the impeachment inquiry intensifies. Trump now finds himself mired in a season of weakness. Foreign leaders feel emboldened to reject his pleas or to contradict him. Officials inside his administration are openly defying his wishes by participating in the impeachment probe. Federal courts have ruled against him. Republican lawmakers are criticizing him. He has lost control over major conservative media organs. Polling shows that Americans increasingly disapprove of his job performance and support his impeachment. And in a rare concession to his critics, Trump announced late Saturday that he no longer plans to host the Group of Seven summit of world leaders at his Florida golf club.... Many of Trump's Republican allies revolted over his decision to withdraw U.S. troops in Syria, which triggered a bloody Turkish invasion that killed Kurdish fighters and civilians. Trump bragged about sending a 'very powerful letter' warning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan not to invade Syria. 'Don't be a fool!' Trump wrote. But Turkish officials leaked word that their leader had thrown the letter in the trash, and Erdogan then took Trump to task for his 'lack of respect.'" The Raw Story republishes more of Rucker's analysis. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Rucker is trolling Trump. Kudos to the headline writer: "Trump's Season of Weakness" -- should make Trump crazy even crazier. MEANWHILE, constitutional lawyers are suggesting the texts for Articles of Impeachment: ~~~
~~~ Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Saturday's edition of MSNBC's 'AM Joy,' former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal said that ... Donald Trump's behavior in the Ukraine scandal is all but impossible to defend from articles of impeachment.... 'The president abused the nation's trust. He put his interests above those of the American people with respect to our foreign policy with the Ukraine. The Congress had appropriated this money for our nation's interest. He withheld it for his own personal benefit. That's Article I. Article II is called obstruction of justice and it involves the fact that this president is not turning over any information ... to the Congress and directing his ... [staff] and his ambassadors not to testify.... It's just those two articles.... It's an open and shut case and honestly, I think I'm a pretty good lawyer, but if I had to defend the president here, I have no idea what I would say because he's tried four different stories, all of them have fallen completely apart.'" ~~~
~~~ Ari Melber in a Washington Post op-ed: "Amid a series of House investigations, however, and several public, potentially incriminating admissions by Trump, Democrats haven't settled on a core legal rationale for impeachment, which is striking, considering the Constitution's answer is staring them in the face. Trump's statements and actions with regard to Ukraine appear to fit one of the few offenses the Constitution specifically lists as impeachable: Bribery. Along with treason, it's the only impeachable offense expressly listed in Article II, Section 4 before the catchall category, 'high Crimes and Misdemeanors,' as a reason to impeach federal officials.... As it stands, the case appears straightforward, and, unlike most legal or political issues, several key underlying facts aren't even in dispute. A focus on bribery would distinguish this case from the two presidential impeachments in history, neither of which resulted in conviction in the Senate and removal from office. The [Andrew] Johnson and [Bill] Clinton cases were bogged down by a difficult question: What defines a high crime or misdemeanor in the Constitution?"
Making the Best of a Trump Situation?? Lolita Baldor of the AP:"Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that under current plans all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the military will continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State group to prevent its resurgence. Speaking to reporters traveling with him to the Middle East, Esper did not rule out the idea that U.S. forces would conduct counterterrorism missions from Iraq into Syria. But he said those details will be worked out over time. His comments were the first to specifically lay out where American troops will go as they leave Syria and what the counter-IS fight could look like. Esper said he has spoken to his Iraqi counterpart about the plan to shift the more than 700 troops leaving Syria into western Iraq. The developments made clear that one of ... Donald Trump's rationales for withdrawing troops from Syria was not going to come to pass any time soon. 'It's time to bring our soldiers back home,' he said Wednesday. But they are not coming home.... Reports of sporadic clashes continued between Turkish-backed fighters and the U.S.-allied Syria Kurdish forces despite a five-day cease-fire agreement hammered out on Friday between U.S. and Turkish leaders." ~~~
~~~ Juan Cole: "Trump claimed that 'we've taken control of the oil in the Middle East' as a result of his greenlight to Turkey to invade Syria. As usual, no one could understand what he was talking about.... [G]iven that the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad is an economic basket case, getting back those oil and gas fields would be, over time, a godsend. Or in this case Trumpsend. The Kurds have thrown in the towel and invited Bashar al-Assad's Syrian Arab Army and its Russian ally back into the northeast, which has 90% of Syria's oil and 45% of its natural gas.... The Russian press is speculating that Russian companies will be the ones to develop and benefit from these recovered fields." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Trump is so inept that his excuses for his screw-ups are completely unbelievable bald-faced lies. Bringing the troops home? Nope. Taking control of the oil? Ha ha ha.
