Wednesday, November 09, 2016

The Horror, The Horror

Update: For some on-going good information along the lines of "Crazy In NC: McCroy Losing Edition" be sure and look at Anon's posts in the comments below. I'm glad some folks can still trudge on, I'm still broken.
Update: See for comments for a KKK debacle in NC.
Update: Kudos to commenter Anon for keeping the blog alive while I'm in recovery. Crazy In NC continues (see comment below for links): "But the threat of using the pain of hurricane victims for an outrageous power grab remains. Last year, Senate Leader Phil Berger manipulated the rules to help his son get elected to the Court of Appeals. Now he apparently wants to undermine the voters' decision by moving the Board of Elections and other agencies under the control of his friends and out of the control Governor-Elect Roy Cooper."

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

The Only Remaining Election Question...

...is when will it be coming to my corner?

It Never Takes Two To Polka In Punditville

Eschaton: Pundit Bingo:

...The Democrats must heal this nation by appointing Paul Ryan co-president and Stephen Bannon the head of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. It's time to end racism against white people once and for all! It's the new War on Racism!
Both Siderism will be flowing like the sweet wine of Jesus come Wednesday morning, and, yes, the winners are supposed to completely capitulate to the losers. I think I heard that routine in the second grade: "Heads I win, tails you lose."

Honoring Susan B. Anthony

Hundreds flock to Susan B. Anthony's grave on Election Day - CNNPolitics.com:

Voters made an Election Day pilgrimage to Susan B. Anthony's gravesite in honor of the pioneering activist who fought for women's suffrage.
Since early voting commenced in October, voters have paid their respects to Anthony by decorating her tombstone with stickers...

Media Failed America

driftglass: David Brooks Cannot Remember What David Brooks Wrote:

Of all the institutions that have failed the stress test of this election, none has gone up flames more spectacularly than the American political media. Sure, some people may say that the meltdown of the Republican Party was worse that the implosion of the punditocracy, but those people are stupid and wrong and you should not listen to them...
Truer words have not been spoken.

Monday, November 07, 2016

Crazy In NC: Flogging Comey Edition, Part 1

A tip of the Mad Hat to Anon for putting me onto this story:

Comey’s threat to democracy is unprecedented:

As a retired FBI Agent, I write to express my view of your recent actions regarding the so-called email scandal involving Hillary Clinton.

First, I served the FBI honorably for 32 years, two of which were in FBI headquarters as National Coordinator of Organized Crime related Public Corruption investigations. I testified before Congress and made innumerable decisions that affected investigations in many U.S. cities and states. These were high-profile corruption cases involving officeholders of both parties. As election cycles occur annually, I was acutely aware of the FBI’s solemn responsibility to conduct fair and responsible investigations that did not cross a line that could be perceived as interference in our American voting system. In fact, the Department of Justice (DOJ) policy of non-interference was viewed as sacrosanct...
Truth in writing-- I may be related to the FBI agent in question. Don't know for sure.

Could This Election Drive A Union Resurgence?

The Latino surge of 2016: Early voting points toward the real “hidden voters” of this election? - Salon.com:

...Most of these immigrants are hardworking folks, doing manual labor or service jobs — people who are also benefiting from unionization drives (which aren’t easy) and a helping hand from government for health care and education. They contribute massively to our economy, our culture and our society. All those pundits and analysts who been wringing their hands over the plight of the angry Trump voters and the Democrats’ alleged abandonment of the working class don’t even seem to see these working-class people.

There are millions of these newly energized voters all over the country and they are voting in vast numbers. With Trump’s threats and Clinton’s outreach, after this election they will very likely be Democrats with a lot of clout in a party that has an agenda that might actually be able to deliver for them. If Trump’s voters can cool down and clear their heads, they might realize they’d be better off standing with these folks than against them.

tRump Lies Touting MOY Honor

Did Donald Trump Just Make Up An Award He Won? | Huffington Post:

It was a throwaway line, offered in a stream-of-consciousness riff about the state of the auto industry. Donald Trump, during a speech on Sunday, claimed that five years ago he was “honored” as “Man of the Year in Michigan.”

We have no clue what he’s talking about.

That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. But there is no apparent record of it happening, and the folks who might know aren’t talking...

Sunday, November 06, 2016

Deplorables Roust Disabled Kid

Yesterday, this young man was kicked out of a Trump rally. As he was leaving, people kicked at his wheelchair. Today, he met his President.

We're Burning Up

Chunky Gal fire from last week
Sundown through the smoke and hze
The mountains are aflame all around us. It has taken two weeks of pressure to get the state to impose a burn ban, meanwhile idiot arsonists have been lighting the tinder dry woods on fire. We haven't had any significant rainfall in a month; five years ago we were the wettest spot in the nation. Smoke has settled into our valley (Iotla Valley) and ash is starting to fall. No rain is forecast until at least Saturday. Voting on Tuesday could well be a very dicey affair. I have no idea what the GOP will do if our polls are on-fire. If you want to see the general area, Google Franklin NC.
Rabun County, GA

Daily PUMA Nails tRump Tax Problem

Go read the whole post. The snippet below is just that.

Daily PUMA: Donald Trump Bombshell. The Real Reason Donald Trump won't release his income tax returns, Donald Trump may face IRS Tax Fraud, Income Tax Evasion, billions in penalties, and possibly Jail Time.:

...So when Donald Trump says he can't reveal his Income Tax Returns, it is because as soon as Mr. Trump publicly reveals his prior Income Tax Returns, a tax expert will realize that Mr. Trump HAS NO IRS TAX FRAUD IMMUNITY regarding his annual tax write-offs that he took right up until possibly 2015. So the IRS Income Tax Statute of Limitations clock would start from the moment the final write off was taken, which was probably around 2015...

Comment Of The Day: Kudos For Cons Edition

Steve Schmidt Offers Trump Advice: Spend Some Serious Time Preparing A Concession Speech | Crooks and Liars



He's been really great with his commentary. He's a conservative Republican who is disturbed by what he see's in his party today. I have respect for him and people like David Frum who have held to their convictions and refused to back the madness -- even with their purge in conservative circles. They've both hit back in their articles and TV appearances. Bravo to Steve and his fellow small band of conservativeswho put the country before their ideology!

Key Facts About Obama Presidency

Darn good list. Ton of information. With sources!

14 Facts About Obama's Presidency Most People Don’t Know | Soapboxie:

People have many perceptions of how the US economy or the country as a whole has done in recent years. Depending on your political views, you may think the country is doing exceptionally well or is teetering on the verge of collapse.

Listed below are fourteen objective facts, without interjected opinion, about the state of America under the leadership of President Obama. Every statement is followed up with a link to a reputable source where you can verify the fact for yourself...

Kasich Flogs tRump

New Kasich ad: If Trump becomes president, ‘you better hope there’s someone left to help you’ - The Washington Post:

The gloves are off in the fight between John Kasich and Donald Trump.

Well, technically they've been off since last Friday. But the Kasich campaign released a Web ad Tuesday directly attacked Trump with a darker tone than any other candidate has used so far to go after the business mogul...
I thought all the "New Republicans" might be low-life scum, with the exception of Kaisch. Looks like I was right. If the GOPers had nominated Kaisch, they would probably be winning this election.

Saturday, November 05, 2016

Hannity Goes Occult

Hannity’s Latest Whopper: Linking John Podesta To Black Magic | Crooks and Liars:

In the same week that Fox’s Sean Hannity apologized for suggesting President Obama had scrubbed his Twitter timeline of Hillary Clinton mentions and might be headed to jail as a result and Fox’s Bret Baier apologized for suggesting Clinton was about to be indicted, Hannity misinterpreted a WikiLeak email to suggest that Clinton campaign manager John Podesta practices black magic...

