US Politics Thread |OT| SAD TRUMP

[Madrun Badrun]

https://lawfareblog.com/lawfare-podcast-mira-rapp-hooper-slow-motion-crisis-north-korea

[Phoenix Dark]

Prediction: a month from now he'll bring this conspiracy up again, citing Fox's "federal source" as if it wasn't debunked.

Why die on this hill? You said yourself you don't believe it, yet you keep "asking questions" and acting like you do, despite contrary evidence...

[Atramental]

https://twitter.com/DangerVilms/status/866376091220533249

[Nola]

So the DNC hired a hitman to take a guy out for revealing to the world that Donna Brazile gave Hillary Clinton a debate question?

And Jon Stewart invented satire. Ruined American news consumption with it. Do the research!

We've all learned a lot of valuable truths today, that the MSM won't tell you.

[Madrun Badrun]

So the DNC hired a hitman to take a guy out for revealing to the world that Donna Brazile gave Hillary Clinton a debate question?

And Jon Stewart invented satire. Ruined American news consumption with it. Do the research!

We've all learned a lot of valuable truths today, that the MSM won't tell you.

We fought his concession and ended up taking the bigger L.   Shame on us. 

[benjipwns]

He has to enter a code every 24 hours or the Hillary e-mail ordering Benghazi is released.

[Human Snorenado]

Guys. We could keep discrediting everything etoilet says, or we could post this gif everytime he posts.



This is more fun, btw.

[curly]

It's interesting that the Russian conspiracy theorists aren't particularly leftist. Mensch was a conservative MP in the UK, Garland seems centrist. And the Russia thing is used pretty often against the left wing by establishment dems (why are you yelling about universal care? Don't you know Russia is more important?). The dynamic isn't really comparable to the right-wing media, which is all about selling and confirming core conservative orthodoxy to those already susceptible to it.

I dunno, plenty of "911 is an inside job" leftists in Europe during the Bush years. It's really proportionate to how bad / powerless the "Left" is feeling at that point. Some of the logorrhea attached to Marxism lends itself nicely to conspiracy talk too. It died off quickly after W. left office.
At the risk of sounding like a FSB asset, the whole "Russiagate" thing is different in that I feel it's taking its roots in views that are very much the institutional, consensual within the elite, viewpoint of painting Russia as a dangerous rival or antagonist, maybe unfairly (or to a caricatural extent).

I'd be wary linking some political wings with a propension for believing conspiracies. As always, it's also a matter of what you classify as a "conspiracy" or more kindly as a "misconception" or a "common myth".

I wouldn't dispute that the left has plenty of its own conspiracy theories; the Russia one in particular though specifically appeals mainly to moderates/those who want an "apolitical" case against Trump. 

[recursivelyenumerable]

The left has been griping about the Russia stuff being too prominent in the "resistance" since it started. Sam Kriss wrote this article back in December where he tried to introduce the label "alt-center" for people like game theory guy (contains a bonus dig at John Nash), didn't really catch on though.

[recursivelyenumerable]

how the heck is Anthony Weiner still alive?

this is a mystery all by itself.

[Joe Molotov]

If Democrats had Seth Rich murdered for something so trivial, how the heck is Anthony Weiner still alive?

He must lay the pipe real good. 

[Trent Dole]

If Democrats had Seth Rich murdered for something so trivial, how the heck is Anthony Weiner still alive?

He must lay the pipe real good. 

An aptly named fellow.

[benjipwns]

lol i don't know how u guys are going to hold all ur LLLLLLLLs now:

"We have this very strange story now of this young man who worked for the Democratic National Committee, who apparently was assassinated at 4 in the morning, having given WikiLeaks something like 53,000 emails and 17,000 attachments,” Gingrich said.

“Nobody’s investigating that, and what does that tell you about what’s going on? Because it turns out, it wasn’t the Russians. It was this young guy who, I suspect, was disgusted by the corruption of the Democratic National Committee. He’s been killed, and apparently nothing serious has been done to investigative his murder. So I’d like to see how [Robert S.] Mueller [III] is going to define what his assignment is.”