Are You Now or Have You Ever Been a Witch? Adam Goldman & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: "Federal prosecutors reviewing the origins of the Russia investigation have asked witnesses pointed questions about any anti-Trump bias among former F.B.I. officials who are frequent targets of President Trump and about the earliest steps they took in the Russia inquiry, according to former officials and other people familiar with the review. The prosecutors, led by John H. Durham, the United States attorney in Connecticut, have interviewed about two dozen former and current F.B.I. officials, the people said. Two former senior F.B.I. agents are assisting with the review, the people said.... Closely overseen by [Attorney General Willaim] Barr, Mr. Durham and his investigators have sought help from governments in countries that figure into right-wing attacks and unfounded conspiracy theories about the Russia investigation, stirring criticism that they are trying to deliver Mr. Trump a political victory rather than conducting an independent review. And on Thursday, Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, tied Mr. Durham's investigation to the Ukraine scandal, infuriating people inside the Justice Department." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Seriously, isn't asking nonpartisan officials to disclose their political preferences the definition of a witch hunt? I wonder if Barr had agents ask the interviewees if they were "real Christians" or "militant secularists" aiming to "destroy the traditional moral order." ~~~
~~~ Ken Dilanian, et al., of NBC News: "A review launched by Attorney General William Barr into the origins of the Russia investigation has expanded significantly amid concerns about whether the probe has any legal or factual basis, multiple current and former officials told NBC News. The prosecutor conducting the review, Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, has expressed his intent to interview a number of current and former intelligence officials involved in examining Russia's effort to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, including former CIA Director John Brennan and former director of national intelligence James Clapper, Brennan told NBC News. Durham has also requested to talk to CIA analysts involved in the intelligence assessment of Russia's activities, prompting some of them to hire lawyers.... With Barr's approval, Durham has expanded his staff and the timeframe under scrutiny.... And he is now looking into conduct past Donald Trump's inauguration in January 2017, a Trump administration official said." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Look for Trump to repeatedly claim, a la his fake birther "investigation," "You wouldn't believe what they're finding! Such corruption like you wouldn't believe! We're getting to the bottom of it, believe me. Democrat deep state!" and so forth.
Biance Bruno of Courthouse News Service: "The federal government likely separated an additional 1,250 immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border before formally announcing its 'zero tolerance' immigration policy, a Health and Human Services official told a federal judge Friday.... The additional separations will likely be confirmed before an Oct. 25 deadline ... in the expanded family separation class action he's presiding over in the Southern District of California." --s
Helena Evich of Politico [Oct. 15]: "[T]he Agriculture Department is doing little to help farmers adapt to what experts predict is the new norm: increasingly extreme weather across much of the U.S. The department, which has a hand in just about every aspect of the industry, from doling out loans to subsidizing crop insurance, spends just 0.3 percent of its $144 billion budget helping farmers adapt to climate change.... Even these limited efforts, however, have been severely hampered by the Trump administration's hostility to even discussing climate change, according to interviews with dozens of current and former officials, farmers and scientists." --s
CREW: "Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway has surpassed 50 violations of the Hatch Act on Twitter alone this past year and consequently violated the website's Terms of Service, according to a report released today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). As a result of Conway's past and apparently ongoing violations of the law using Twitter, the company could suspend Conway's use of its platform.... Twitter's Terms of Service require users to use the platform in compliance with all applicable laws." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Yeah, well, CREW will have about as much luck getting Twitter to enforce its rules against Conway as they've had getting Trump to enforce the law against Conway.