Latino Surge In FL

Florida Moving Faster From Battleground To Blue? Thanks, Donald. | Huffington Post:

...And this election, perhaps because of Republican nominee Donald Trump, they seem to be doing precisely that. Of the early votes cast by Friday, close to one-third of the Hispanic voters had never voted in an election before. And polling makes clear that they are overwhelmingly voting for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

“That, my friends, is the definition of a surge,” said Steve Schale, the Democratic strategist who helped win the state twice for President Barack Obama and has been closely analyzing the early voting numbers in Florida for two weeks...

The Most Comphrensive Analysis Of Emailgate

According to Shareblue, the MSM has run an email story every day for over 600 days. I believe it.

The real Clinton email scandal is that a bullshit story has dominated the campaign - Vox:

Some time ago, Hillary Clinton and her advisers decided that the best course of action was to apologize for having used a personal email address to conduct government business while serving as secretary of state. Clinton herself was, clearly, not really all that remorseful about this, and it showed in her early efforts to address it. Eventually aides prevailed upon her to express a greater degree of regret, which they hoped would lay the issue to rest...
Long. Thorough. And the conclusion you knew it would have.

Is Ghoulianni Another Russian Agent?

FBI Complaint Filed Against Rudy Giuliani for Knowledge of Russian Hacks | Hinterland Gazette:

...The complaint was filed by the Democratic Coalition Against Trump on Friday.

DCAT said in a news release, “In July, Giuliani said that Russia has the 33,000 emails deleted from Clinton’s private email server, going on to say that he does “cybersecurity for a living” so it’s a subject he knows according to a Politico article. Giuliani then stated, “The Russians have those emails, they’ve had them for some time.””

“Rudy Giuliani stated that he knew the Russians had hacked into and stole property that belonged to Secretary Clinton, it doesn’t get much more clear-cut than that,” said Scott Dworkin, Senior Advisor to the Coalition.

“It’s not surprising that someone so close to Trump’s campaign would have knowledge of the attacks perpetrated at the hand of a foreign government...”

Friday, November 04, 2016

Give US O'Drama!

Cannonfire "Bombs Away":

...We need DRAMA, Obama! President Obama can end this election once and for all if he takes a single bold step. I do not expect him to do so: "No Drama Obama" has had a phobic reaction toward boldness since 2008...

tRump Defrauds Consumers, Too

EXCLUSIVE: AFL-CIO calls on Trump to explain misleading "Made in the USA" claims - Shareblue:

Some of Donald Trump's suits were advertised on Amazon as being made in the United States. But AFL-CIO research into Trump's supply chain suggests that none of his apparel products are manufactured here, nor substantially changed after arrival to meet the guidelines for the claim. In fact, after the misrepresentation was exposed by BuzzFeed, Amazon took it down. Like everything else related to Trump: It appears to have been a fraud...
Could I interest anyone in a class action lawsuit?

Pilot Whales Convicted

Best buds of the Outlaw Jersey Whale are going down. Top Chris Christie Aides Found Guilty Of All Charges In Bridgegate Scandal | Huffington Post:

A federal jury on Friday found two of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) former aides guilty of all charges in the Bridgegate scandal that has continued to plague the governor...

More Russian Interference

Report: FBI Examining Fake Documents Targeting Clinton Campaign | Huffington Post:

...U.S. intelligence officials have warned privately that a campaign they believe is backed by the Russian government to undermine the credibility of the U.S. presidential election could move beyond the hacking of Democratic Party email systems. That could include posting fictional evidence of voter fraud or other disinformation in the run-up to voting on Nov. 8, U.S. officials have said...

Comment Of The Day: Slave Labor Edition

WATCH: Unhinged White Supremacist Senate Candidate Loses His Sh*t In Mid-Debate | Crooks and Liars



Disagree. People, especially then, are fully aware of the labors of slaves. That is why they were so expensive and valued. And caused a war. If the value of slave labor was not recognized, why fight for it? Racists simply think that is how things are supposed to be - an inferior people serving a superior race. They may say otherwise, but it's simply doublespeak trying to justify their beliefs.
And the northern factories gladly accepted the products of their tolls. Lincoln slapped a huge tax on exported southern cotton. Not because it was the result of slave labor, but because it was being sent to England instead of the north. Point, it was hardly just the south that was built and became rich from the backs of slaves. The south just had the land and better weather to grow crops.
There is more than a little hypocrisy that goes along with various liberal claims of moral superiority when it comes to the issue of slavery in the US. The North gladly took the goods and services provided by the South, as did the hypocritical European powers, who, decades before the Civil War, were decrying slavery from the pompous heights of soulful purity while buying goods from the American South and from various colonies, which were often held in a state of virtual slavery. Only the Quakers, on both sides of the ocean, who originally raised the cry about slavery, resisted the lure of profit and comfort from slavery.

Thursday, November 03, 2016

tRumper Murders Cops: Media Says Nothing

Guess What, Iowa Cop Killer Was ‘Troubled Loner.’ There’s A Lot Of Those!:

...Oh, the WingnuttoSphere should have a field day with that, although it’s also worth noting the Greene house has a “Trump-Pence” campaign sign in the front yard. The Register story also has a more detailed account of the October domestic dispute between Greene and his mother, who grabbed a necklace holding set of dog tags belonging to Greene’s late father and reportedly said “You don’t deserve these,” according to the police complaint...

Crazy In NC: Still Vote Suppressing Edition, Part II

Emails Show How Republicans Lobbied To Limit Voting Hours In North Carolina | Huffington Post: When Bill McAnulty, an elections board chairman in a mostly white North Carolina county, agreed in July to open a Sunday voting site where black church members could cast ballots after services, the reaction was swift: he was labeled a traitor by his fellow Republicans.

“I became a villain, quite frankly,” recalled McAnulty at a state board of elections meeting in September that had been called to resolve disputes over early voting plans. “I got accused of being a traitor and everything else by the Republican Party,” McAnulty said.

Following the blowback from Republicans, McAnulty later withdrew his support for the Sunday site...

tRumpers Building Booby Traps

A Political Stunt In Plano Draws Blood � CBS Dallas / Fort Worth:

The hostility between Trump and Clinton supporters has been escalating as election day nears. But Tuesday someone attached razor blades to a Trump-Pence sign, then used it to cover the official polling site sign at a polling location in Plano...

How An FBI Nothingburger Is Chewed

Secret Recordings Fueled FBI Feud in Clinton Probe - WSJ:

...The FBI had secretly recorded conversations of a suspect in a public-corruption case talking about alleged deals the Clintons made, these people said. The agents listening to the recordings couldn’t tell from the conversations if what the suspect was describing was accurate, but it was, they thought, worth checking out.

Prosecutors thought the talk was hearsay and a weak basis to warrant aggressive tactics, like presenting evidence to a grand jury, because the person who was secretly recorded wasn’t inside the Clinton Foundation...
Gee, do you think somebody whose gonads are in a vise might just tell the people who make him a deal a little fairy tale? Naw. Never happen.

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

O Finally Gets GOPers

Obama Nails Republicans For Hyper-Partisan Reversal On Supreme Court Nominees | Huffington Post:

President Barack Obama let Republicans have it Wednesday for their change of tune on how they might deal with Supreme Court vacancies.

Speaking at a rally for Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, the president pointed the finger at that battleground state’s Sen. Richard Burr. Obama chided Burr, who is fighting for his own re-election, over his recent vow to leave the high court short-handed for four more years if Clinton wins next week.

“Some are saying they won’t appoint a ninth Supreme Court justice at all,” Obama said. He noted Burr “just said that if Hillary wins, he’ll do everything he can to block all Supreme Court nominations...”

