Mister Trump Says Words

Threats Can Equal Jail Time

2 Bundy Ranch Thugs Who Threatened Feds Going To Jail | Crooks and Liars:

...I’m tired of death threats being dismissed as No Big Deal, especially when the threats come from people who love to brag about their guns. I now point to Cooper, DeLemus and the other 17 and say, “Look at what happened to these guys. Others will go to prison too–just like those Bundy guys. These violent threats will have consequences. Their guns and their freedom will be legally taken away...”

tRump Employed Illegal Models

Models Working For Donald Trump's Modeling Agency Were Brought Into The US Illegally | Crooks and Liars:

It appears that in addition to Donald Trump's own wife, Melania, working illegally as a model in the US, Donald Trump's own agency models may also have worked illegally. And he knew. Coming just a day before Trumps highly touted "immigration speech," where he is expected to explain his both softening and hardening positions, he appears to be facing a new potential scandal...

Sugarhood Being Shafted

I'm a member of the club and I can attest that it has gotten stupidly expensive. My bold.


Insulin price spike leaves diabetes patients in crisis | Butte News | mtstandard.com:

...From 2011 to 2013 the wholesale price of insulin went up by as much as 62 percent. From 2013 to 2015 the price jumped again, from a low of 33 percent to as much as 107 percent, said Dr. Mayer Davidson, professor of medicine at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, who has carefully tracked the rapid and repeated increases.

"This borders on the unbelievable," Davidson said, citing an extremely concentrated insulin which "in 2001 had the wholesale price of $45. By last year, the cost had skyrocketed to $1,447" for the same monthly supply...

American Swimmers Got The Clinton Treatment

Looks like Rio police were the biggest liars in the Lochte drama... if anyone still cares about the truth - Hot Air Hot Air:

...Al seems really worked up over Lochte’s “lies,” doesn’t he? Has Al spent one second on the Today Show listing out all the people Hillary Clinton lied to about her email scam?

As for me, I will take the word of one of our Olympians (yes, even the flakiest of them all, Ryan Lochte) over an inherently corrupt, 3rd world Banana Republic trying to make their disorganized and crime-ridden sports festival look like the poster-child for American bad behavior.

That's the bottom line, but read the whole thing for yourself. My first suspicions were confirmed: media lynching. Like the Duke lacrosse incident, liberals were eager to tut-tut bad Americans; conservatives immediately jumped to the conclusion the Americans were being railroaded. Guess what? The conservatives were right. It doesn't happen often but it does happen. Both sides need to stop jumping to irrational conclusions before all the facts are in. SOS Clinton would certainly appreciate it.

Rant Of The Month: Simply Great

The Moron’s Case For Hillary Clinton…because some of you really are that stupid. � The Contrarian Blog:

...And by the way, don’t give me any of your crap about Bernie, Martin, Ted, John, Marco, Jeb, Chris, Rand, Carly, Ben, Lindsey or any of the others because they aren’t running anymore. And I certainly don’t want to hear some fantastic load of tripe about Gary or Jill because they can’t win either and that’s simply the way it is. Deal with it. Those two are just like all of the other hundreds of people legitimately on the ballot to become President in November who are never going to get within spitting distance of the White House. Ever heard of Rod Silva? Me neither, but he’s running for President on the Nutrition Party ticket. Don’t believe me? Look him up. Here’s the bottom line: only two people can win and it’s not going to be anyone on this Rogue’s Gallery of wannabes…or the guy behind the deli counter or your neighbor’s cat so wake up...

On The Wikileaks Disinformation Campaign

Wikileaks is a Front for Russian Intelligence | The XX Committee:

...Why Assange wants FSB bodyguards is a question every journalist who encounters Julian henceforth should ask. Until he explains that, Wikileaks should be treated as the front and cut-out for Russian intelligence that it has become, while those who get in bed with Wikileaks — many Western “privacy advocates” are in that group — should be asked their feelings about their own at least indirect ties with Putin’s spy services.

P.S. For those familiar with espionage history, there is a clear precedent for such an arrangement. In 1978 the magazine Covert Action Information Bulletin appeared to expose the secrets of US and Western intelligence. Its editor was Phil Agee, a former CIA officer who had gotten into bed with Cuban and Soviet intelligence; think of Agee as the Snowden of the pre-Internet era. CAIB was in fact founded on the direction of the KGB and for years served as a conduit for Kremlin lies and disinformation that seriously harmed Western intelligence. While CAIB presented itself as a radical truth-telling group, in actuality it was a KGB front, though few CAIB staffers beyond Agee knew who was really calling the shots. One suspects much the same is happening with Wikileaks.

Pierce Flogs Both Siderism

We Just Previewed Hillary Clinton's Presidency:

...One of our two major political parties has nominated a megalomaniacal know-nothing for the highest office in the land. He is demonstrably racist, demonstrably unfit for the office, and very nearly demonstrably cuckoo bananas. That is the only story anybody should be covering, and there is no Other Side to it. Both Sides do not nominate Donald Trumps. Elite American political journalism is either unwilling or unable to accept the obvious truth of this...

BuzzFeed Exposes Secret Courts

The Secret Justice System That Lets Executives Escape Their Crimes - BuzzFeed News:

...When the US Congress votes on whether to give final approval to the sprawling Trans-Pacific Partnership, which President Barack Obama staunchly supports, it will be deciding on a massive expansion of ISDS. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton oppose the overall treaty, but they have focused mainly on what they say would be the loss of American jobs. Clinton’s running mate, Tim Kaine, has voiced concern about ISDS in particular, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren has lambasted it. Last year, members of both houses of Congress tried to keep it out of the Pacific trade deal. They failed...

Peter Daou Is Right

My Tweet on Gender Bias Against Hillary Created an Instant Firestorm | BNR:

Anyone who calls it out knows this: Sexism is the thing that shall not be named in 2016. I encountered that unspoken rule today...

As I have grown tired of pointing out for at least a decade, if you refer to SOS Clinton as "Hillary" and you are not personally friends with her, you are committing a form of genderism. Referring to people, especially women, by their first names only diminishes them. Skippy Bush used to give everyone little pet names and nicknames, another practice that diminishes the person while puffing up the namer. How often do you see tRump called Donald by the media? Almost never. You do occasionally still see "The Donald," which is a way of magnifying or empowering him to be larger than life. Maybe, everyone should just start calling Clinton "The Hillary." I think I will just stick with the polite form and name everyone by their highest title. Well, everyone I respect, tRump.

tRump Hangs With Drug Dealers

Trump biographer drops a bombshell on CNN — and exposes his cocaine-dealing crony:

Donald Trump biographer David Cay Johnston Saturday on CNN said that the Republican presidential candidate once protected a convicted felon who was charged with cocaine trafficking...

You could pick practically any sentence from the above post, say it was true about any Democratic candidate, and that candidate would never get elected. Republicans, apparently, not so much.