Ted Lieu [D-CA] press release: "Today, former prosecutors Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) and Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D-NY) sent letters to the FBI, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission calling for an investigation following a Vanity Fair report of the suspicious timing around sales of e-mini futures contracts immediately prior to major geopolitical events or statements from Donald Trump." --s (Vanity Fair report also linked here October 17.)
Presidential Race 2020
"I Am Back." Holly Otterbein of Politico: "In his first rally since he suffered a heart attack, [Bernie Sanders] delivered a speech Saturday to a crowd [in Long Island City, N.Y.] his campaign estimated at 26,000 people, the largest number any Democratic presidential candidate has drawn this year. And he was joined by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the star liberal congresswoman who made her endorsement official onstage.... Against the backdrop of the Queensbridge Houses, the largest public housing development in the nation, Sanders railed against ... Donald Trump, income inequality, racial disparities, status quo politics and the economic elite.... Ocasio-Cortez's nod has sent the unmistakable message that the battle for the left wing of the Democratic Party is not over. Both Sanders and [Elizabeth] Warren had been courting Ocasio-Cortez for months, meaning that his gain is indisputably her loss."
Congressional Race 2020. Rachel Frazin of the Hill: "Republican Rep. Francis Rooney (Fla.), who this week refused to rule out impeaching President Trump, announced Saturday that he won't seek reelection." (Also linked yesterday.)
Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post: "At 95, [President Jimmy Carter] is the longest-living president, has had the longest post-presidency period of any commander in chief and is one of just four U.S. presidents to have won the Nobel Peace Prize. This week, he reached another milestone: the longest presidential marriage. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, have been married for more than 73 years -- 26,766 days to be exact. That's more than the previous record holders, George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, who were married for 73 years and 102 days until Barbara's 2018 death.... They have been married for longer than more than half of all the U.S. presidents were alive. Twenty-five presidents had shorter life spans; plus, two living presidents -- Barack Obama and Bill Clinton -- have yet to reach that mile marker. (George W. Bush was born the day before the Carters married.) The Carters ... have known each other for as long as Rosalynn has been alive; she lived down the road in their hometown of Plains, Ga., and was a frequent playmate of Carter's little sister Ruth."
Veronica Stracqualursi of CNN: "Former 2016 Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein slammed Hillary Clinton's accusations that she and 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard are Russian assets, calling Clinton's comments a 'wild and insulting theory.... I am not a Russian spy,' Stein said Saturday on CNN's 'Smerconish.'... Stein's campaign, which earned nearly 1.5 million votes in the 2016 election, was part of Russia's meddling efforts, according to a host of congressional reports, including a Senate Intelligence Committee report that indicated Russian social media efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election included messaging in support of Stein. She has compared Russian interference in the 2016 election with US overseas intelligence efforts and also praised WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2016 after WikiLeaks posted a trove of hacked Democratic National Committee emails, saying there was 'no question' he was a hero. In 2015, Stein traveled to Moscow to attend a dinner that was hosted by RT, the Russian television network, and was photographed seated at the same table as Russian President Vladimir Putin." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Stein's "I am not a spy" assertion is a non-denial denial. Clinton said she was an asset -- an assertion backed up by the facts -- and an asset is different from a spy. At the very least, Stein is a "useful idiot," but her praise of Assange & tolerance of Russian election interference (on her behalf) makes her a willingly complicit asset, IMO.
Will Sommer of The Daily Beast: "After trying to launch his own cryptocurrency and failing to turn an Italian monastery into a training camp for Europe's far right, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon has a new plan: teaming up with a Chinese spiritual movement that reportedly believes Trump will bring about Judgment Day." --s ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Bannon's joint project is a ripped-from-the-headlines political "thriller" titled "Claws of the Red Dragon" airing on Trump's favorite cable channel One America featuring a fictional "intrepid reporter investigating Huawei stand-in 'Huaxing'" and proves "Chinese executives and officials are intent on undermining other countries, and Western institutions have been too cowardly or greedy to stand up to them." I'd rather watch "Claws Scratching a Blackboard."