Lest We Forget: Slavery Edition

The belief that slavery was solely a Southern institution is bunk:

Slaveholding and the business of slavery undergirded the economy of British North America and later the United States. Historians long have demonstrated that the institution of slavery was central to the social and economic development of the northern colonies and states; and since the 1990s there have been a number of studies on how white northerners used slave labor and were key participants in the business of slavery—the buying and selling of people and goods that sustained plantations throughout the Americas. Nevertheless, there is little public knowledge or acknowledgement that the institution of slavery was socially accepted, legally sanctioned and widely practiced in the North. For many Americans, slavery was a southern institution. The divide between scholarly work on northern slavery and public knowledge can be in part attributed to a lack of public education. K-12 history classes often sideline slavery and when it is discussed it is presented as a southern institution. There are also few public memorials to slavery in the North...

Extortion Is The GOP Platform

The Republican Party Is Now Just a Shakedown Racket:

...I have no idea whether the campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton knows how to fight on this simple, brute level, or whether her prospective administration will understand that it has to do so in order to be able to govern. The last two decades of Democratic party politics do not lend themselves to optimism on this score. There seems little doubt that, if a President HRC wants to get anything real done, she's going to have to break a few teacups in order to keep her political opposition from burning down the china cupboard, the house, and the two city blocks surrounding it.

If we go back to 2009, with a Democratic president who believes these people can be reasoned with, the consequences will be instant and they will be severe. This time, the big bag of fcks has to be empty on Inauguration Day.

tRump Lying About Mob Ties

Video shows Trump with mob figure he denied knowing:

A newly uncovered video appears to contradict Donald Trump’s claim that he never knew a high-stakes gambler who was banned from New Jersey casinos for alleged ties to organized crime...

Weld On Clinton

Libertarian VP Candidate Praises Clinton: 'She Deserves To Have People Vouch For Her' | Crooks and Liars:

...Then he went further, toward what sounded like an endorsement.

"I have a lot to say about Mrs. Clinton that has not been said by others recently, and i think needs to be said," he said. "I have known her for 40 years. I know her well professionally, personally, I know her to be a person of high moral character, a reliable person. and an honest person, however so much Mr. Trump may rant and rave to the contrary. People can make their own choices."

Later in the interview, Rachel pressed him on the contradiction between his statements and the campaign's which essentially contradicted everything he just said.

Weld answered, "I'm doing it based on my personal experience with her. I think she deserves to have people vouch for her, other than members of the Democratic National Committee, so i'm here to do that."

I don't like Libertarian principles. I'm distrustful of Republicans as a general rule. But my sense of him is that he was absolutely genuine and sincere. Good for him for doing what's right.

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

The Daily Flashback: Who SOS Clinton Is Edition

Hillary Clinton is one of the most ethical (and most lied about) political leaders in America - Shareblue:

Democrats are sick and tired of the endless lies about Hillary Clinton, the character attacks, the distortions of her record, the contorted caricature portrayed in the media. They want an unfiltered connection to her without the prism of GOP-style talking points and false frames.

If the headline of this piece blows some minds, you can thank three decades of relentless lies and smears by the conservative attack machine and its corporate media enablers, who have labored to create an aura of corruption around Hillary Clinton. Her detractors on the right, left and center reel off a laundry list of unsupported accusations with an air of absolute authority, as though it is simply a given that she is a terrible, horrible, no-good human being...
Got to the link for a great reminder.

KKK Hitting The Bricks For Their Racist

The KKK Is Working To Get Out The Vote -- For Donald Trump, Of Course | Huffington Post:

With just a week until Election Day, the Ku Klux Klan appears to be ramping up its effort to get GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump into the White House.

Residents in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas and Louisiana have all reported finding fliers from the KKK outside their homes in recent days. The materials contain calls for people to vote and join the organization as it tackles hot-button social issues with exactly the level of contemplation you might expect from a racist hate group...

Talking About Comrade tRump

David Corn Dishes Some Truth About Russia, Trump And The Election | Crooks and Liars:

David Corn appeared on Tamron Hall's show today to discuss his blockbuster report on Mother Jones about Trump's ongoing relationship with Russia and Vladimir Putin. He was joined by Washington Examiner chief Congressional correspondent Susan Ferrechio, who argued that it was all simply false because the New York FBI office says so.

At this point, let's all agree that the New York office of the FBI is nothing more than an opposition research tool for Donald Trump, shall we?....

Is The RNC An Enemy Combatant?

If we're attacked by a foreign power, shouldn't special rules about agents of that power kick in? Since the Russians are working for the RNC and trying to destabilize the country and over-throw our government, is not the RNC now an enemy combatant? Perhaps, Homeland Security should seize the RNC email server and let the military rummage through their panty drawers. After all, there could be a smoking hard drive in there. Com'on Obama. Kick that hornet's nest.

Monday, October 31, 2016

Deadbeat Don Keeps Getting Deader

Trump Is Deadbeating On His Campaign Debts By Refusing To Pay His Own Pollster:

It has begun. Donald Trump is refusing to pay one of his pollsters the $767,000 owed for services performed. Deadbeat Donald is not only losing the campaign, but he is already not paying his bills...

The Russia Server

Was a server registered to the Trump Organization communicating with Russia’s Alfa Bank?:

...What the scientists amassed wasn’t a smoking gun. It’s a suggestive body of evidence that doesn’t absolutely preclude alternative explanations. But this evidence arrives in the broader context of the campaign and everything else that has come to light: The efforts of Donald Trump’s former campaign manager to bring Ukraine into Vladimir Putin’s orbit; the other Trump adviser whose communications with senior Russian officials have worried intelligence officials; the Russian hacking of the DNC and John Podesta’s email.

We don’t yet know what this server was for, but it deserves further explanation.

Cancel The Election!

Geary Yelton adds video to his new song.

Comey Covering For tRump

FBI's James Comey Opposed Naming Russia As An Election Meddler, Source Confirms | Huffington Post:

FBI Director James Comey privately argued against having his bureau sign onto a statement saying the Russian government was meddling in the U.S. election, CNBC first reported on Monday, citing “a former FBI official.”

A source familiar with the interagency discussions confirms to The Huffington Post that Comey declined to do so because, specifically, he was concerned the statement was coming too close to the election. The source who spoke to HuffPost is not a former FBI official and spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters...

tRump The Doc Destroyer

Donald Trump’s Companies Destroyed Emails in Defiance of Court Orders:

...This review of Trump’s many decades of abusing the judicial system, ignoring judges, disregarding rules, destroying documents and lying about it is not simply a sordid history lesson. Rather, it helps explain his behavior since he declared his candidacy. He promised to turn over his tax returns and his health records—just as he promised to comply with document discovery requirements in so many lawsuits—then reneged. As a result, he has left a sparse evidentiary trail that can be used to assess his wealth, his qualifications for the presidency or even his fitness. Should voters choose him to be the next U.S. president, he will enter the Oval Office as a mystery, a man who has repeatedly flouted the rules. He has solemnly told the country to trust him while refusing to produce any records to prove whether he speaks the truth or has utter contempt for it.

Comment Of The Day: Comeygate Edition

No More Mister Nice Blog: COMEYGATE: AN ERIC GARNER CONNECTION?:

Danp said...

James Comey has emails on his computer that may be about to be published by Wikileaks amid speculation that he accepted money from a reputed drug lord. It may take a long time to uncover the entire truth, as the only thing we know for certain is that there are emails. There, now my conscience is clear.
6:26 AM

Sunday, October 30, 2016

Stayin' Classy In OH

Manure dumped in parking lot of Democratic headquarters | WAVY-TV:

A truckload of manure was dumped outside of the Warren County Democratic Headquarters.

It happened just after midnight Saturday in the parking lot of the building located in the 1900 block of US 43 in Lebanon...