More On The AP Scam & Sham

Associated Press Becomes Latest To Get Burned Chasing Clinton 'Scandal' Stories:

...Note that the AP’s blunder has been part of a renewed media frenzy about the foundation and its supposedly crooked ways. The press has defended its hyper-attention under the guise of conflict-of-interest concerns about the Clinton charity and Hillary Clinton’s possible presidency. But if the press suddenly can’t sleep at night knowing conflicts of interest might be lurking, why has almost nobody in the media asked if the Trump Foundation is going to be “shut down” if Donald Trump is elected president? Why has the Beltway press been virtually silent about the obvious conflicts looming if Trump hands over his sprawling business enterprise to his sons while he serves as president?

Why is there always a separate, higher standard the Clintons have to meet? And why do news outlets like the Associated Press, and The New York Times, and ABC and CBS, routinely engage in dishonest endeavors in the name of chasing so-called Clinton scandals?

As Dylan Byers announced last year at Politico, the D.C. press seems “primed to take down Hillary Clinton.” The AP did nothing this week to disrupt that claim.

Imagine The Uproar

...if Cam Newton had done this.

NFL: Players are encouraged but not required to stand for national anthem | ProFootballTalk:

...“Players are encouraged but not required to stand during the playing of the National Anthem,” the NFL said in a statement issued Saturday, in response to the controversy that emerged when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick opted not to stand during the playing of the national anthem on Friday night in Santa Clara, prior to a game against the Packers...

Karma Makes Another Visit

Pastor Who Said Pulse Victims ‘Got What They Deserved’ Arrested For Child Molestation | Crooks and Liars

Clinton And Media Bias

Reporting Accurately On Clinton Seems Difficult For The Media:

...Maybe it’s time out of fairness amid the attacks on her by the media, people like Andrea Mitchell, mention her history. Maybe some of the story they tell about Hillary includes her fifty years of service. On a recent front page the Washington Post attacks Clinton again for raising money from the wealthy. Well maybe if the true story of Hillary’s life were told by the media she wouldn’t have to raise the fortunes needed to pay the cost of the media ads, which pay the salaries of those writers and talking heads, to get her story out.

Hillary will win despite the media just going along and repeating Trump’s attempt to portray her as this dark person only out for herself. The American people are smarter than that and understand there is absolutely no comparison between her and Donald Trump.

Evil Apple Gives To GOPers

Apple CEO Tim Cook Donated To Elect Republicans To Congress - BuzzFeed News:

Apple CEO Tim Cook and eight of the company’s top executives donated a combined $45,900 in June to a PAC that helps elect Republicans to Congress, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

While contributions to both Republican and Democratic leaders are commonplace among corporate figures, it illustrates a particular paradox for Apple executives, whose company boasts LGBT-friendly ideas while top employees also help finance a business-friendly political party that is adversarial to LGBT rights...

And yet the hipster community continues to feature the "cool Apple" product mantra and continues to stuff money in Apple's pockets for their latest unneeded overpriced product because... it's cool like voting for the black guy for president. (And yeah, I heard that more than once back in 08.)

Voter Fraud From tRump Campaign

Trump campaign chief Steve Bannon is registered voter at vacant Florida home | US news | The Guardian:

Donald Trump’s new presidential campaign chief is registered to vote in a key swing state at an empty house where he does not live, in an apparent breach of election laws.

Stephen Bannon, the chief executive of Trump’s election campaign, has an active voter registration at the house in Miami-Dade County, Florida, which is vacant and due to be demolished to make way for a new development...

NC's overcooked voter ID law is having some unintended consequences--- catching Republicans who claim FL residence to dodge NC taxes, even though they live in NC ten months of the year. For years, they have voted in both FL and NC but now some local poll watchers have taken to matching license plates with voter registrations, among other things, and some very angry rich white people have been turned away from the polls--- at least according to the rumor mill. I have no first hand knowledge but the story sounds plausible.

About The Willfully Ignorant

Those Who Slyly Call for Violence Own the Consequences:

...I do not know the answer to this question, but I no longer care. Whether it is an angry white man behind a podium in Wilmington, North Carolina, or an angry black man behind a megaphone in Wilmington, Delaware, if you summon violence, you own it. You are morally responsible for the harm that comes to pass.

And do not accuse me of trying to silence legitimate criticism. I have spent the better part of a long legal and academic career attacking the legal inequity and moral bankruptcy of the criminal justice system and the national security state. Some cases may be harder than others, but all but the willfully ignorant recognize the difference between a demand for change—even radical transformation—and a call to arms...

tRump Caught In Another Lie

Chicago Police Say No, Donald Trump Never Talked To Them | Crooks and Liars:

...On Tuesday, the 23rd, the Chicago Police Department refuted Trump's claims vehemently.

CPD spokesperson Frank Giancamilli said, "We've discredited this claim months ago. No one in the senior command at CPD has ever met with Donald Trump or a member of his campaign..."

Ho-hum. The media doesn't even bat an eye/

Good News In Higher Ed

U. of C. tells incoming freshmen it does not support 'trigger warnings' or 'safe spaces' - Chicago Tribune:

University of Chicago class of 2020, get ready for a college experience filled with debate, discussion — and possibly discomfort...

Without a draft, unfortunately, there are few places for a young person to go and learn to live life as it is--- not what we think is or want it to be. The recent overprotective silliness some universities have engaged in is not preparing the students for the real world. Kudos to UoC for trying to get back to reality.

A tRump Roast

Hillary Clinton Excoriates Donald Trump For Taking White Supremacy Mainstream:

Hillary Clinton said Thursday that Donald Trump is “taking hate groups mainstream,” allowing a “radical fringe” to take over the Republican Party.

Speaking at a rally in Reno, Nevada, Clinton focused on Trump’s divisive, racist comments, telling voters, “There’s no other Donald Trump. This is it...”

Today In Evil Apple Land

CEO Of Giant Corporation Tells US Government He's The Boss Of Them | Crooks and Liars:

Are We the People the boss of giant multinational corporations, or are they the boss of us?

Imagine, if you will, going to the IRS and saying, "I don't think the tax rate is fair so I'm not going to pay it." Regular Americans can't do that. But Apple just did...

Is It Just Me?

Tweet Storm Coming

Since an earthquake in Italy has pushed tRump from the center of attention, I predict a tweet storm will crash ashore late tonight. Among other things, it will explain how Obama caused the earthquake and point out where the Clinton murder victims are buried.

More On The Clinton Foundation Nothingburger

The AP’s big expose on Hillary meeting with Clinton Foundation donors is a mess - Vox:

...Here’s the bottom line: Serving as secretary of state while your husband raises millions of dollars for a charitable foundation that is also a vehicle for your family’s political ambitions really does create a lot of space for potential conflicts of interest. Journalists have, rightly, scrutinized the situation closely. And however many times they take a run at it, they don’t come up with anything more scandalous than the revelation that maybe billionaire philanthropists have an easier time getting the State Department to look into their visa problems than an ordinary person would...