Mrs. McCrabbie: I've avoided linking any articles about Mark Zuckerberg sharing Deep Thoughts By And About the Importance of Mark Zuckerberg, but Andrew Marantz of the New Yorker does a credible job of putting that phony, obnoxious twerp in his place.
Way Beyond the Beltway
Hong Kong. Anne Marie Roantree & Marius Zaharia of Reuters: "Hong Kong police and protesters exchanged tear gas and petrol bombs as an illegal anti-government march that attracted tens of thousands descended into chaos, with hundreds of shops trashed and Chinese banks and metro stations targeted."
Mexico. The Mexican Wall. Reuters: "Mexico has deported over 300 Indian nationals to New Delhi, the National Migration Institute (INM) said late on Wednesday, calling it an unprecedented transatlantic deportation. The move follows a deal Mexico struck with the United States in June, vowing to significantly curb U.S.-bound migration in exchange for averting U.S. tariffs on Mexican exports.... INM said the deportees had been scattered in eight states around Mexico, including in southern Mexico from where many Indian migrants enter the country, hoping to transit to the U.S. border." --s
U.K. BBC: "Boris Johnson has sent a request to the EU for a delay to Brexit - but without his signature. The request was accompanied by a second letter, signed by Mr Johnson, which says he believes that a delay would be a mistake. The PM was required by law to ask the EU for an extension to the 31 October deadline after losing a Commons vote. EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted that he had received the extension request. He added he would now consult EU leaders 'on how to react'. Hours after losing a crunch vote in a historic Saturday session in the House of Commons, the prime minister ordered a senior diplomat to send an unsigned photocopy of the request for a delay, which was forced on him by MPs last month.... The prime minister previously said he would 'rather be dead in a ditch' than ask the EU to delay Brexit." ~~~
~~~ Mark Landler & Stephen Castle of the New York Times: "Just as Britain appeared on the cusp of a history-making, up-or-down vote on its long-delayed departure from the European Union, the British Parliament struck an impasse on Saturday as lawmakers adopted a measure that delayed a vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal with Brussels. The turbulent events left Mr. Johnson's agreement in limbo, legally obliging him to seek yet another extension for Britain's departure, which he had once vowed never to do. It was the latest twist in a debate that has convulsed the country ever since the British public voted in 2016 for a divorce from the European Union." See also the Guardian's liveblog. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ BBC: "Protesters are outside Parliament as MPs sit on a Saturday for the first time in 37 years. There were jubilant scenes as an amendment to the PM's deal was passed.... The measure ... withholds approval of Mr Johnson's deal and forces him to seek a delay...." With photos & videos. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marc Santora & Anna Schaverien of the New York Times: "As lawmakers huddled inside the House of Commons on Saturday to debate Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered outside the Palace of Westminster to demand that voters be given the final say on Brexit. Organizers said the protests drew about a million people, which would make it one of the largest demonstrations in British history. The stated desire of the marchers was to call for a second referendum on any Brexit deal that lawmakers approve, but most had a more basic goal. 'No Brexit' was the chant that echoed through the stately streets and grand avenues of the city on a crisp and sunny autumn afternoon."
News Ledes
Baltimore Sun: "Thomas D'Alesandro III, a former Baltimore mayor affectionately known as 'Young Tommy' and member of a storied political family, died at his North Baltimore home Sunday of stroke complications. He was 90 years old. The oldest brother of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr. D'Alesandro was mayor for one tumultuous term, from 1967 to 1971, that was marked by the 1968 riots, racial strife and strikes by city laborers, bus drivers and symphony musicians."
New York Times: "Bill Macy, an actor best known for his role as Walter Findlay, Bea Arthur's harried husband, on the popular 1970s sitcom 'Maude,' died on Thursday night at his home in Los Angeles. He was 97."
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Reader Comments (15)
I don’t know if whackadoodle Jill Stein was (still is?) a Russian asset, but there is no doubt her ego campaign (Russian assisted) thrust the country into the chaos and existential Constitutional crisis that is the Trump Debacle.
Her vote totals in the three states (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan) that threw the election to an actual Russian asset were higher than those swiped by the Orange Menace.