No More Kidding With These Traitors

Where Does Trumpism Go After Nov. 8 - BuzzFeed News:

...But if he loses, Whitted said, “I think it’s going to fire us up even more and try to push Hillary out. Get her in prison. Just kidding...”
Over the years I've put up with a lot of crap from Obots, Bushies, and now, tRumpians, and I think I can speak for a good many Americans when I say we are the ones who are fed-up with your treasonous lying; we're disgusted by your cozying up to Putin and the mobster side of Russia; and this time we're going to do something about all the bullies. Oh. Just kidding! No harm! No foul! Just kidding! Sorry guys, but saying you're just joking is no longer a sufficient excuse for your calls to overthrow the elected government of this country, whether it is through some AR-15 pipe dream or through having your lap dogs in Congress gum up the works so the nation can't function. Enough! The majority needs to slap this minority down before they burn down the Constitution. They have gone far beyond the honorable stance of the Loyal Opposition and have moved into the poisonous territory of Seditious Minority.

tRump And Bankruptcy

In case missed these important points, here's a  good summary of tRumpian financial chicanery.

Daily PUMA: Donald Trump's insane banter about the Clinton Foundation continues.:

...It is also important to note that when Donald Trump received close to 2 billion dollars in debt forgiveness back in the 90's, (around 900 million from the IRS and 900 million from his investors desperately trying to salvage some of the Trump properties that were headed for bankruptcy), that to actually pay back that almost 2 billion dollars in debt would have required AT LEAST another 1 to 2 billion dollars in interest rate charges and perhaps 5 to 10 years to pay back that debt. So in total, Donald Trump received at least 3 Billion dollars in debt forgiveness.

It also important to note that bankruptcy laws were changed and significantly toughened against consumers, and one wonders if there is a smoking gun pointed at Donald Trump's excesses that led to the clamping down on the consumer!...

Saturday, October 29, 2016

tRump Has A Vision

My bold.
Donald Trump Is Fulfilling His Destiny with 10 Days Left:

...OK, so that last part owes more to Nuremberg than it does to Patmos, but as the campaign grinds to its end, and as James Comey drops a Halloween treat into his bag, Donald Trump has stumbled into an actual vision of the Kingdom of Don, where the water flows like crystal, a heaven with only all the top people, the best people. And a white grand piano in the lobby. And, most likely, stiffing the angels who sounded the trumpets.

tRump Foundation Makes Biggest Payout To tRump

REVEALED: Trump Foundation’s largest payout ever was $264,631 — for renovations at a Trump hotel:

In a report issued Saturday afternoon, The Washington Post is reporting one recipient receiving over a quarter of million dollars in charity funds — Trump’s Plaza Hotel for the restoration of a fountain out front.

According to interviews with various groups and organizations who have sought donations from Trump, the New York developer was quite happy to show up at charity events only to walk away without leaving a check...

VladiLeaks Finally Produces Something Interesting

WikiLeaks Documents Reveal United Nations Interest In UFOs | Huffington Post:

Revelations in a set of hacked emails released by WikiLeaks earlier this month have sparked new conversations about UFOs and speculation that extraterrestrials have been visiting Earth. But a very significant ― and possibly overlooked ― group of WikiLeaks items relevant to the topic was released on May 18, 2015...

Give It! Give It!

Just cancel the election and give it to tRump! (music file)

An Actual Arrest For Voter Fraud!

Someone Was Actually Arrested For In-Person Voter Fraud. She's A Trump Supporter. | Huffington Post:

...But they do happen. Case in point: Police in Des Moines, Iowa, said Friday that they had arrested Terri Lynn Rote, 55, on suspicion of voting twice in the general election.

Rote, a registered Republican, allegedly submitted ballots at two different early-voting locations in Polk County, Iowa, according to local media reports. She has been charged with first-degree election misconduct, a felony...

Friday, October 28, 2016

A Sad And Uplifting Voting Story

The Last Thing My Mother Did Before She Died Was Vote for Hillary Clinton | Glamour:

"How did Hillary do?" Mama asked me on Monday, 15 days before the election.

At 94, bedridden in my home in Raleigh, North Carolina, Mama was going down quickly. Her heart was beating irregularly; just days before, she had lost the ability to walk. When she turned away her favorite strawberry rhubarb pie, I knew it was only a matter of time...

Nothingburger Fatigue

FATIGUE: Clinton's emails have been covered for 600 days and Americans are exhausted - Shareblue:

...Our team went back and looked at coverage since the story broke in March, 2015. We found that the emails have been mentioned in the major news media virtually every single day since then, 600 in total. This exceeds coverage of Watergate, Mitt Romney’s 47% comment, Kerry’s swiftboating, Donald Trump’s countless transgressions, and every other major political story of the modern era.

It is vastly disproportional to the importance of the issue. Polls show that the majority of Americans are tired of hearing about this issue, one that doesn’t directly affect their daily lives. So no matter how ecstatic Trump may be, he isn’t factoring in email fatigue.

A Clean Political Ad

This is my favorite political ad for this election:

White Privilege And The Dakota Protest

When You're a Protester, the Color of Your Skin Is All That Matters:
...Yes, there is a cruel, stupid irony about living in a country when, on the same day, a bunch of gun-toting rubes who have less understanding of the Constitution than a wombat does of nuclear fusion get acquitted after an armed takeover of federal property in Oregon while, half a country away, peaceful protesters doing nothing but praying on land to which they have a right guaranteed by treaty get rousted, roughed up, and hauled away by a militarized police force acting largely at the behest of a private company. For those of you who are sorry you missed the last Gilded Age, hang in there. You're going to get your wish fairly soon...

Making The Post Office Solvent

The Post Office should also be allowed to turn a regulated profit on these transactions. Maybe a new item for Clinton's to-do list.

'Underbanked' Report Shows Need For Postal Banking | Crooks and Liars:

...If We the People could be allowed to have a simple bank account at our Post Offices this would solve a problem for millions upon millions of Americans. This would help people. It would keep people away from the debt-trap clutches of the predatory payday lending industry.

This is not an out-of-the-mainstream idea. Lots of countries do it. This country used to do it. In fact, the Postal Service still issues money orders.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Crazy In NC: Still Vote Suppressing Edition

North Carolina Republicans try to stop 100-year-old Grace Bell Hardison from voting:

A lifetime of residence in North Carolina, a quarter of a century of never missing a vote is not enough of a history for Republicans there, so they tried to keep this voter out of the polls...

The Orgins Of Obstruction

Why McCain Wants to Leave the Supreme Court Hanging:

...The majority leader of the House of Representatives was telling members of his conference that their constitutional responsibility to begin the process of removing an elected president from office was a required party-line vote.

Newt Gingrich’s politics of destruction was a prelude to this moment, but once Tom DeLay defined the impeachment of a president as a political act rather than a grave constitutional responsibility, for the Republican Party there was no turning back.

Eighteen years later, John McCain is playing by Tom DeLay’s rules.

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

GOPer Women Worried

A new ‘war on women’ breaks out. This time, it’s inside the Republican Party. - The Washington Post:

A growing number of prominent Republican women are worried that as members of their male-dominated party step up to defend Donald Trump against accusations of sexual assault, they are causing irreparable damage to the GOP’s deteriorating relationship with female voters...

This Day In Election Fraud: FL

BREAKING: Florida Governor Busted Attempting To Toss Thousands Of Mail-In Ballots (DETAILS):

Florida Governor Rick Scott declared war on Florida voting rights. He tried to throw out tens of thousands of mail-in ballots this election, but a federal judge blocked the action, then reprimanded him. Saturday U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a blistering caution to the Scott’s top election official on a lawsuit about vote-by-mail ballots...

Moore Amused By tRump Endorsement

Michael Moore mocks Donald Trump Jr. for thinking ‘Trumpland’ documentary is pro-Trump:

...Moore gleefully responded to Trump Jr.’s endorsement, tweeting, “Hey everyone – Trump, Jr. & right wing thinks my movie called “TrumpLand” is pro-Trump! Haha. Pls don’t tell them otherwise! #satire #irony...”

The Daily Flashback: ACORN Edition

The Republican Party knows something about "rigging" elections - Shareblue:

...Despite the organization’s exoneration, and a host of scientific research to dispute the existence of widespread voting irregularities, the seed of distrust was already sown, and has led to numerous attempts, many of them successful, at voter suppression. The GOP’s mendacity has been so fruitful that even though ACORN hasn’t existed since 2010, 40 percent of Trump voters still believe it will steal the election for Clinton in 2016.