The Vox report is perhaps the most thorough of all the reports on the Clinton Foundation.

AP's Deceptive Clinton Reporting

The following snippet illustrates the key point about all of the Clinton Foundation kerfluffle and coincidentally points out the incredibly biased and shoddy reporting done on the subject. The snippet is from Daily Kos via Blue Nation Review.

AP Under Fire for Shoddy Clinton Foundation Story | BNR:

...While pundits are tearing their clothes over an AP story showing almost 3% of meetings that Hillary Clinton held at the State Department involved people who had donated to the Clinton Foundation—so long as you extend the list to people who were involved in other charitable groups which donated to the foundation, and you limit your data to just a subset of Hillary’s time as Secretary of State. Which is frankly not shocking at all, no matter how much froth is produced over it. The Clinton Foundation hasn’t put one penny in the pockets of either Bill or Hillary Clinton. And extensive reviews haven’t found any evidence—any evidence—that it affected a single action at the State Department...

Trouble In Bernie Paradise

Bernie Sanders’s New Political Group Is Met by Staff Revolt - The New York Times:

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, his presidential campaign now behind him, will look to advance the movement he built during the Democratic primary race, with the public unveiling on Wednesday of a political organization focused on addressing economic inequality and taking on special interests...

No Actual Evidence Of Corruption In Latest Email Accusations

Clinton’s e-mail ‘scandals’ are pure fiction - The Boston Globe:

...The scandal here seems to be that people who gave money to the Clinton Foundation had e-mails sent to the Clinton State Department requesting favors that were repeatedly denied. Still, evidence has never been the key ingredient of a Clinton scandal. Optics and the appearance of scandal are always where the action has been.

The recent e-mail revelations “illustrate the way the Clintons’ international network of friends and donors was able to get access to Hillary Clinton and her inner circle” says the Post. All this adds “to the controversy” about “major donors” to the foundation getting “access to other power players,” says Politico. Or, as shown by the evidence, not getting access...

Defining Pay For Play

James Carville Debunks Smear That Clinton Foundation Donors Had Special Access To Hillary Clinton’s State Department
The following was snippet was taken from the comment thread at the link above.

Numbers_Wonk @ Greg Baldwin 2 hours ago

...One of my tech startups was hustled by a 2 star general who regularly appeared on FauxNoise. We were seeking a contract north of $30 million but less than $49 million, with possible follow-on maintenance contracts, with a tier 1 gov contract firm. We were advised to be "introduced" by said 2 star to prove our veracity in this technology space. But he wanted us to contract through his son's firm for $2 million of consulting. It was too slimy for words, especially because I had worked with the CEO of one of our main tier 2 suppliers in SiliconValley a decade earlier with whom we were going to partner. That is pay for play...

Sounds Like Actual Perjury

REVEALED: Melania Trump outright lied under oath about having a college degree:

...“I attended and graduated from design school, from fashion and Industrial Design School and also attended, graduated from architecture degree, bachelor degree,” she testified under oath.

As was revealed in July after Trump’s plagiarism scandal, that isn’t an accurate account of Trump’s educational background. She does not have an architecture degree, nor did she graduate with a bachelor’s degree...

Is Truth Making A Comeback?

Memo To News Media: Consumers Crave Truth, Not Balance | Crooks and Liars:

...This should serve as a warning to the rest of the squish journalists out there like Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd, Erin Burnett, and the Fox News crew: People aren't interested in hearing bothsiderist or one-sided bullshit they serve up and call "news."

People want truth. They don't want talking points, or "both sides do it." Donald Trump has broken all of the rules of party politics, and also the cable news formula. Some, like Stelter, Bolduan, Keilar and Reid have taken the cue, choosing to aggressively pursue truth-telling. Others are not.

To those who refuse to pay attention, beware. Consumers have moved on from the political pablum you serve. Only those who are bold enough to speak truth to the professional liars will survive.

Crazy In NC: GOPer Foot Shooting Edition

Smoking Gun Memo Could Bolster Voting Rights Case Against North Carolina:

North Carolina's Republican Party has had an interesting response to a recent appeals court ruling that said a number of voting restrictions passed by the state's GOP legislature were enacted with the intent to discriminate against minorities, specifically African Americans. In their scramble after the ruling, party operatives and local Republican officials have perhaps inadvertently provided more evidence that the restrictions were passed with the intent to discriminate...

GOPers Sinking In NC

Senate Sunday: North Carolina Might Turn Blue, Without Even Holding Its Breath:

Here’s what’s fun about this crazy election year: You normally wouldn’t think of North Carolina as a state where both the presidential and Senate races are competitive for Democrats, but here we are in August and Hillary Clinton’s leading in most polls, and in the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, two-term Republican incumbent Senator Richard Burr (no relation to Aaron or Raymond) is down by two points to his Democratic challenger, former state Rep. Deborah Ross...

The Definitive Hannity Attack List

Hannity v. The World: Here Are The People Sean Hannity Has Attacked To Defend Trump (So Far):

Fox News host Sean Hannity is one of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s most devout defenders in right-wing media. Since Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015, Hannity has attacked anyone that criticized Trump, including those in right-wing media, politicians, and even the Pope...

Good News From The tRump Campaign

Inside the fall of Paul Manafort - POLITICO:

...The week of personnel upheaval has left an aura of uncertainty looming over Trump’s White House bid, even at its upper levels, said multiple sources around the campaign.

As of noon Friday, Trump’s senior-level staff had not had a conference call, said the operative who has worked with the campaign.

“It’s complete chaos,” the operative said. “No one is in charge.”

No tRump For This CEO

I have always voted Republican for US president. Not this year | GulfNews.com:

...Many of my fellow chief executives will question my decision to speak out. My choice is grounded in the Midwest values that I learned from my parents and grandparents. I hope and believe that one day, my grandchildren will be proud that I stood up to speak out about what is right for America. Ultimately, the greatest duty of Americans to their country is to put their future, and their children’s future, above partisan politics.

— Washington Post

Daniel Akerson was chairman and chief executive of General Motors from 2010 to 2014 and was vice-chairman and special adviser to the board of directors for the Carlyle Group from 2014 to 2016.

GOPers Begin Leaking

The Rats Takes The Bait...and Run With It | Crooks and Liars:

...Less than 48 hours after the FBI turned over the Clinton investigation material to Congress, the first major leak found its way to the press. Supposedly, it was Colin Powell who recommended that Clinton use a private email system, according to the unnamed sources (otherwise known as Congressional members with access to the FBI material that they promised, cross their little hearts, that they wouldn't release to the media)...

Note that Clinton herself never mentioned Powell's recommendation, though that would have surely taken some of the heat off her.

tRump Locks Are Unlocking

New Analysis: Even South Carolina And Kansas Aren't Sure Bets For Trump:

A new Electoral College analysis by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics reveals that the map is only growing for Hillary Clinton and even South Carolina and Kansas have moved from "safe Republican" to "likely Republican."