Does anyone seriously believe that had she not been the wild card in the 2016 race Green Party voters would have gone for Fatty?? She did to Clinton what Nader did to Gore, guaranteeing the descent of America into wingnut hell.
Even if Stein was just a useful idiot for Putin, the fact that his plan to screw America by getting his puppet into the White House, indisputably the greatest bit of international ratfucking in history, worked so well that there’s no reason for the Russians not to try it again. After all, they have the president*, the Senate majority leader, the Attorney General, the entirety of his party, and their propaganda network protecting them.
Why not go for a second win?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/308353-trump-won-by-smaller-margin-than-stein-votes-in-all-three%3famp
Meantime, Democrats, the Party of Knife to a Gunfight, are trying to decide how to proceed legally with defenestration of the dunce? I get that they want a plan that is as unassailable (unimpeachable?) as possible. And the plodding continues. Some suggestions I’ve read have the impeachment proceedings in the House concluding some time next summer, or later. Even it were March, that’s far too long. They don’t need Sherlock Holmes here, Fatty and his minions have pretty much told everyone the answer: Orange Menace, in the Oval Office, with the telephone.
And no matter what they decide upon, there will be a substantial number of bots who are, unaccountably, allowed to vote, who will believe whatever bullshit they’re fed by the Fat Traitor.
Let’s saddle up, guys.
@Akhilleus: Before 2000, I had a more-or-less good opinion of the Green Party. I mean, who doesn't love "green"? Well, they've given us George W. Bush & Donald Trump. Fuck 'em.
I've about given up on 1. Impeachment. 2. Impeachment and
removal from office. 3. Resignation (with that ego it won't happen).
So waiting for 4 to kick in--cholesterol. Would have said brain
hemorrhage, but what brain?
I'm going to start with the premise that in 2016 a lot of voters felt that there weren't any good choices, which is why Jill Stein was as disruptive as she turned out to be. I think a lot of voters felt that Clinton was a corporate asset and that she would capitulate to monied interests before addressing the rampant spread of income inequality. Contrast this with Bernie's positions and you see why he rose to such prominence. What played out at the DNC convention was a predictable collision, and while Clinton embraced some of the progressive platform planks, she was tone deaf to the trauma of the shrinking middle class. Her legacy of towing the line of the IMF in Central America, supporting tough on crime (racist) bills (just to name a few controversial positions), and the thought that the former president, who allowed the passage of Glass-Steagall (which was instrumental in setting up the Great Recession)and NAFTA, would be in the white house again as a de-facto advisor, didn't help. Americans were (and are) tired of political dynasties.
Whether a third party candidate turns out to be beneficial to a foreign adversary doesn't mean they are a complicit traitor or a tool. Ralph Nader was not a republican tool. Ross Perot was not a democrat or republican tool. Third party candidates get as much traction as they do because our bicameral party system is not listening to and responding to legitimate needs and concerns of a large enough segment of the population that represent a potentially disruptive break-away vote.
I would argue that the same type of response that Mrs. McC has toward the Green Party (i.e. fed up with the bullshit, drop the mic and walk away) is the same response that the Green's have with the two parties that reliably tow the corporate line.
Way back, when I was more active in Washington's democratic caucus, I represented my precinct at the regional convention, and was appalled that a group representing a tiny minority of anti-paternalists were advocating that the alternate spelling of women to "womyn" be written into law. I thought, how did they get that idea forwarded to the convention? Fortunately the speaker allowed the proposal to be read but it was not advanced for a vote. Their wise calculation that the proposal did not represent a large enough segment of the populace, and that taking any more time of the representatives on a debate would be a waste of time, put an end of that idea.
I think the rise of a third party is an important bellwether for mainstream candidates. It indicates that their messaging has missed the mark for an significant segment of voters. We shouldn't always disparage them.
[lets throw in Ralph Nader, Ross Perot,
@Akhilleus: I think the Dems are going to stretch the impeachment thing out to force a vote in the Senate fairly close to the election. Politically, it's the smart thing to do. It keeps the high crimes and misdemeanors front and center in the news for the next eight or ten months, forcing the Orange One to play defense, and it also forces Republican senators - particularly Cory Gardner, Joni Ernst, and Susan Collins - to go on record just in time for angry voters back home to show them the door.