Moreover, the very success of groups like ACORN, and the historical barrier broken by the election of the nation’s first Black president, were used as justification for the Supreme Court’s dismantling of the Voting Rights Act in 2013. In other words, voter suppression and loosening of voter protections suddenly became necessary when historically disenfranchised voters mobilized to elect one of our own...

Not Panic Time

Still Tight in Florida:

...Put that all together and the PollTracker Average (our trend estimate) shows Clinton 1.7, which places Florida in the Toss-Up category (any lead under 2 percentage points.) On balance, given the two other polls released today with Clinton 3, Selzer/Bloomberg looks like an outlier that is simply off the trend. But time will tell.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Is Fixing CDS Possible?

The linked post doesn't really address that issue, but I wish some of the "big thinkers" from the A-List blogs would contemplate it. Surely, if the Z-listers like me wonder about these various issues and ideas, someone with high traffic can do it, too. I'm confident they troll through the "little blogs" looking for material, so go for it guys and gals, give us the big liberal thoughts that no one else has had.


They're already trying to erase what they did to Hillary Clinton - Shareblue:

...The colossal imbalance of the coverage of the candidates in this election is absolutely worth exploring, especially by members of the media who facilitated that imbalance. But the exploration will be worth nothing at all if it excludes accountability for the dreadful coverage of Clinton.

tRump And The Body Snatchers

Former Cruz Aide Shocked Senator 'Succumbed' To Pressure To Back Trump (VIDEO):

Amanda Carpenter, former communications director for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post Tuesday describing her disappointment that so many Republican leaders, including her former boss, have backed Donald Trump as the GOP nominee.

"Ever since Trump announced his candidacy 17 months ago, it’s been like watching political body snatchers take over the party, replacing previously respectable men with dead-eyed zombies who readily salute 'Mr. Trump,'" Carpenter wrote...

Delusional Donald

Donald Trump Goes Poll Truther - BuzzFeed News:

...Over the course of the day on Monday while campaigning in Florida, Trump has insisted several times that he is actually ahead.

“I believe we’re actually winning,” Trump told a farmers roundtable at a farm in Boynton Beach. “If you read the New York Times and if you read some of these phony papers — these are phony, disgusting, dishonest papers — but if you read the stuff, it’s like what are we doing?”

“The truth is I think we’re winning,” Trump said...

It Was All Fine With The GOP

70 Trump disgraces that were perfectly acceptable to the GOP - Shareblue:

Until he was heard on a recording condoning sexual assault, Donald Trump had the support of a wide array of Republican officials. Their ranks have thinned, but it's worth taking another look at what they deemed acceptable for the duration of the 2016 campaign...

Leftist Gloom And CDS Are Still With Us

Donald Trump, domestic terrorist: The man who tried to kill democracy — and why we had it coming - Salon.com:

...Calling Donald Trump a domestic terrorist isn’t even a metaphor. A terrorist seeks to provoke a society’s worst impulses and expose its hidden weaknesses, and Trump’s terrorist assault on our so-called democracy has done that brilliantly. He’s like a funhouse-mirror reflection of America’s overweening pride and vanity, deadly sins for which we are now being punished. He is the ugliest possible American caricature, made flesh. We told the world we were a free-enterprise meritocracy where talent rose to the top, and that guy became rich and famous. We told the world we were the exemplar of democracy, a light to all the nations, and that guy almost became president. We deserve Donald Trump, and we have an opportunity to learn from him. But if we believe that stopping him just short of the White House can make the problem he so vividly embodies go away, we will deserve whatever comes next.

Monday, October 24, 2016

GOPers Wanna Sue Over Their Nominee

Republicans Threaten Lawsuits Over TV Ads Linking Them To Donald Trump | Huffington Post:

Some Republicans are running so far away from their party’s nominee that they are threatening to sue TV stations for running ads that suggest they support Donald Trump...

Russia Knew About VladiLeaks Story Before It Was Released

Russia scoops Wikileaks on new Podesta emails - things that make you go hmm - AMERICAblog News:

Russia’s state propaganda organ, RT (previously known as “Russia Today”), scooped Wikileaks yesterday on Wikileaks’ own story.

On October 22, at 8:20AM Eastern Time, the Russians tweeted a new story of theirs about the Wikileaks Podesta emails.

Then, 30 minutes later, at 8:50AM ET, Wikileaks announced its new Podesta emails to the world.

In other words, the Russians broadcast the Wikileaks story to the world before Wikileaks itself, and the Russians even had enough notice to write a story about it...

tRump Is Not Beating Himself

Donald Trump’s collapse was caused by one big factor: Hillary Clinton - Salon.com:

...But it’s a mistake to discount the huge effect of the debates, well beyond Trump’s predictably ridiculous performance. These were the first occasions since the Benghazi hearings for people to see what Clinton is made of, and it reminded them of the characteristics that make her a formidable leader. When she stood there, face-to-face with Trump, it was clear that one of them was a president. And it wasn’t him.

No One Wants AT&T Acquisition

Washington Monthly | The Left and the Right Agree: Stop the AT&T / Time Warner Merger:

...One heartening example of this bipartisan populism is the response to the proposed acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T. The deal would be a huge boost to AT&T in consolidating power not only over mobile devices but the content played on them...
In The Godfather novel Mario Puzo made the point several times that Vito Corleone really liked monopolies because they are obviously more efficient than competition. True-- if you own the monopoly. But AT&T wouldn't act like the Godfather, right? Right? 

Once A Jerk...

Donald Trump Made ‘Apprentice’ Staff Work Through Hurricane Sandy Chaos - The Daily Beast:

As New York City called for a state of emergency during Hurricane Sandy, which left 53 people dead, Donald Trump forced staff to come to Trump Tower to shoot The Apprentice a few floors below his apartment—in between tweets challenging the president to produce his birth certificate...

Clinton Is The Best

The Leftist Case for Clinton – Medium:

...If that sounds a little strong, consider this: Clinton supporters have been stuck playing defense all year, swatting away criticisms and scandals, hoping that once the fog cleared, everyone would see the formidable politician beneath. So no one’s really bothered to make the positive case for President Hillary Clinton.

This is my attempt.

The short version is this: If we play our cards right, historians will remember the sixteen years from 2009 to 2025 as a period of profound change in American society. That change will be largely credited to two outsize personalities — Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton — and their progressive coalition of young voters, people of color, and urban whites with college degrees...

Sunday, October 23, 2016

Don't Flog Opponents!

How to Build an Exit Ramp for Trump Supporters:

...If you want people to change course, you have to create an “exit ramp” for them. This entails creating the space and safety they need to acknowledge and pursue a better way forward. Here’s how you might go about doing that when the situation is emotionally or ideologically charged...
One of the first times I wrote about this was back in 2005, but not much has changed in the last eleven years. I have burned many pixels on this same subject, but the Great Liberal Smugness And Superiority Complex continues unabated. I read at least a half-dozen comments per day about "knuckle dragging Southern goobers" and the "leeching Red States" and the "cousin humping RWNJ" etc. If you try and engage any of these "liberals" in dialog, sooner or later it always comes back to "We kicked your ass in the Civil War" and Lincoln "should have executed all the traitors," "burned the South to the ground" and "salted the earth." Doesn't that just give everyone a nice warm and fuzzy? I want to convert the RWNJ and it can be done, but the invective has to stop. No one will ever come around to your point of view if you can never get them to listen to you because you are insulting them with every word you say.


I realize that it is hard to believe for some people, but your every word is not Holy Writ, and people are entitled to differing viewpoints, even if yours is the right one. I know far more RWNJs than you do. I am confident in that assertion because of where I was born, raised, and currently live. Nearly all of them are kind, decent people who are just trying to make their way through a world drowning in Hate Radio and Fox News, institutions they were taught to trust as children and are only now realizing that they have become propaganda machines. Give them a break. Extend a hand. With a smile, not a sneer.

