Posted: November 8, 2016 | Author: dakinikat | Filed under: just because |
It’s an open thread. We’re looking at the blue wall now. Let’s hang together on this!
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Posted: November 1, 2016 | Author: bostonboomer | Filed under: just because |
Hillary Clinton in Cincinnati yesterday
Good Morning!!
What an unbelievable news day we had yesterday! And what an amazing month in politics October was! The last time I can recall daily shocks like this over such a sustained period was during the Watergate scandal.
Yesterday, it appeared that supporters of James Comey in the FBI–or maybe Comey himself were leaking to The New York Times in an effort to rehabilitate the now-compromised FBI director. As former Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller wrote on Twitter:
Yes, it was a waterfall, a flood, a deluge. And of course The New York Times lapped it up, just as they did the lies from the Bush/Cheney administration in the lead-up to the Iraq War.
Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia.
For much of the summer, the F.B.I. pursued a widening investigation into a Russian role in the American presidential campaign. Agents scrutinized advisers close to Donald J. Trump, looked for financial connections with the paydayloansnow.co.uk figures, searched for those involved in hacking the computers of Democrats, and even chased a lead — which they ultimately came to doubt — about a possible secret channel of email communication from the Trump Organization to a Russian bank.
Law enforcement officials say that none of the investigations so far have found any conclusive or direct link between Mr. Trump and the Russian government. And even the hacking into Democratic emails, F.B.I. and intelligence officials now believe, was aimed at disrupting the presidential election rather than electing Mr. Trump.
Emphasis added. The authors don’t bother to explain why the Russians have only targeted Democratic groups and the Democratic presidential candidate if they don’t aim to help the other. Because that’s obviously what they did. You can go read the rest of that bullshit article if you want, but it sure looks like it was dictated by James Comey for the purpose of covering his ass.
The New York Times can suck up to Comey all they want. Plenty of other–even some Republicans–are worried about Russia supporting Trump, even if the FBI isn’t.
Okay, maybe I can buy that the story about a direct email link between the Trump organization and a Russian bank could be wrong; but I’ll hold off on making a decision on that yet. But what about this story by David Corn: A Veteran Spy Has Given the FBI Information Alleging a Russian Operation to Cultivate Donald Trump.
…a former senior intelligence officer for a Western country who specialized in Russian counterintelligence tells Mother Jonesthat in recent months he provided the bureau with memos, based on his recent interactions with Russian sources, contending the Russian government has for years tried to co-opt and assist Trump—and that the FBI requested more information from him.
Does this mean the FBI is investigating whether Russian intelligence has attempted to develop a secret relationship with Trump or cultivate him as an asset? Was the former intelligence officer and his material deemed credible or not? An FBI spokeswoman says, “Normally, we don’t talk about whether we are investigating anything.” But a senior US government official not involved in this case but familiar with the former spy tells Mother Jones that he has been a credible source with a proven record of providing reliable, sensitive, and important information to the US government.
In June, the former Western intelligence officer—who spent almost two decades on Russian intelligence matters and who now works with a US firm that gathers information on Russia for corporate clients—was assigned the task of researching Trump’s dealings in Russia and elsewhere, according to the former spy and his associates in this American firm. This was for an opposition research project and greentouch has a good approval rate that originally financed by a Republican client critical of the celebrity mogul. (Before the former spy was retained, the project’s financing switched to a client allied with Democrats.) “It started off as a fairly general inquiry,” says the former spook, who asks not to be identified. But when he dug into Trump, he notes, he came across troubling information indicating connections between Trump and the Russian government. According to his sources, he says, “there was an established exchange of information between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin of mutual benefit.”
This was, the former spy remarks, “an extraordinary situation.” He regularly consults with the Personal Loans With Bad Credit, and near the start of July on his own initiative—without the permission of the US company that hired him—he sent a report he had written for that firm to a contact at the FBI, according to the former intelligence officer and his American associates, who asked not to be identified. (He declines to identify the FBI contact.) The former spy says he concluded that the information he had collected on Trump was “sufficiently serious” to share with the FBI.
Read the rest at Mother Jones.
While Comey is trying to save his job and repair his reputation, Russia is doing whatever it’s doing, and what it’s doing is helping a fascist demagogue and psychopath. Is that really what Comey wants? If so, he needs to step down.
