Accusation Du Jour

Anyone thinking that Charlie Pierce's warning that Republicans may have been the source of the Northam material/fiasco (and this in no way let's Northam off the hook) should be given a heads-up on the latest--an allegation against Justin Fairfax.

http://www.nbc12.com/2019/02/04/lt-gov-fairfax-slams-defamatory-false-sexual-assault-allegation/

This sort of ratf*cking is going to be the theme of 2020.

I received an email from Lamar Alexander . . .

hawking the Trumpster's compromise to reopen the government as reasonable.

Number 1--this is not a compromise since the Democratic leadership was never consulted or advised.

Number 2-- the 3-year protection/extension on DACA and TPS are programs that the Trumpster overturned and is now offering as 'the deal of the century.'

Number 3--Donald Trump is not a good-faith partner; rather he has habitually squelched on deals, turning on a dime and changing his position on a whim or his 'gut' noises.

The media is now repeatedly asking how the Dems can turn down the Trumpster's Most Excellent Compromise without looking like the bad guys extending Trump's Shutdown?

This is akin to taking a hostage taker's side in the argument. Why don't you just give the guy the money and end this thing?, they query. What they don't ask is: what will be the going rate next time Trumpski doesn't get his way? And why would anyone in their right mind trust Donald Trump to stand by his word or to use the $5.7 billion responsibly?

No one wants the damn wall but the Trumpster and his acolytes. Not for border security or the fatuous tales of marauding caravans but as a symbol for WINNING. The $5.7 Billion is a small fraction of the money needed to complete the job the Trumpster has imagined, let alone maintain a wall/fence of that height and length. More than that, a wall/fence will be ineffective. Period.

This is another con job, a broad daylight highjacking where 800,000 Federal employees, millions of ancillary business owners and majority of American citizens have been held as hostages. And for what?

Donald Trump's rancid ego.

Btw, I was obviously added to Senator Alexander's email list after sending an incensed post following Trump's Helsinki meeting last year. I received a reply from the Senator's office saying basically that he too was 'concerned.' Amnesia has apparently afflicted the Republican held Senate. Perhaps they need a refresher course:

Donald Trump is not a good-faith partner. For anything.

The Man Who Stood Behind Trump

Interesting feature article at the Washington Post this morning which offers a glimpse into a particular Trumpster's mindset, a man who cannot see, cannot hear the damage that is being done by this Administration. A good ole boy who excuses himself because he's convinced he's a 'good man.' In some respects, that appears to be true in his relationships within his own personal sphere. But even there, his insight is limited, his ability to reflect in any deep manner has been short-circuited when it comes to racism, sexism and/or base cruelty. Because it hasn't affected him . . . personally.

It's only when he starts to receive critical, unflattering emails that the Man Who Stood Behind Trump begins to blink, just a smidge.

He doesn't recall racial strife in the South though he was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, born 50 miles from where Emmett Till was murdered. He doesn't remember segregated bathrooms or water fountains during the 60's, just doesn't recall. He simply has no living memory of racial violence in the South. For a man of privilege (think trust fund baby) he sees only the world that he's lived in, been part of--a good life, an easy life, a world where The Man Who Stood Behind Trump is respected, well-liked, even loved.

So when the emails start over his Trump rally appearance where POTUS mocks Christine Blasey Ford and he and his friend laugh and clap and cheer, he's mystified that strangers would call him on his behavior. Because he's not a sexist, he would tell them. He's loved his Mama and his sick wife, both strong women. Surely his love of the black woman who tended him as child proves that he has no animosity towards women or black people. He loved Edna Beatty in the way only a child can love so surely that proves he's a 'good man' though he doesn't recall ever asking about her personal life, the one she lived beyond him.

He doesn't remember. He cannot see or hear.

The Man Who Stood Behind Trump is only beginning to think about these things. He's still living in the dimly lit room he's constructed for himself, still defending his positions. But without the carefree innocence of the past which is something he hankers for--the way things used to be where your patriotism, your place in the world was never questioned.

The Good Ole Days.

Mind boggling.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2019/01/19/feature/the-man-who-stood-behind-trump/?utm_term=.a96fd8d935e2

Shiny Objects

Curious is it not that the furor over the Buzzfeed article has overshadowed the equally shocking story of Cohen rigging polls at Trump's direction? No one has negated or disputed the story that Cohen hired IT personnel to rig the online polls to keep the Boss happy or that he paid for those services with a bag of cash and a boxing glove, stiffing the tech company for the full $50,000 fee. A fee that Cohen was reimbursed for, according to WAPO.