Bad Polls For GOP

Election Update: Trump May Depress Republican Turnout, Spelling Disaster For The GOP | FiveThirtyEight:

...The problem for Trump is that taken as a whole, his polls aren’t very good — and, in fact, they may still be getting worse. An ABC News national poll released on Sunday morning — the first live-caller poll conducted fully after the final presidential debate — showed Clinton leading Trump 50 percent to 38 percent. Clinton’s 12-point lead in that poll is toward the high end of a broad range of results from recent national polls, with surveys showing everything from a 15-point Clinton lead to a 2-point Trump edge. But the ABC News poll is interesting given its recency and given why Clinton has pulled so far ahead in it — Republicans aren’t very happy with their candidate and may not turn out to vote:..

Good Advice For Loser tRump

Rigged election? Trump is just hanging himself out to dry - LA Times:

...Trump has said his father taught him that there’s nothing worse than being a loser. But that’s wrong. Most Americans don’t disdain the second-place finisher in a tough contest. What they dislike, instead, is a sore loser.

Hope For Racists

How a poster child for white nationalism changed his mind and his life - Shareblue:

It can sometimes seem like extremist views are impossible to change. But one man, born and raised within the white supremacist movement, offers a different story...

A Sad And Sorry Vet Shafting

Thousands of California soldiers forced to repay enlistment bonuses a decade after going to war - LA Times:

Short of troops to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan a decade ago, the California National Guard enticed thousands of soldiers with bonuses of $15,000 or more to reenlist and go to war.

Now the Pentagon is demanding the money back...

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Crazy In NC: Cheap Bribes Edition

A superior court judge in N.C. needed a favor. So he tried to bribe a federal agent with Bud Light. - The Washington Post:

The offer was simple enough.

Arnold Ogden Jones II suspected his wife was having an affair, and he needed a favor: access to some text messages on his wife’s phone, between her and another man whose number was from outside the state.

So last October, Jones — a sitting superior court judge in North Carolina — approached an FBI officer he knew to see whether he could obtain copies of the texts...

The Gloomy tRump

Donald Trump is in a funk: Bitter, hoarse and pondering, ‘If I lose. . .’ - The Washington Post:

...The gloomy mood has extended to his signature rallies, which Trump used to find fun. During the primaries, he would bound onto rally stages bursting with energy and a sense of excitement that intensified as the crowds chanted his name and cheered his every word. He would regularly schedule news conferences, call into news shows and chat with reporters, eager to spar with them. He would say politically incorrect things and then watch his polling numbers soar. He used to be the winner...
Maybe he needs to see Dr. Feelgood for a little lift, though there's probably not enough Xanax in the universe to shine this spittoon. There are other alternate choices (sniff, sniff), though.

tRump's Plan: Sue, Sue, Sue...

Trump Threatens to Sue Accusers, Lays Out Plan for First 100 Days in Policy Speech - NBC News:

Near the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg, Donald Trump laid out his strategy Saturday for the battle ahead. But what was billed as a "roadmap" to a Trump administration was a further escalation of the GOP nominee's scathing rhetoric against his foes in a presidential election that he has likened to a war...
tRump might have sued his way to "business success," but he'll find suing his way to political success a much trickier prospect. That's the gist of his big plan. Everything else is just rehashed talking points that everyone is familiar with. He says he's going after the votes now but Clinton plans "to run out the clock." Meanwhile, Clinton is running out the clock with eleven scheduled campaign events.

Hunting For tRumpians Via Email

Heritage Foundation Recruiting Via Email For Potential Trump Administration - BuzzFeed News:

The Heritage Foundation is cold-emailing potential candidates to serve in a potential Donald Trump administration, according to a copy of one of the emails obtained by BuzzFeed News.

The influential conservative think tank sent out a questionnaire to potential candidates without specifically mentioning Trump but instead referring to the “next presidential administration.” The email says candidates are being recruited as part of Heritage’s “Restore America Project...”

Right Cutting Off Nose

...to spite the "Face of the Republican Party."


Breitbart escalates war on Paul Ryan | TheHill:

A right-wing website closely tied to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is taking its war against House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to new levels.

Breitbart News on Saturday published as its lead story an article written by Julia Hahn, headlined: “He’s with her: Inside Paul Ryan’s months-long campaign to elect Hillary Clinton president...”

Friday, October 21, 2016

Don't Let The Door...

Many Trump Supporters Say They Won't Monitor Polls Or Take Action If He Loses - BuzzFeed News:

...Susan and a man next to her said they weren’t going to monitor polls or take to the streets if Trump lost. They only mused about doing one thing if Clinton becomes president.

“Move to Canada,” they said.

The tRumpian Values Rampage

The Fury and Failure of Donald Trump - Rolling Stone:

...In recent years it all went stale. They started to run out of lines to sell the public. Things got so desperate that during the Tea Party phase, some GOP candidates began dabbling in the truth. They told voters that all Washington politicians, including their own leaders, had abandoned them and become whores for special interests. It was a slapstick routine: Throw us bums out!

Republican voters ate it up and spent the whole of last primary season howling for blood as Trump shredded one party-approved hack after another. By the time the other 16 candidates finished their mass-suicide-squad routine, a tail-chasing, sewer-mouthed septuagenarian New Yorker was accepting the nomination of the Family Values Party...

Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Empty Shell Of His tRumpiness

A competent, qualified woman debated a blustery, clueless man. Again. - Vox:

...Over the course of the series of presidential debates, he’s shown that he’s tall, he’s pretty good on television, and he carries himself with the distinctive confidence of a mediocre white man.

Beyond that, he’s got nothing...

tRump Doesn't Like Teachers Either

Donald Trump’s disregard for teachers:

In a 1997 legal deposition, Donald Trump argued that educators lack intelligence, saying that teachers are “very stupid...”

O Flames GOPer Media

President Obama scorches Republicans over years of "toxic" politics - Shareblue:

...And here’s the thing: Trump didn’t come out of nowhere, now. For years, Republican politicians and far-right media outlets have just been pumping out all kinds of toxic, crazy stuff. I mean, first of all, there was the whole “birther” thing. Then they start saying climate change is a Chinese hoax. And according to them, I’m power enough to cause these hurricanes and I’m about to steal everybody’s guns in the middle of the night and declare martial law, but somehow I need a teleprompter to finish a sentence...

Wallace Is Still A Hack

Chris Wallace And The Banality Of Conservative Dishonesty:

...But Wallace also exposed his audience to a large dose of right-wing misinformation:

His question about the economy began with the false premise that President Obama’s 2009 stimulus plan damaged the economy.
His question about immigration took Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s 2013 comments about “open borders” grossly out of context.
His question about abortion access invoked the right-wing myth of “partial-birth” abortion, a non-medical term invented by anti-abortion groups.
His question about the national debt falsely alleged that programs like Social Security and Medicare are going to run out of money and add to the debt absent short-term cuts, echoing Republican talking points about entitlements.

Wallace also failed to fact-check Trump’s frequent falsehoods -- following through on his promise not to be a “truth squad” during the debate...

Deplorables Making Threats In NM

New Mexico Republicans Send Ominous Flyer to State Voters : snopes.com:

The New Mexico Republican Party has confirmed they sent a flyer ominously suggesting that residents' presidential election votes could be tracked and made public.

The flyer, which was discovered in Alburquerque, read: "When the Democrats win the election and you didn’t do your part ... your neighbors will know." It garnered attention online when it was posted to Reddit:..

tRump Has New Excuse

Kinda hard to believe Fox News would rig the debate for Clinton. Donald Trump Claims Hillary Clinton Saw Debate Questions Ahead Of Time | Huffington Post

My Favorite Tweet From Last Night


HILLARY THE WHITE: I did not pass through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a witless worm.