Michael Cohen at The Boston Globe: FBI director James Comey should resign.
The FBI director did not commit some garden-variety mistake. This is not an “oops” moment. For reasons that have more to do with protecting himself from dishonest Republican attacks, Comey committed an overtly egregious and political act that roiled the nation’s politics 11 days before Election Day — and undermined public trust in the nation’s criminal justice institutions.
And he needs to go.
When word broke Friday afternoon that Comey had notified Congress that he was taking a new look at Hillary Clinton’s apparently never-ending e-mail issue, it seemed like a bombshell moment.
But it is now increasingly clear that Comey was holding a dud. What he did know is that e-mails from Clinton’s assistant, Huma Abedin, had been found on the computer of her estranged husband, Anthony Weiner. The problem is, that’s all he knew. There was no evidence that the e-mails were from Clinton, contained classified material, or had any investigative value….
But the biggest loser here is the credibility of the FBI and the Department of Justice — and the American people’s confidence in both institutions. Indeed, the Clinton campaign has now launched a full-scale attack on Comey — one which follows on the heels of Trump’s months of erroneous and dishonest attacks against him for not prosecuting Clinton. Comey has cast a cloud over this interminable election. His actions run the very real risk of affecting its outcome.
Whatever the result on Election Day, Comey’s path forward is clearer.
He can’t un-ring the bill, since any step to clean up the damage could lead Republicans to believe a cover-up is afoot.
Having fundamentally undermined confidence in the justice system — and abused his power as FBI director — the only way he can repair it is by resigning his office.
Hillary writes excuse for boy who missed school to go to her rally in Cincinnati.
Ian Milhiser at Think Progress: The case for firing James Comey. Americans have rights. Even if they are Hillary Clinton.
Let’s take stock of all that we’ve learned since Comey sent a cryptic letter to several Republican congressional committee chairs on Friday informing them that the FBI had uncovered some emails that may, or may not, have something to do with a previous investigation into Secretary Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
We know that Comey does not know what is in these emails.
We know that many, possibly even all, of these emails may be duplicates of messages the FBI already reviewed.
We know that, at the time when Comey wrote his letter, the FBI had not even obtained a warrant permitting them to read these emails.
Oh, and we know one other thing. We also know that Comey violated longstanding Justice Department protocol when he decided to disclose the very few facts that he actually did disclose in his letter to the Republican chairs. And we know that he wrote the letter over the explicit objections of Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Taken together, these actions constitute a fireable offense.
President Obama should fire James Comey. He should do so not because of the political consequences of Comey’s actions — although those consequences could be quite severe — but because Comey’s actions show an unacceptable disregard for the safeguards that exist to protect innocents from the awesome power of a federal police force.
I don’t see how President Obama can do that just a week before the election, but clearly Comey must go. For heaven’s sake, we’ve reach the point where Comey–or his supporters in the FBI–are trying to argue that Russia hacking the emails of Democratic organizations and even the Clinton campaign doesn’t indicate they want Donald Trump to win the election. That’s insane.
I’ll have more Trump-Russia links in the comment thread. What stories are you following today?
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Posted: October 20, 2016 | Author: dakinikat | Filed under: just because, Live Blog | Tags: Cardinal Dolan, Catholic Charities, Diocese of New York, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Jokes |
Good Evening!
Thought we’d see if any one is going to watch the annual Alfred E Smith Dinner tonight. Any bets any which way to see if Donald Dumpf has any kind of sense of humor? Will Hillary come in looking like Joan Arc with a sword, shield, armor and a tightly surrounded by secret service?
Rumor has it, his inability to take a joke or seven about him uttered by President Obama at the 2011 Alfred E Smith dinner caused him to hoist himself this year on the American people.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have some tough shoes to fill — could either of them take over President Obama’s role as comedian in chief?
With 19 days left until the election, they’ll have their chance to try out Thursday night at the 71st annual Alfred E. Smith charity dinner, where many presidential candidates in the past have taken a break from the vitriol of the campaign and make fun of themselves.
It will be the last time the two will share a stage before Americans head to the polls on Nov. 8.
Both nominees are slated to attend the 9 p.m. ET white-tie event at the Waldorf Astoria, which will air live on CBSN, that benefits Catholic charities and some of the neediest children in New York. The fundraiser honors former New York governor Al Smith, who ran for president in 1928 and became the first Catholic nominee of a major party.