Guiliani's statement was an immediate rebuff of the story with the added note that Cohen was into stealing money (don't look there, look over here). Furthermore, Cohen had a twitter account set up to make him appear favorable (sexy) to female voters. And even more curious, that tech firm--RedFinch Solutions owned by John Gauger--is connected to Liberty University.

All this hiding behind the Buzzfeed dustup because this is the beauty of disinformation.

So much winning.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michael-cohen-does-not-dispute-report-that-he-paid-tech-firm-to-rig-polls-for-trump/2019/01/17/1078856a-1a64-11e9-9ebf-c5fed1b7a081_story.html?utm_term=.94e53e437e8e

Land of the Free

Not sure how many people have already seen this. I stumbled across the tweet with embedded vid over at Hoarse Whisperer's feed. Video was directed by Spike Lee, performed by The Killers.

Personally? I was blown away. Fierce, effective, heartbreaking. An anthem of sorts.

Anyway, thought I'd post it here.

https://twitter.com/HoarseWisperer/status/1084918992442138630

First Cabinet Member to Buck Trumpski's Shutdown

courtesy of the Daily Kos

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/1/14/1826158/-Agriculture-Secretary-first-Cabinet-member-to-break-with-Trump-saying-shutdown-needs-to-end

Thought this was interesting: Sonny Perdue Agriculture Secretary, has told Fox Business that the Shutdown needs to end. A quote taken from Axios puts a point on the matter:

The Farm Service Agency has run out of funding, which has forced Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to work with the Office of Management and Budget to try getting farmers loans. Subsidies set aside for farmers hit by President Trump's tariffs have been suspended during the shutdown.

https://www.axios.com/trumps-agriculture-secretary-shutdown-end-2f9970e6-aed0-4299-8956-9c21cee5774d.html

As an aside, I was reading just this weekend of the disaster for soybean farmers who have in the past enjoyed export markets in China. Now the price to plant is higher than they're were offered for the harvest, most of which is rotting.

So much winning!

One wonders if Perdue is the first domino.

Under oath William Barr said . . .

Mueller should be allowed to finish his investigation and that a final report should be made to Congress and the American public. He will not play partisan politics, the matter needs to be resolved and the public needs to know the facts.

Score another round for the good guys!

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/14/politics/william-barr-mueller/index.html

101 Russian Contacts

From Trumpski's mantra--No Collusion, No Collusion, No Collusion to 101 Russian contacts between Trump's 2016 campaign and administration members is a mind-boggling leap. It's difficult to keep the numerous events, people and timelines involved straight. Fortunately The Moscow Project has been doing just that assembling an overview of the disaster we've been watching/hearing/reading. In order to get a sense of the size and overlapping relationships, the Moscow Project offers an interactive map showing the contacts and the players. Lots of good information at the site and an easy way to familiarize or review the history of a portion of the conspiracy.

Interesting, too, that the major portion of these contacts were made by Don Jr. and Jared Kushner. The 'boys' are in deep, deep trouble.

Link here:

https://themoscowproject.org/dispatch/interactive-100-contacts-between-the-trump-campaign-and-russia/

This is how Russian State TV Views Trumpski's Shutdown

The Level of Cray-Cray That Should Worry Everyone

Today, Trumpski announced that he was willing to continue the government shutdown for months, even years. He's also threatening to up the ante by implementing National Security Emergency Orders to . . . get his way on the wall funds. His reasoning (such as it is) is captured below, a repeating pattern of incoherent blather. This isn't new. It's been going on from the start but I suspect the crazy will ramp up as the pressure increases and legal woes/investigations continue. If anything the following reminds me of an early, rough draft interview with the Wall Street Journal, an interview conducted in the early months of Trumpski's tenure. This presumably is the Leader of the Free World. Not fooling anyone. This is the Squatter-in-Chief in all his ignoble glory.

https://twitter.com/ddale8/status/1081271693858009089

Btw, I read today that funding for regular court operations will shortly run out. What a coinky-dink! One way to avoid accountability is simply shutting the legal processes down.

Treason weasels, all of them.