"By the way, we’re lowering Kansas and South Carolina from Safe Republican to Likely Republican after recent closer-than-expected surveys surfaced," authors and political scientists Larry Sabato, Kyle Kondik and Geoffrey Skelley wrote...

A Little Known Bill Clinton Fact

The snippet is an excerpt of a letter available at Crooks & Liars.

Gold Star Dad Tells Trump To Put Up Or Shut Up | Crooks and Liars:

...You might be thinking- Well Bill Clinton got deferments –Yes, he did and while he was President- he didn’t Start any wars- 1 soldier died in Combat and 75 died in Terrorist attacks- Carter- Reagan-Ford- HW Bush- GW Bush- Obama all had more soldier’s killed in Combat than him- He has the least amount of soldiers killed in actual Combat since Roosevelt as far as I can research...

On Being tRump

'Let Trump be Trump'? Who else could he be? - Chicago Tribune:

Of all the political pundit-grown gobbledygook flying around this election year, wishful musings about an upcoming Donald Trump "pivot" were perhaps the most persistent. Ah, the mythical pivot — you know, that magical moment, always just around the corner, where Trump stops being The Donald and transforms into Jack Kemp, Mr. Miyagi from "Karate Kid" or maybe even Fred Astaire, complete with tuxedo and tap-dancing skills...

Lying Corporate Liars Lying

Did Aetna Retaliate Against the Obama Administration by Threatening Consumers? | BNR:

...Aetna claims they are withdrawing because they have lost $430 million on the exchanges, but this claim doesn’t add up. First of all, Aetna posted a 38% profit increase in their most recent quarterly figures, even factoring in ACA plans that aren’t turning a profit, and just this month, they beat projected earnings by 4%. Second of all, just three months ago, Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini announced plans to participate in five more exchanges starting in 2017. So, why the sudden reversal?...

Old Ads Haunt tRump

Senator praises ‘law and order’ Trump for demanding death penalty for innocent teens:

...Sessions was referring to an ad Trump took out in the New York Times over 20 years ago, with a bold headline reading “Bring the death penalty back!” aimed at the five young black and Hispanic men who were accused of raping a white woman who came to be known as the “Central Park jogger.”

All of the young men were later exonerated by the city of New York after serving time in prison, and were recipients of a payout in the millions for their wrongful conviction...

Good News For Law Enforcement Community

Justice Department says it will end use of private prisons - The Washington Post:

The Justice Department plans to end its use of private prisons after officials concluded the facilities are both less safe and less effective at providing correctional services than those run by the government...

Senators Ask For Russia Hearings

Press Release | Press Releases | News | U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island:

U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, Agency Action, Federal Rights and Federal Courts, to hold a hearing to determine whether existing federal criminal statutes and federal court jurisdiction are sufficient to address conduct related to foreign entities attempting to undermine our elections...

Clinton Assassins Not At Large

Welll, it looks like it's Snopes Day here at Mad In The Middle, but what the heck. For those "Killery" buffs who infest every comment thread, here's the lowdown: 4th Mysterious Death Connected to the DNC : snopes.com:

The evidence-free, conspiracy theory linking of unrelated deaths into a large-scale nebulous political plot involving the Clintons continues unabated...

Voter Fraud Argument Stick

For everyone who has to engage this nonsense on a daily basis. 2012 Voter Fraud : snopes.com:

A list of instances supposedly proving voter fraud in the 2012 U.S. presidential election only demonstrates that some people are really bad at math...

tRump's Titanic Deck Chairs

Clinton super PAC adviser dismisses Trump reshuffle: 'It's the candidate, stupid’ - POLITICO:

...Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol echoed some of Begala's sentiment in an interview on MSNBC Wednesday morning, saying: "I don’t think it matters because the problem is Donald Trump. You know, his unfavorable rating has been consistently too high to win a presidential election. Hillary Clinton’s, you would normally say is too high, but it’s about 10 points lower than Trump’s. And that’s what it’s about."

Comment Of The Day: Russkie tRump Edition

National Security Briefings for Trump should be suspended | The Confluence: William, on August 15, 2016 at 2:57 pm said:

This is “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” and worse. The misdirection is the email nonsense. The blaming of Hillary for various world events, while right under our eyes, the Russians are trying to take over our government. Murdoch involved with Russia in some way, as well. Maybe Stone and Judicial Watch. Assange, obviously. A global web designed to defeat Hillary, and install a Russian puppet in the Presidency. And where are the Woodwards and Bernsteins of today? Those two have long since succumbed to the lure of substituting the hatred of Hillary for responsible journalism;; while the cable media itself is either absymally inept, deliberately out to get Hillary at all costs, or part of the actual conspiracy.

tRump The Evil

What Sort of Man Is Donald Trump? - The New Yorker:

...The article contained some interesting stuff about the young Donald Trump. And, buried toward the end, it also referred to an incident that says something about the adult Trump, what sort of a person he is, and what kind of President he might be. In 2000, during a family dispute about the details of his father’s will, Trump, who was by then fabulously wealthy in his own right, cut off benefits from the family health plan that were paying for the medical care of his nephew’s seriously ill young son...

Rounding Up Muslims

This idea has the odious smell of old road kill. Haven't we been there and done that and ended up ashamed of being such pissy cowards and callous human beings?

Betsy 'Death Panels' McCaughey Floats Muslim Internment Camps On CNN | Crooks and Liars:

Betsy McCaughey, a surrogate for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, suggested World War II-style internment camps for Muslim refugees on Tuesday because she said that American women were being exposed to "gang rapes..."

All About Terror

Is Terrorism Getting Worse? In the West, Yes. In the World, No. - The New York Times:

If it feels as if terrorism deaths are rising in the West, it’s because they are. Yet the numbers remain relatively small, and globally, deaths from terrorism appear to be declining, not rising...

This article contains a plethora of interesting facts about terrorism and once again obliquely points at our own home-grown terrorists and the merchants of fear pumping out paranoia 24/7 on hate radio and Fox News.

Ebola Begets tRump Twitter Twats

How Russia's New Defense Doctrine Is Like Fox News:

...All of this is what brings us to Russia's dramatically expanded reliance not only on cyber-warfare but also disruption campaigns and psy-ops style operations. All great powers have always done this to a degree. But they've become central for Russia, not just a playing at the margins with the intelligence agencies and covert operations but at the forefront of defense strategy. If you haven't read it, you simply must this year old article by Adrian Chen on 'The Agency.' It is a truly fascinating, bewildering story of an agency in St Petersburg, Russia, part of the Russian military intelligence complex dedicated to spreading rumors, disinformation and trolling across the Internet, particularly in Europe and the United States. It ranges from planting random rumors in the US - an Ebola outbreak, a refinery natural disaster - to weird Twitter trolling you wouldn't imagine a great power would have any focus on. Some of it sounds less threatening than simply bizarre. In a recent interview Chen noted that a list of Russian controlled twitter accounts responsible for spreading false rumors about Ebola outbreaks in the US have now transformed into "Trump supporter" accounts. Think about that...