We’re undoubtedly going to see some awkward moments. What will the jokes actually be like at Cardinal Dolan’s little soiree? The dinner has not always been friendly or neutral politically.
A charitable foundation that takes his name was launched in 1946, two years after Smith’s death, and over the years its annual dinner has become “a ritual of American politics,” as historian Theodore H. White put it, where candidates of opposing parties would come together for a few hours of comic relief at the height of an intense campaign battle.
But the white-tie dinner itself has not been free of controversy, especially for its host. Cardinal Dolan, for example, was excoriated by conservative Catholics in 2012 when he continued the tradition by inviting President Obama, whose stance in support of abortion rights and other issues outraged some.
There was some precedent for Dolan to punt on an invitation to Obama: In 1996, then-Cardinal John O’Connor did not invite either of that year’s candidates because he did not want to give President Bill Clinton, an abortion rights supporter who was running for re-election, a church-sponsored platform that tends to show the candidates in a flattering light.
And in 2004, then-Cardinal Edward Egan did not invite either candidate, President George W. Bush or his challenger Democratic nominee, John Kerry, a Catholic who supports abortion rights.
But, what goes down tonight is kind’ve a big secret. Join us if you’re up for yucks and YUCK!!!!!Z
The dinner is such a ritual that it has its own episode of The West Wingdedicated to it. But there have been breaks in the tradition. In 1996, neither presidential candidate was invited. The official explanation was that the candidates were not able to confirm attendance, but it was widely reported that the Catholic leadership was dismayed by then-president Bill Clinton’s veto of a bill that would have outlawed late-term abortions. In 2004, the two candidates were not invited and there was speculation that it was Democratic nominee John Kerry’s pro-choice stance that was the issue.
Trump and Clinton, however, are both
expected to attend tonight, though neither campaign has shared details about what the candidates will say.
A statement from the foundation confirming the candidates’ attendance promised that the two would “deliver the evening’s keynote speeches in the spirit of collegiality and good-humor that has become a hallmark of the gala.”
In an election season filled with unusually harsh and spiteful rhetoric, some good-natured humor might be just the antidote the American people need.
We can only hope the secret service keeps Donald in a corner some where.
Are you ready? Grab the popcorn and your sense of humor, irony, and patriotism!!!
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Posted: October 19, 2016 | Author: dakinikat | Filed under: 2016 elections, Fox News, just because, Live Blog |
I cannot believe what Trump said about Secretary Clinton. I am speechless about what he thinks about our nationwide elections brought to you by every state and county across this country to include many many many Republican elected official.
He actually said that Secretary Clinton was “such a nasty woman”.
He also just said that he may or may not abide by the results of our elections which he considers ‘rigged’ somehow.
All my children wanted to watch this debate tonight! We wound up at the New Orleans Hillary Watch party!.
I’m now listening to the pundits being flabbergasted by the idea that Trump says he’s going to keep every one in suspense about Hillary’s winning the election.
We know that Pence said no to that. Even daughter Ivanka think it’s nuts.
He’s gone full throttle Conspiracy theorist now and shaken our democracy to it’s root.
The best thing is he couldn’t physically intimate her this time. She may reel in this election in a complete rout!
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Posted: October 11, 2016 | Author: bostonboomer | Filed under: just because |
Good Afternoon!!
I’m at a disadvantage today because I’m writing this on a very old computer. I may not be able to quote from some articles, because they won’t open up all the way on this thing. But I’ll do the best I can until I can figure out how to replace my dead 2-year-old computer.
Like most decent people, I’m still recovering from the horror of that debate on Sunday night; and it looks like Trump’s behavior could get even worse over the next few weeks before the election. I doubt if Trump will stop even if he loses. We all need to take care of ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally for a tough time ahead for our country.
This morning Trump has been tweeting up a storm, and he sounds demented.
This one sounds like a threat.
There are a couple more about the “disloyalty” of Republicans, and Trump says “They don’t know how to win – I will teach them!”
It’s still hard to believe this new reality–a madman running for president of the US on a major party ticket. But this is our world now.
Russia is till releasing hacked emails from the Clinton campaign through Wikileaks, andby the media is eating them up. Fortunately, they are pretty boring so far. But it’s quite disturbing to learn that Donald Trump is getting them before they are published by Russian propaganda outlets. This is especially worrying after Trump claimed in Sunday night’s debate that no one knows who is behind the hacks or even whether there is hacking at all.