Abortion At The Debate

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton Third and Final Presidential Debate Recap - The Worst Hombre:

...Trump was foggy on the specifics—if he knows what the Supreme Court's Heller gun-control decision actually is, I'll eat the 14th green at Turnberry—but he was at least coherent and resolute in his position. On abortion, it's clear he's gone all in with the anti-choice crowd, talking again and again about ripping babies from the womb and pivoting (as they all do) to the argument that the law in this area should devolve back to the states. (A very bad idea, but an idea nonetheless.) Meanwhile, HRC gave the clearest and most definitive statement of support for the rights codified in Roe v. Wade that I've ever heard. No more "safe, legal, and rare" dodge, HRC spoke forthrightly about the efforts out in the states to curb those rights piecemeal...

Rather On Clinton

Dan Rather's Latest Debate Analysis Should Be Read By EVERY American:

...Hillary Clinton has been judged the winner of the first two debates. Tonight, many felt Trump needed a knockout to get back in the race. But I think this was Clinton’s best performance – perhaps by far. I think she wanted this to be a preview of her presidency. Her tone was the most straightforward and direct I have yet seen. She didn’t try to run away from her policy expertise. She embraced it. It was as if she was saying, “I am here. I am smart. I am qualified. I will not be intimidated or silenced. And I am ready to be president...”

Clinton Tax Zinger

'Game Over, Donald': Our Latino Panel Rates the Debate - NBC News:

It was a good thing that, at this debate, immigration finally came up. However, the discussion went awry quickly, and will probably only be remembered for Trump calling undocumented immigrants "bad hombres." Kudos to Clinton for pointing out that many undocumented immigrants likely pay more in federal income taxes than Trump does...

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

No Love Between Pervs

Roger Ailes breaks away from ‘waste of time’ Trump just before the final debate:

Ousted Fox News head Roger Ailes and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump have fallen out and are no longer speaking, sources say.

Emily Jane Fox of Vanity Fair reported on Wednesday that New York magazine’s Gabriel Sherman and Vanity Fair editor Sarah Ellison have both been informed that the longtime friends Trump and Ailes are no longer on good terms, but the reasons for the parting of ways vary according to who you ask...

The Thirsty Cuban Warns About VladiLeaks

Marco Rubio: Don't 'Indulge Wikileaks' - It's A Foreign Govt Interfering In Our Election | Crooks and Liars:

Sen. Marco Rubio told ABC News that Republicans and Donald Trump are making a mistake by "indulging Wikileaks' and jumping on the alleged hacked emails because it's an attempt by a foreign government to influence our election process.

The Florida Senator also is worried the the next round of hacks could expose Republicans next...

Were Fraudlent Ballots Burned In GOP HQ Firebombing?

Thanks to commenter Anonymous for the tip on this fiasco. I missed the follow-up, and Anon is right, it keeps getting weirder and weirder.

North Carolina GOP admits it illegally stashed completed absentee ballots in firebombed office [and now denies it] 

In the hours since a North Carolina Republican Party office was firebombed while no one was in it, reactions have been flying from all sides. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton offered words of support, while Republican nominee insisted (without a shred of evidence) that Clinton’s supporters were behind it. Trump’s suspicious response has led to the question of whether he himself was behind it. But now comes a shocking revelation of a different kind: the GOP was illegally stashing completed absentee ballots in that office...

The tale of the absentee ballots is one those when was she lying--- now or then--- scenarios that is very difficult to sort through. One thing for sure--- a high level GOP official should know that absentee ballots, especially completed ones, are not stored in any political office. So did they have a load of completed ballots on-hand? I've heard rumors about this for years. Since NC is has such a large military population, overseas absentee ballots are very common and would certainly be an easier way to cheat in an election that the old toothpick-in-the-counter trick that was common with mechanical tabulators. Things will get really interesting if a forensic examination happens to turn-up some completed ballots.


If anyone hears anything on this, let me know; I'm open 24/7 365. (Yes, it's true. I don't have a life.)

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Could I Get My UFO Wish?

If Clinton can give tRump a "Please Continue" moment while he is riffing about alien breeding programs, he will have hit the wingsnut grand slam and drool will cover all the land and local droughts will end and cats and dogs will live together in peace and harmony.



Hillary Clinton Is Ready And Willing To Talk About UFOs On Television | Huffington Post:

...But it would be interesting to watch a UFO question unfold. Because if debate moderator Chris Wallace asks Clinton her thoughts on otherworldly visitors, regardless of how she answers, Trump would undoubtedly be allowed to respond.

Anyone out there have a direct line to Wallace before Wednesday’s debate?

Winning The Argument

More than 101 Stupidparty Myths Debunked: How to Destroy Every Single Deplorable Trumpeteer Argument (For They Have Nothing)! - Stupidparty Math v. Myth:

...I am so excited because today we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to cure StupidParty.

On the other hand, if Trump wins—we will know precisely what America has become. I am excited because I am just so fed up with the enemy hiding amongst us, acting as if all is copacetic. No, it never was. Will this be the end of days or the dawning of a new age? I happen to be optimistic, not just because of Trump but because mankind is on the cusp of being able to save itself from its own myopia via technology. I see the end days for oil (the root of America’s problems), the end days for ISIS, and the end days for StupidParty...
You can look up every right-wing argument on this website and find a handy counterargument almost immediately, and the neat thing about these counters is that they are based on facts, that little known and little understood principle of human life. The list is beyond comprehensive. It is probably all inclusive.

Evangelical Women Leaving tRump Camp

Powerful Evangelical Women Split From Male Church Leaders to Slam Trump - The Daily Beast:

... Moore’s broken silence about the 2016 race—rooted in her own experience with sexual assault—signals a widening gender divide between evangelicals. Increasingly, moderate and conservative Christian women are speaking out about Trump’s brand of misogyny and divisiveness, and condemning support for the nominee or silence about him from male evangelicals...

Union And Confederate Veterans Together

This photo was taken on the steps of the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville, NC a few years after the end of the Civil War. In the group are local veterans from both sides in the war. Liberals who auto-condemn anyone who lives below the Mason-Dixon line need to take a moment and study that photograph and contemplate what the immediate survivors of that war learned.

The Ghosts Of Benghazi Haunt Gowdy

...Gowdy and the republican Benghazi committee have been attacking by using a variety of government documents which have been heavily redacted to the point that it’s never been entirely clear just what context they would be in if not for all of the redactions and blackouts. After democrats asked the CIA to declassify the documents so that the public could see what was really being presented, the CIA responded by stating that it had never asked for anything to be redacted. When questioned under pressure, Gowdy admitted that he himself decided to redact large portions of the documents based on his own personal judgment of what information he did or didn’t want the public to know...
Lies. Lies. And more lies.

Monday, October 17, 2016

The Gang That Couldn't Campaign Straight

Trump Left Off Official Alaska Voter Guide After Missing Deadline:

Undecided Alaskan voters will be able to read about Hillary Clinton and Jill Stein in an informational pamphlet sent to them over the weekend, but not Donald Trump.

Trump’s campaign didn’t send the necessary materials to Alaskan election officials before the August 30 deadline, according a report from The Hill. Gary Johnson's campaign also failed to respond to Alaskan election officials in time...

Dem Offices Also Attacked

NC Democratic headquarters attacked on same night nearby GOP office was firebombed:

Democratic officials in North Carolina have asked law enforcement to step up protection of campaign workers after Orange County offices for both the Republican and Democratic parties were targeted on the same day...
This seems to have slipped by unnoticed.

About Those Death Threats

What To Do When Trump Supporters Threaten To Kill | Crooks and Liars:

...I also want to remind people that there are other exceptions to the First Amendment besides, "You can't falsely yell fire in a crowded theater." Threatening speech is NOT protected speech. It is essential to show the public that making true threats to others will have consequences.

After people are shot, killed or assassinated, pundits will wring their hands and say, "Nobody could have seen this coming!" Yes we can.