Obama Wins

The GOP tried to sink Obama. Instead, the party imploded | Richard Wolffe | Opinion | The Guardian:

...If your political priorities are the total defeat of a single politician – not the advancement of your own policies through debate or legislation – then you are already in pretty desperate shape. You render it impossible to compromise with your opponents, and you fan the flames of extremism that will burn anyone in the center.


You also look weak and foolish when you lose, surrendering the stage to someone who can vilify his opponents better than you. So don’t look dazed and confused at Donald Trump when he runs your playbook more convincingly than your own team. It’s too late to fret about endorsing his kooky positions – like deporting millions of undocumented immigrants, treating all Muslims as enemies and blowing up the deficit – when they are only logical extensions of your own...

Follow The Money: tRump / Manafort Edition

The Daily 202: Can Trump chairman Paul Manafort survive new Ukraine revelations? - The Washington Post:

...“Handwritten ledgers show $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments designated for Mr. Manafort from (Viktor) Yanukovych’s pro-Russian political party from 2007 to 2012, according to Ukraine’s newly formed National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Investigators assert that the disbursements were part of an illegal off-the-books system whose recipients also included election officials,” Andrew E. Kramer, Mike McIntire and Barry Meier report from Kiev. “In addition, criminal prosecutors are investigating a group of offshore shell companies that helped members of Mr. Yanukovych’s inner circle finance their lavish lifestyles … Among the hundreds of murky transactions these companies engaged in was an $18 million deal to sell Ukrainian cable television assets to a partnership put together by Mr. Manafort and a Russian oligarch, Oleg Deripaska, a close ally of President Vladimir V. Putin...”

Clinton Winning The Young

Young voters flee Donald Trump in what may be historic trouncing, poll shows:

...The survey shows Clinton trouncing Trump 56%-20% among those under 35, though she has failed so far to generate the levels of enthusiasm Sanders did — and the high turn-out that can signal — among Millennials...

I don't know--- getting millions of votes seems to make supporters sound enthusiastic to me.

From The It Would Irresponsible Not To Speculate Department

Many People Are Saying Donald Trump Donated to NAMBLA

More Donald Delusion

Trump: I'd be up by 20% on Hillary if not for 'disgusting' media - NY Daily News: CLOUGHLIN/REUTERS)
BY Adam Edelman NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, August 14, 2016, 12:19 PM

Donald Trump isn’t even in the Oval Office, but he’s already declared war — on the media.

The stumbling 70-year-old GOP nominee took to his favorite micro-blogging platform Sunday morning to levy a barrage of insults at The New york Times, calling a Sunday report in “The Gray Lady” that detailed widespread dysfunction inside the mogul’s campaign “fiction.”

“If the disgusting and corrupt media covered me honestly … I would be beating Hillary by 20%,” Trump contended in one of many angry tweets.

In just the latest report to indicate ongoing infighting and a lack of consistent messaging inside the Trump campaign, The Times reported Sunday that a “sullen and erratic” Trump often “veers from barking at members of his staff to grumbling about how he was better off following his own instincts during the primaries...”

Really, Donald

If tRump thinks the only way he will lose Pennsylvania is through voter fraud, then he hasn't been paying attention. Hit yourself in the head with a hammer if you think he has been paying attention; shoot your foot if you think he cares. RealClearPolitics - Election 2016 - Pennsylvania: Trump vs. Clinton

All GOPers Are Con Men

Pieces of Silver - The New York Times:

By now, it’s obvious to everyone with open eyes that Donald Trump is an ignorant, wildly dishonest, erratic, immature, bullying egomaniac. On the other hand, he’s a terrible person. But despite some high-profile defections, most senior figures in the Republican Party — very much including Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House, and Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader — are still supporting him, threats of violence and all. Why?

One answer is that these were never men and women of principle. I know that many in the news media are still determined to portray Mr. Ryan, in particular, as an honest man serious about policy, but his actual policy proposals have always been transparent con jobs...

Floundering On The Cross: "Christians" Who Support tRump

'Moral Sewage': Trump The Opposite Of Christianity | Crooks and Liars:

 ...If Democrats win big, it will be because of Trump’s “reality television moral sewage.” This man who is in every way the opposite of Jesus’ teachings is making a mockery of so-called Christians like Falwell. But apparently hypocrisy runs in the family -- in the 1990s, Falwell, Sr. accused the Clintons of murdering dozens of people, a claim for which there was not even a shred of proof. Jesus would probably be comparing these kinds of hypocrites to the Pharisees of his day.

The irony here is that Hillary, in stark contrast to Trump, is a Midwestern Methodist to her core, just like she was raised. My Methodist minister at the church I grew up in reminded me recently of when I introduced him to Hillary, and the two of them talked about the theology of the Methodist church. Hillary firmly believes in the Methodist social gospel, exemplified in that quote from the Methodist Church’s founder, John Wesley, that she mentioned in her convention speech: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can...”

On the first hand, I love it when karma pays a visit to anyone richly deserving of said visit. On the other hand, I feel for the true Christians, and I do mean the real ones, who, wedded by faith or family to the GOPer tribe, are now writhing on a cross of their construction because they are bound by tribalism to support the Devil, whom they recognize as orange evil, but their hearts are telling them to get down off the cross and support the only Christian candidate, Hillary Clinton. It is painful to hear their cries and moans on Facebook as they contort into knots justifying each other's support for the silver spoon anti-Christ.

Do The Russians Own tRump?

Trump’s unreleased tax returns could be hiding a monstrous amount of foreign debt:

...Of course, many have speculated for months that his obfuscating is because he has much less money than he claims; some have suggested that the returns would reveal that Trump is a complete chiseler when it comes to contributing to charity.

But like others, I believe that what’s in those documents would reveal how deeply in hock Trump is to overseas investors, especially the Russian oligarchs. How could we have a president with hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign debt? How effectively could Trump engage as a leader of the United States when he personally owes other countries’ financiers a fortune? This is almost as frightening as the prospect of Trump waking up in a cranky pants mood and eighty-sixing the planet. Almost...

Russians Attacking Democrats Last Year

Exclusive: Congressional leaders were briefed a year ago on hacking of Democrats - sources | Reuters:

U.S. intelligence officials told top congressional leaders a year ago that Russian hackers were attacking the Democratic Party, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, but the lawmakers were unable to tell the targets about the hacking because the information was so secret.

The disclosure of the Top Secret information would have revealed that U.S. intelligence agencies were continuing to monitor the hacking, as well as the sensitive intelligence sources and the methods they were using to do it...

The Rabining Of Clinton

Trump’s Wink Wink to ‘Second Amendment People’ - The New York Times:

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin got assassinated...