This whole megillah is going to hinge on turnout in November. The Senate voting to acquit in October is going to send a lot of Democrats to the polls.
Pompeo says "with regard to the decision-making process he was involved in" he saw no Kyiv quid pro quo.
This means that the decision memo approving the Foreign Military Assistance to Ukraine, implementing the appropriation, did not mention Bidens or Burisma. Mike doesn't have to tell about this lie in confession.
Now, if you asked him if, prior to the 7/25 phonecon, was he aware that DiJiT wanted that QPQ, he'd probably have to deflect. But you can be sure it was not in the decision memo.
Schlub,
I get that Democrats would like to I extend the shelf life of Canned Grilled Fatty, but it could be dicey. The public could be so fed up with impeachment 8 to 10 months from now, especially if it starts looking like Democrats are dragging it out for political points, that bad feelings could end up being directed toward their eventual nominee (Warren?). Either that or the hyper partisanship turns off the usual crop of “they’re all the samers” and those chimerical independents we will need to help offset Fatty’s lock on that 38-40% who would vote for him if he dug up Betsy Ross and humped her bones on national TV.
Periscope,
I agree that third party candidacies can serve as a warning to the two major parties that all is not well in Mudville, at least not for everyone. The problem, as I see it over the last 20 years or so, is that third party candidates have given us the two worst presidents in American history, and none of those third party voters got a single thing they were looking for, in fact, if you’re a Green Party adherent, you got screwed in ways you hoped were impossible.
I don’t know what the answer is, but another third party candidate who takes a few percentage points away from the Democrat and gives us four more years of this hell, and I’m off the whole idea for life.
Periscope,
I agree that third party candidacies can serve as a warning to the two major parties that all is not well in Mudville, at least not for everyone. The problem, as I see it over the last 20 years or so, is that third party candidates have given us the two worst presidents in American history, and none of those third party voters got a single thing they were looking for, in fact, if you’re a Green Party adherent, you got screwed in ways you hoped were impossible.
I don’t know what the answer is, but another third party candidate who takes a few percentage points away from the Democrat and gives us four more years of this bloody hell, and I’m off the whole idea for life.
@Akhilleus
The answer is that democratic candidates have to take 30 years worth of failures into consideration. Any third party candidate who threatens to take 2 to 5% of the voters off some ideological cliff means the lead candidates have failed in their messaging, or have proven by their past legislative history that their talk is inconsistent with their walk. Ignoring the 2-5% is not the answer. The candidate has to publicly admit their mistakes and make demonstrable amends - seek out alliances and endorsements of third party proponents.
Geeze, you think it's so terrible that the democrats might bend to the interests of the Greens; the Rs have sucked up to the evangelicals for how many elections? Imagine if their candidates didn't get the endorsement of the ministers of Jebus and the pro-lifers. The Rs know how to expand their tent. The Dems need to figure out what they are taking to sleep at night.
@Patrick: Quite right. That would be a little like Rep. William Jefferson not mentioning the wads of cash in his freezer in his decision memo re: selection of a tech company he would help procure contracts. Unfortunately, nobody (Rod Rosenstein, where are you?) stopped by Mike's office wearing a wire while Mike was discussing the hold-up of Ukraine military aid.
A problem I have with Stein’s Green Party is that unlike so many Green Parties around the world, she merely runs for President every four years. She has made no attempt to develop a national Green movement, running reps in the House, or state parties to put Greens into State Houses where they could do some good. I agree that hers was the non-denial denial, accused of being as “asset” she denies being a spy. Hey, did you take that cookie? I did not take the cake. Trouble is her associations with Putin make her walk, quack and look like an ass-ette.
Perhaps I’ve misunderstood, but to me she is just a vanity candidate who is grifting for the money. Where did all those recount dollars go. (Dreyer’s English says if you ask a rhetorical question there’s no need for a question mark)
@Procopius: Quite right. I suspect Joe Biden is a greater danger to the Democratic party than Trump is.