And before some concern troll starts talking about a chilling effect to political speech, I'm not talking about thoughtcrime or pre-crime. We've seen the threats, they are specific and they are happening now. We need to act to prevent violence now, instead of waiting for after the election to really take them seriously.

WikiLeaks Clinton Secret Revealed

Hillary Clinton Unleashes Comcast-Level Attack On Julian Assange:

...As the L.A. Times concludes, Assange’s SUPER OMG BREAKING NEWS leaks have revealed the shocking secret that Hillary Clinton is Hillary Clinton...

Democrats Help ReOpen GOP Office In NC

Democrats Raised More Than $13,000 To Reopen A Firebombed Republican Office - BuzzFeed News

tRump Starting Next Scam

Report: Trump's son-in-law contacted banker about starting TV network:

Donald Trump has taken a step closer to starting his own cable TV network, the Financial Times reported Monday.

The Republican presidential nominee’s interest in harnessing his political gains and populist appeal for a slice of the cable TV market has long been rumored. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been in contact with Aryeh Bourkoff, founder of investment bank LionTree, about starting a TV network if he's defeated in the presidential election in November, the FT reported...

Sunday, October 16, 2016

A GOP Dirty Trick In Firebombing?

North Carolina GOP office attacked - POLITICO:

A North Carolina Republican Party office was firebombed overnight and threatening words painted nearby, party officials and local news organizations reported Sunday...
The only group that gains from this is the GOP, adding further fuel to their on-going rage fest. They had means; they had opportunity. They also had the only good motive. Please feel free to prove me wrong by finding the culprit.

Crazy In NC: Charlotte Observer Edition

Ruh-oh.


Citing HB2, Charlotte Observer Doesn't Endorse McCrory For 1st Time In 25 Years - The New Civil Rights Movement:

The Charlotte Observer has endorsed Democrat Roy Cooper over incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory in the Nov. 8 election.

It marks the first time in McCrory's 25-year political career that the state's largest newspaper has declined to endorse him...

No Mandate Clinton

Ignoring for just a second, the ridiculous idea of a mandate to begin with, this post is arguing that if Clinton wins, say, a 10 point landslide victory, she will be without a rudder to steer by. Since every Republican after Abe Lincoln has claimed a mandate, even with the thinnest of margins, i.e. Skippy Bush, Clinton can claim a mandate if she wins by one vote. Poulos appears to think that people are voting to just keep a lunatic away from the White House. I've got news for you, bub, millions of people are voting for Clinton because they want the platform she is standing upon, which is quite simply the polar opposite of the way the GOP has been running, and ruining, the country since Nixon took us down the path of division and fear.


While Donald Duck will never have Hillary Clinton's intelligence, skill, or compassion, I would still vote for him over anybody pushing the GOP/Koch agenda.


Clinton could get a landslide but without a mandate - The Orange County Register:

...In fact, it’s not out of the question that Donald Trump’s increasing focus on fighting the GOP will drive so many Republicans to vote against him that Clinton enjoys no mandate at all — stuck with a hollow presidency and an America lacking utterly in unity or direction...

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Clinton Looking To Heal Country

Clinton: I Take 'No Satisfaction' In Trump's Scorched Earth Campaign:

..."This election is incredibly painful. I take absolutely no satisfaction in what is happening on the other side with my opponent," Clinton said, according to the Times. "I am not at all happy about that because it hurts our country, it hurts our democracy, it sends terrible messages to so many people here at home and around the world."

At a time when the election seems to be more full of personal attacks than substance, Clinton urged her supporters not to "turn away". Instead she asked they "start looking after each other again..."

The Five Basic tRump Lies

A Readers' Guide To Trump's Five Favorite Sexual Myths | Crooks and Liars:

...But Trump's lies are not tall tales or entertaining fantasies; they are designed to land in the dead zones of American belief. Like fish kills and algae blooms, their existence is evidence of waste and irreparable damage; of greed, ego, and entitlement gone awry. Trump's myths are mainly put forward by surrogates. The top five (below) cast blame away from him for situations he created and articulated...

The On-Going Clinton Rules Effect

The Clinton Rules have been around seemingly forever and one would think that, given the circumstances surrounding the Orange Menace and His Army of the 12 Deplorables,  Clinton Derangement Syndrome, would be on the wan, but no; the corruption in the press and media continues to poison the body politic. Bunchanan's article is one of the best ever on the inner workings of this psychosis. 



Neil Buchanan: Why Is the Press Ganging Up on Hillary Clinton?:

...In both debates so far, the distorted media narrative was insufficient to cause people not to believe their own eyes and ears. But this default mode, in which political reporters miss the big picture and focus on "what might look bad for Clinton," is unfortunately alive and well.

There is still plenty of time for this media culture to do further damage to Clinton's candidacy, not by reporting anything that is truly bad about Clinton but by emphasizing the negative spin at all times. And the saddest aspect of this is that the people involved in this scrum surely think that they are not doing anything wrong.

"Crusaders" Busted

Three Kansas men calling themselves ‘Crusaders’ charged in terror plot targeting Muslim immigrants - The Washington Post:

Three Kansas men have been accused of plotting attacks targeting an apartment complex home, a mosque and many Muslim immigrants from Somalia, authorities said Friday...
Note: Kansas is not in the South.

Friday, October 14, 2016

It Was The Best Speech Of The Campaign

Women Needed to Hear Michelle Obama's New Hampshire Speech:

In this historic year for women in presidential politics, the most unapologetic and powerful feminist speech of the campaign was delivered not by the historic candidate but by the First Lady.

Michelle Obama, speaking in the swing state of New Hampshire, delivered the half-hour talk with furious precision. It was a speech about women — the woman running for the presidency, and the women around the country who have been badly shaken by the turn this election has taken, as reports have emerged that make very clear how Donald Trump talks and acts with regard to the bodies of women and girls...

Crazy In NC: Burr Thinks tRump Is President Edition

Trump Leaves Intel Chair Stumped In His Own Debate | Huffington Post:

...“Jonathan, you know me,” Burr said. “I will help whoever is in leadership to try to bestow what I know and what I have learned as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and I’ve done that for the Trump administration.”

An Anti-Sleaze Strategy

Oh, The Irony: Trump Aide Spent Career Framing Bill Clinton As A Sex Predator:

...In the late 1990s, during his first round of Clinton trashing, Bossie was particularly incensed when he and his fellow anti-Clinton crusaders become the subject of scrutiny, with reports that a book about them was on the way. Bossie said that the sex life of his former boss Burton -- whom, it had been revealed, fathered a child in an extramarital affair -- should remain off limits.

Liberal pundit Bill Press, on a 1998 episode of Crossfire, asked Bossie, “Republicans open an investigation into Bill Clinton's sex life, can't they expect the same thing into their life and isn't that fair?”

“If they lie about it, absolutely,” Bossie said.

Thick As A Brick

Pence: 'I don't understand the basis' of Michelle Obama's claims - POLITICO:

Asked Friday morning to respond to the powerful rebuke of Donald Trump delivered a day earlier in a speech by first lady Michelle Obama, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said “I don’t understand the basis of her claim...”
Is Mike Pence really this stupid?

"The Sweet Meteor Of Death"

Trump implosion goes way beyond politics: Mastio & Lawrence:

...Inaugurating the first woman president was always going to change things in the United States, but the question was how much. Our first black president has changed America, but it is still the country I remember from 2008. That’s in part because Barack Obama’s presidential opponents were basically pretty decent guys. Donald Trump is not. What we are going to witness over the next few weeks is what Obama’s 2008 campaign would have been like if Obama had been running against unrepentant segregationist George Wallace and not maverick Sen. John McCain. The next few weeks may see the Sweet Meteor of Death bring the Masculicine Era to an end. What comes after will include far bigger changes in relations between the sexes than we saw in relations between the races from 2009 to 2016...