Calling Out Media CDS

OPEN LETTER TO THE MEDIA: In the Name of Decency, Stop Tipping the Scale for Trump | BNR:

 Several independent studies have confirmed what is intuitively obvious: Hillary Clinton receives more negative press coverage than Donald Trump. The national media seem stumped by Trump, seeking false “balance” (and clicks) out of deference to his voters. Yet somehow, that deference is absent in Hillary’s case; she and her voters are maligned and marginalized at every turn. This open letter proposes a solution to the imbalanced coverage...

On Globalization

New York Times' Thomas Friedman Goes to the Wall - Rolling Stone:

...The problem is that the major parties in the United States in particular seem almost totally disinterested in addressing the inequities of globalism. That’s because conventional wisdom is still stuck in the Friedman stage of telling people that if they’re troubled by the global economy, they’re just afraid of the future.

Because the Murphy's Law tendency of American politics demands that we draw every conceivable wrong lesson from an event before accidentally stumbling in the direction of progress, the twin revolts in the 2016 presidential race will surely be misinterpreted for a good long while by the Friedmans of the world.

They won't see the anti-establishment backlash as a reason to re-examine the impact of globalism on ordinary people. Instead, as Friedman puts it, they'll see an opportunity to build a single ruling coalition of "center-left Web People" (what a creepy image!) who will dominate the next generation of American politics:

Research Reefer Increasing

Obama Administration Set to Remove Barrier to Marijuana Research - The New York Times:

The Obama administration is planning to remove a major roadblock to marijuana research, officials said Wednesday, potentially spurring broad scientific study of a drug that is being used to treat dozens of diseases in states across the nation despite little rigorous evidence of its effectiveness.

The new policy is expected to sharply increase the supply of marijuana available to researchers.

And in taking this step, the Obama administration is further relaxing the nation’s stance on marijuana. President Obama has said he views it as no more dangerous than alcohol, and the Justice Department has not stood in the way of states that have legalized the drug...

Interpreting The Latest Benghazi Nonsense

Is Sean Smith Responsible for the Deaths at Benghazi? | Corrente:

...Bottom line --- Patricia Smith is a woman who has been driven mad by a combination of grief, right wing media propaganda, and the willingness of people like Donald Trump to exploit her regardless of the damage it does to her.

Her son Sean wasn't responsible for Benghazi, but neither was Hillary Clinton.

tRump's Death Threat In Wilmington...

... was launched in a city used to such things. A commenter in the post below pointed out the history of  the city. It is worth looking at closer, since it is an indictment of the racist past of both the Democratic party and the South of Reconstruction, but it can generate some hope, since we live in racial harmony, compared to 1890, today. The Democratic Party changed from the party of hate, but the Republican party of 1890 has morphed into the Democratic Party of 1890. Still, there is hope from history, but in order to appreciate it, you need to understand it. The following Wikipedia article is thorough, but I won't vouch for its absolute accuracy. 

Wilmington insurrection of 1898 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Wilmington coup d'etat of 1898, also known as the Wilmington massacre of 1898 or the Wilmington race riot of 1898, began in Wilmington, North Carolina on November 10, 1898 and continued for several days...

Warren Tweaks tRump

Donald Trump Suggests ‘Second Amendment People’ Could Act Against Hillary Clinton - The New York Times:

...Others seized on Mr. Trump’s remark as an occasion for mockery. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts, wrote on Twitter that Mr. Trump “makes death threats because he’s a pathetic coward who can’t handle the fact that he’s losing to a girl...”

tRump Skating On Threat

Ex-NSA Head: Others Would Be Detained Over Trump's '2nd Amendment' Line:

Michael Hayden, the ex-director of the National Security Agency and former head of the CIA, criticized Donald Trump on Tuesday for saying that "Second Amendment people" could stop Hillary from nominating Supreme Court justices. If someone "outside of the hall" said the same thing, Hayden argued, that person would "be in the back of a police wagon now, with the Secret Service questioning him..."

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Kill 'Em

Trump hints at assassination of Hillary Clinton by gun rights supporters | US news | The Guardian:

Donald Trump has hinted at the assassination of Hillary Clinton by supporters of gun rights.

The Republican nominee was speaking at a rally in Wilmington, North Carolina, about the next president’s power to appoint supreme court justices. “If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks,” he said, adding: “Although the second amendment people – maybe there is, I don’t know...”

You Knew This Was Coming

Trump wavers on debates: ‘I have to see the conditions’ - POLITICO:

Donald Trump wants to debate Hillary Clinton “very badly,” but the Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday said he has “to see the conditions” before fully committing to it...

Collins Won't Support tRump

GOP senator Susan Collins: Why I cannot support Trump - The Washington Post:

I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country...

tRump Campaign: Let's Try This!

No More Mister Nice Blog: I'M RUBBER YOU'RE GLUE: TRUMP TRIES TO PAINT HILLARY AS UNFIT -- WITH HELP FROM HIS FRIENDS:

...But as Weigel notes, it isn't just Trump who's doing this -- it's Trump's fanbase in the right-wing media as well. Weigel cautiously says that Trump's personal attacks on Clinton along these lines took place "at the same time" as the wingnuttosphere's attacks. Do you believe that's a coincidence?

I don't think I'm making a large leap of faith when I say that word clearly went out from Team Trump to sympathetic conservative media outlets that it was time to dredge up all the rumors about Clinton's health. I don't believe it was spontaneous...

HWGA: GOPer Child Molestation

Former GOP chief in Georgia indicted on 13 counts of child molestation for 55 years of abuse:

Former Republican Party chair for Cobb County, Joseph Russell Dendy, has been indicted by a grand jury on 13 counts of child molestation...

Don't Waste Your Vote

A plea to fellow millennials: Bust isn’t an option in this election - The Boston Globe:

...I’m not a blind Clinton lover. In the California primary, I voted for Bernie. Like you, I am young, engaged, idealistic, and want to see America try new economic policies, develop strong foreign policy ideas, and be the world’s leader in progressive social change. And today, it’s simply wrong not to support Hillary. Here’s why.

First, you have to understand that you have two choices in this election: Clinton or Trump. Not Stein, not Johnson, not any other independent candidate. Yes, you could send a message to the Democrats to clean up their act by backing a third-party candidate. Yes, you could stick to your belief that the United States should have more than two viable parties...

Ailes And His Agents

Ailes Used Fox Budget to Finance Campaigns Against Enemies:

...Targets of the campaigns included journalists John Cook and Hamilton Nolan, who have aggressively covered Ailes for Gawker. According to one source, private detectives followed Cook around his Brooklyn neighborhood and Fox operatives prepared a report on him with information they intended to leak to blogs. (According to the source, one proposed line of attack claimed that Cook — whose wife, Slate news director Allison Benedikt, is Jewish — was anti-Semitic.) “I’m honored to be among Roger Ailes’s enemies,” Cook said...

Is This tRump's Dead Zone Moment?