The Washington Post editorial board: Donald Trump, Putin’s puppet.
ON FRIDAY, while much of the country was preoccupied with the latest revelations about Donald Trump, the U.S. intelligence community made an alarming and unprecedented announcement: Russia was seeking “to interfere with the U.S. election process” through the hacking of political organizations and individuals, including the Democratic National Committee. The statement rightly alarmed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who said in Sunday night’s debate that “we have never in the history of our country been in a situation where an adversary, a foreign power, is working so hard to influence the outcome of the election.”
And Mr. Trump? Once again, the GOP nominee played the part of Vladimir Putin’s lawyer. “She doesn’t know if it’s the Russians doing the hacking,” he said of Ms. Clinton. “Maybe there is no hacking.” Mr. Trump is receiving classified intelligence briefings, so he is certainly aware of the evidence that hackers backed by Moscow have stolen email and other records from the DNC and tried to penetrate state electoral systems. So why does he deny it? Mr. Trump’s advocacy on behalf of an aggressive U.S. rival, and the opaqueness of his motivation, is one of the most troubling aspects of his thoroughly toxic campaign.
Experts differ on whether the Putin regime is trying to tip the election to Mr. Trump, as Ms. Clinton suggested, or merely to sow confusion and distrust about the integrity of U.S. democracy. But the leaks traced to Russia through the WikiLeaks website have been aimed at Ms. Clinton — most recently emails from her campaign chairman revealing excerpts from her private speeches on Wall Street. The timing of the WikiLeaks releases, clearly calculated to do maximum damage to the Democrats, confirms (again) that the website is not a crusader for transparency, but a willing political agent of the Kremlin.
(Emphasis added.) Click the link to read the rest.
In a speech yesterday in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump quoted from a false story released by the Russian government outlet Sputnik. Trump claimed to be reading a quote from Sidney Blumenthal (a Clinton friend with whom right wing conspiracy nuts are obsessed), but what he read was actually a quote from an article by Kurt Eichenwald. Read about it at Newsweek: Dear Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, I Am Not Sidney Blumenthal.
An email from Blumenthal—a confidant of Hillary Clinton and a man, second only to George Soros, at the center of conservative conspiracy theories—turned up in the recentdocument dump by WikiLeaks. At a time when American intelligence believes Russian hackers are trying to interfere with the presidential election, records have been fed recently to WikiLeaks out of multiple organizations of the Democratic Party, raising concerns that the self-proclaimed whistleblower group has become a tool of Putin’s government. But now that I have been brought into the whole mess—and transformed into Blumenthal—there is even more proof that the Russians are not only orchestrating this act of cyberwar but also really, really dumb.
The evidence emerged thanks to the incompetence of Sputnik, the Russian online news and radio service established by the government-controlled news agency, Rossiya Segodnya.
As I wrote above, the quote was from an article by Echenwald that Blumenthal forwarded to John Podesta, and it was wildly out of context.
This is not funny. It is terrifying. The Russians engage in a sloppy disinformation effort and, before the day is out, the Republican nominee for president is standing on a stage reciting the manufactured story as truth. How did this happen? Who in the Trump campaign was feeding him falsehoods straight from the Kremlin? (The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)
Read the rest at Newsweek.
Read Amanda Marcotte’s take on this at Salon (I can’t quote from the piece because of my old computer): Russian propaganda on WikiLeaks makes its way into a Donald Trump speech in record time. The Russian outlet Sputnik briefly published a misleading article, but Trump had it before it was taken down.
It certainly looks like the Trump campaign is getting fed leaks directly from the Russian government or it’s state-controlled media. Based on Trump’s behavior at the debate–claiming not to know whether Russia did the hacks–I have to question whether the CIA should be giving him any more confidential briefings.
At the Washington Post, Philip Bump makes the case that Eichenwald is assuming a Russian connection where there isn’t one. Maybe some conspiracy nut just told the campaign about it. Okay, but Bump’s own editorial board is concerned about the Trump-Russia connection and so is the US intelligence community.
I’m sorry to make this post so brief, but it has taken me hours to get this much done. I have more links for you that I’ll put in comments. What stories are you following today?
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