Remember the movie? Remember the candidate grabbing up the little girl to shield himself? Yep. Click on the link to see the video.

BUZZING: Trump Flinches, Hillary Stays Cool When Their Podium Is Rushed | BNR:

If a half-minute video could summarize an entire presidential election, this is definitely it. With 600,000 Facebook views in less than 24 hours, this side by side comparison of Hillary and Donald reacting to danger is worth watching — and sharing....

The Daily Flashback: Lying North Edition

Oliver 'Iran-Contra' North Says Obama Gives Iran 'Whatever They Want'? | Crooks and Liars:

...Oliver North is such a liar. And the biggest lie he tells here is that somehow his completely illegal covert operations against the will of the Congress is just "a matter of opinion" that "people" decided. No, Oliver North, you were fired from the National Security Administration for what you did. The only reason you didn't go to prison is, the judge in your case decided to be lenient:

Mr. North, the former Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and National Security Council aide, was convicted of destroying documents, accepting the gift of a $13,800 home security system and abetting the obstruction of Congress. Judge Gesell could have imposed a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and fines of $750,000. Instead, he imposed a $150,000 fine, two years of probation, a three-year suspended sentence and an order to perform 1,200 hours of community service...

Absolutely, A Thousand Times No Right Turn

No Right Turn - The New York Times:

...But at least some commentators are calling on her to do something very different — to make a right turn, moving the Democratic agenda toward the preferences of those fleeing the sinking Republican ship. The idea, I guess, is to offer to create an American version of a European-style grand coalition of the center-left and the center-right.

I don’t think there’s much prospect that Mrs. Clinton will actually do that. But if by any chance she and those around her are tempted to take this recommendation seriously: Don’t...

If personal experience were not enough, Clinton ought to look at Obama's first term to understand what trying to work with Republicans will get you: less than nothing.

Hmmmm. Melania's Immigaration "Issue"

Questions raised about Melania's marriage history - Univision:

In an interview with Larry King Live in 2005 Melania Trump said that she had never been married before meeting Donald Trump.

But, Michael Wildes, an immigration attorney who worked for the Trump Organization, told Univision's investigative unit that she obtained a green card four years earlier in 2001, “based on marriage.”

Melania and Donald Trump were not married until Jan. 22, 2005 at Bethesda-by-the Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, Florida.

When asked to explain the marriage discrepancy, Wildes said he would seek clarification, presumably from the Trump Organization. He later sent an email saying “I didn’t hear back, sorry...”

Spooky Clinton Endorsement

In endorsing Clinton, ex-CIA chief says Putin made Trump his ‘unwitting agent’ - The Washington Post:

Former CIA director Michael Morell endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and blasted GOP rival Donald Trump, accusing him of becoming an unwitting agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin in an op-ed on Friday...

The Daily Flashback: Secret Iran Deals Edition

The Iran-Contra Affair 20 Years On:

Washington D.C., November 24, 2006 - On November 25, 1986, the biggest political and constitutional scandal since Watergate exploded in Washington when President Ronald Reagan told a packed White House news conference that funds derived from covert arms deals with the Islamic Republic of Iran had been diverted to buy weapons for the U.S.-backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

In the weeks leading up to this shocking admission, news reports had exposed the U.S. role in both the Iran deals and the secret support for the Contras, but Reagan's announcement, in which he named two subordinates -- National Security Advisor John M. Poindexter and NSC staffer Oliver L. North -- as the responsible parties, was the first to link the two operations...

Clinton Snagging GOP Votes

Clinton jumps to big lead over Trump in Michigan poll:

...The poll contains many troubling signs for Trump’s White House campaign, including a “shocking” lead for Clinton in the Republican strongholds of west and southwest Michigan, pollster Richard Czuba said...

On The tRumper Dumper Fire

For America’s sake, Donald Trump, drop out of the race now | The Charlotte Observer:

Donald Trump’s campaign is on fire.

Not in the Stephen Curry “watch me sink 10 straight long-range jumpshots” sense. More like the “raging dumpster fire behind an abandoned Wal Mart in the middle of nowhere” sense.

So far this week, he has fought the parents of a Muslim American war hero, suggested women facing sexual harassment should just find another job, doubled down on appeasing Russia in Crimea, and refused to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain. For extra credit, he kicked a crying baby out of his rally...

No. No. No. Donald, please stay in the race, even if it proves my mid-March prediction wrong.

All About Stein And Student Debt

Jill Stein is not the savior the left is looking for.:

...This, it should be noted, is not a very progressive idea, despite its popularity among the collegiate left. A disproportionate amount of student debt is held by comfortably paid professionals who went to private colleges or graduate school. Forgiving their loans in a mass jubilee would not be the greatest use of limited resources if you're interested in fighting inequality. But forget all that for the moment...

Stein Not The One

Jill Stein is not the savior the left is looking for.:

...Which is a pity. Because even by the standards of protest candidates, Stein—whose press team did not respond to an interview request—is an absolutely awful torchbearer for the far left. She's a Harvard-trained physician who panders to pseudoscience. She mangles pet policy issues. And her cynical retelling of the past eight years has nothing to do with the reality of recorded history...

Clinton Up By 10 According To Fox

New Fox News Poll Has Clinton Up By Double Digits | Crooks and Liars:

The latest Fox News poll has very, very bad news for Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton leads, 49% to 39%, which is a 3-point leap from the last poll....

Lies From 1996 Redux

WOW: This 1996 Hillary 'Honesty' Clip Is an Eerie Preview of 2016 | BNR:

...The national media, however, are singularly focused on presenting a distorted caricature of Hillary. What they fail to admit is that in asking questions about Hillary’s honesty with such singular focus, they are creating the very misperceptions they’re reporting on. It’s a vicious loop that they exploit with unnerving skill.

One of my missions in 2016 has been to expose the process by which mainstream reporters and pundits do the GOP’s bidding and promote the “Hillary liar” myth simply by asking the question enough times.

The CNN clip above shows they’ve been at it for decades.

More Cops Killed By Rightist Loons Than Any Other Group

Don't ‘Blue Lives Matter’ When White Sovereign Citizens Murder Police Officers? | Crooks and Liars:

...All of this stands in stark contrast to media and public response to the single greatest threat to the lives and well-being of police officers in the United States over the past decade and longer: the sovereign citizens movement...

GOP Freaking

GOP reaches ‘new level of panic’ over Trump’s candidacy - The Washington Post:

The Republican Party was in turmoil again Wednesday as party leaders, strategists and donors voiced increasing alarm about the flailing state of Donald Trump’s candidacy and fears that the presidential nominee was damaging the party with an extraordinary week of self-inflicted mistakes, gratuitous attacks and missed opportunities...

Comment Of The Day: Assange tRump Edition

Runaway Trump Train Picks Up Speed As Aides Can't Grab The Controls

Daniel Jay 

Great. Julian Assange.. once an equal opportunity 'leaker'.. now has a personal vendetta against Hillary Clinton that is more important to him than what he once stood for, transparency. I used to respect the guy.. and what Wikileaks did.. now that he's coming after Hillary from a place of self vindication... he's no better than Trump or Putin.. its not about what's right.. its become personal. So sad. I thought Assange was better than that. He said he's about stopping war.. yet Trump is the biggest threat to the world stage than just about anyone... yet he's willing to risk that for personal vindication.

Trump Heading For Derp Spiral

Paul Krugman predicts a ‘derp spiral’ when Trump realizes he’s likely to lose:

Nobel Prize-winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman coined the phrase “derp spiral” on Tuesday in preparation for Donald Trump’s behavior once he decides he will likely lose the election in November...

Whitman Going For Clinton

Meg Whitman, Calling Donald Trump a ‘Demagogue,’ Will Support Hillary Clinton for President - The New York Times:

Meg Whitman, a Hewlett Packard executive and Republican fund-raiser, said Tuesday that she would support Hillary Clinton for president and give a “substantial” contribution to her campaign in order to stop Donald J. Trump, whom she berated as a threat to American democracy.

“I will vote for Hillary, I will talk to my Republican friends about helping her, and I will donate to her campaign and try to raise money for her,” Ms. Whitman said in a telephone interview.

She revealed that Mrs. Clinton, the Democratic nominee, had reached out to her in a phone call about a month ago, one of the first indications that Mrs. Clinton is aggressively courting Republican leaders. While acknowledging she diverged from Mrs. Clinton on many policy issues, Ms. Whitman said it was time for Republicans “to put country first before party...”

tRump Digging In The Hole

10-Year Old Child Yells 'Take That Bitch Down' At Trump Rally | Crooks and Liars:

At Donald Trump's rally in Ashburn, Virginia today, things happened that I would never imagine happening during a general election. He booted a baby, accepted someone's purple heart, and then this happened:...

Could This Finally Be The End Of Emailgate?

Hillary Clinton Did NOT Lie About Her Emails:

Contrary to the furious spin from Hillary Clinton’s adversaries in the media and Republican Party, FBI Director James Comey did not undercut Hillary’s truthfulness on her State Department emails. In fact, his statement and testimony affirm that Hillary has been honest about the email issue from day one...

tRump Attacking GOPers!

Trump refuses to support Paul Ryan, John McCain in upcoming Republican primaries - The Washington Post:

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is refusing to back House Speaker Paul D. Ryan in his upcoming primary election, saying in an interview Tuesday that he is “not quite there yet” in endorsing his party’s top-ranking elected official.

Trump also said he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he singled out Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire, a state whose presidential primary Trump won handily...

First Elected GOPer Jumps Ship

Richard Hanna Becomes First Republican Congressman To Say He'll Vote For Hillary Clinton:

Retiring Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) on Tuesday announced he will vote for Hillary Clinton in November because Donald Trump is “unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country.”

The three-term congressman, who represents New York’s 22nd Congressional District, is the first Republican member of Congress to announce he will vote for the former secretary of state. He previously said he could never support the GOP nominee, putting him among several conservative and establishment holdouts known as the #NeverTrump movement...

The Daily Flashback: The Start Of Post-Modern GOPerism Edition

driftglass: Like A Virgin:

Once upon a time, there was a President named Bill Clinton, who was, by most historical standards, a typical Centrist Republican, although by a fluke of geography and circumstances he ran for public office with a "(D)" after his name.

Under his Administration, many Conservative ideas which had long gathered dust on the shelf -- ideas such as welfare reform, a balanced budget, debt reduction, a strict “Pay as You Go” fiscal regime, jobs-jobs-jobs, budget surpluses, NAFTA, GATT, official bans on gay marriage, etc. -- were finally realized...

All About Stein

What Jill Stein, the Green presidential candidate, wants to do to America - The Washington Post:

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein made news last week with skeptical comments about vaccines, saying that the agencies that regulate them lack public confidence because they are influenced by corporate lobbyists...

Top Bushie Bradshaw Quits GOP

Top Jeb Bush adviser leaves GOP, will vote for Clinton if Florida close - CNNPolitics.com:

..."If the race in Florida is close, I will vote for Hillary Clinton," she said. "That is a very difficult statement for me to make. I disagree with her on several important issues. I have worked to elect Republicans to national and statewide offices for the last 30 years. I have never voted for a Democrat for president, and I consider myself a conservative, a supporter of limited government, gun rights, free enterprise, equality of opportunity. I am pro-life. There are no other candidates who were serious contenders for the nomination that I would not have supported.
"But," she said, "we are at a crossroads and have nominated a total narcissist -- a misogynist -- a bigot. This is a time when country has to take priority over political parties. Donald Trump cannot be elected president..."

O Fights Back Against GOPer Military Criticism

Obama goes after Trump: 'I'm tired of folks trash-talking America's military' | US news | The Guardian:

 ...At the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, Obama continued, he was “humbled” to be introduced by Sharon Belkofer, whose son, Tom, a lieutenant-colonel in the army, died in Afghanistan. She got a laugh by beginning: “You’re all probably wondering: who the heck is this sweet little old lady?”

Obama said carefully and with emphasis: “I requested Sharon introduce me because I understood that our gold star families have made a sacrifice that most of us cannot even begin to imagine. They represent the very best of our country. They continue to inspire us every day, every moment. They serve as a powerful reminder of the true strength of America. We have to do everything we can for those families and honour them and be humbled by them...”

About That Debate Schedule

Debate commission: Democrats didn't rig debate schedule | The Charlotte Observer:

The Commission on Presidential Debates rejected Republican Donald Trump's claim that Democrats rigged the debate schedule so that two of the three debates would occur during football games...

More Email Nothingburgers

Trying to make a political scandal out of hot air is tricky at best, and this "scandal" has settled into the nether zones of background fog. I'm not sure how high I would rate this one on the "Much Ado About Nothing Scale," but it ranks right up there with Benghazi and Emailgate.

Here are the latest, most damaging things in the DNC’s leaked emails - The Washington Post:

...Many of the most damaging emails suggest the committee was actively trying to undermine Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign. Basically all of these examples came late in the primary -- after Hillary Clinton was clearly headed for victory -- but they belie the national party committee's stated neutrality in the race even at that late stage...

On Not Playing The Woman Card

Behind Hillary’s Mask - The New York Times:

...When the campaign was over, Clinton was in fact elected the first woman senator from New York, although she says she was “too busy learning about dairy compacts and watersheds” to think much about the feminist-history angle. Even when she ran for president in 2008, she didn’t usually make it a specific campaign theme. But gender was on her mind. She frequently told audiences that her mother had been born before women had the right to vote. And when her chances of winning got increasingly slim, she’d complain, in private, that some Obama people seemed to think she was going to automatically get out of the way and defer to what the guys wanted. “I’m not going to tell my daughter, ‘Oh, I quit, because I’m the girl and they’re all being mean to me,’ ” she said at one point...