[Phoenix Dark]

If Democrats had Seth Rich murdered for something so trivial, how the heck is Anthony Weiner still alive?

He must lay the pipe real good. 

no pedo

[VomKriege]

https://mobile.twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/866676207445835778

Mr Bean looking good.

[TakingBackSunday]

the worst fucking president

[agrajag]

Trump acts like a character from The Office

[VomKriege]

The body language in that clip is amazing. Especially the woman telling the press to get out before she realized Trump has something to add...

[T-Short]

https://twitter.com/ShahakShapira/status/866660538662739968

[etiolate]

I have a slightly better link of the same thing.

https://twitter.com/ChurchofSatan/status/866453928535236608

[Joe Molotov]

If you think any major outlet has cred at this point then you haven't been paying attention.

I think PBS News Hour is still pretty legit, but nobody brings them up because nobody watches actual news.

Nah:

(Image removed from quote.)

There is a chasm in the quality difference between the two camps. The right basically puts trust in talking heads, Fox News and Drudge. The left gets a pretty healthy dose of credible news, and none of them are really at the garbage tier of most of what the right consumes.

lol everyone hates buzzfeed

https://twitter.com/BuzzFeed/status/866671849697968128

[Nola]

https://lawfareblog.com/lawfare-podcast-mira-rapp-hooper-slow-motion-crisis-north-korea

Great podcast by the way.

Great in the now I'm even more worried since it seems these "moderating" influences and "respected" people like McMaster have followed down this seemingly riverboat gamble of a China/NK policy.

[Trent Dole]

'But emailghazi!' isn't a valid defense for treason, guys.

[Nola]

There were two separate editorials today on the RCP front page arguing that the Trump administration should start hitting back by prosecuting Hillary Clinton and other Democrats.

I can't see that backfiring in the slightest. "Clinton acquitted on all charges" probably isn't the headline his base is going to want.

Nah, they are far too gone at this point. At least the ones that give a shit about this stuff.

In their mind she is guilty, if she doesn't end up in handcuffs it will be a laundry list of excuses, deflections, conspiracy, or the right-wing media will do like the last 20 investigations and low key ignore it, or start ramping up what the next investigation should look like.

There is no scenario where the Trump right accepts her innocence. Just like I am more and more convinced that they will not accept any Russian findings either. We will have Nixon-era apologetic conspiracies for a generation.

[Nola]

In some "silver-lining" news:

  Republican redistricting is taking a beating in the courts (again)

This year, federal courts have been litigating a steady stream of gerrymandering claims. And most of the electoral maps the courts have knocked down were drawn by Republicans.

That’s good news for Democrats: They have an opportunity in several states to draw more favorable congressional and state legislative maps ahead of 2018 elections. And every seat counts, given the 2020 Census is right around the corner, which brings with it the opportunity in many states to draw new district maps.

Some Republican legislatures are paying the price for capturing 21 chambers in the 2010 elections, the last time electoral maps were being drawn. Monday, North Carolina became the third GOP-controlled state legislature in a row to get its map-drawing skills declared illegal by the Supreme Court.

What’s more, the court ruled against North Carolina Republicans in a way that opens the door for Democrats to potentially challenge almost all mapmaking in the South.

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature illegally looked at people’s race when drawing two majority-black congressional districts in the state.

Lawmakers argued they were only looking at drawing lines based on people’s party affiliation, but the court ruled that it is reasonable to assume that, in a state like North Carolina, party affiliation are race are pretty much synonymous.

The way the court arrived at its decision is a big deal, said Doug Johnson, a redistricting expert with Claremont McKenna College. “It’s the first time the court has used party as a proxy for race,” he said. “It opens the door to throwing out partisan gerrymandering as well.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/22/republican-redistricting-is-taking-a-beating-in-the-courts-again/

[Nola]

Also about the case. The GOP, the party of voter integrity:

In particular, the court found that North Carolina lawmakers requested data on racial differences in voting behaviors in the state. "This data showed that African Americans disproportionately lacked the most common kind of photo ID, those issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)," the judges wrote.

So the legislators made it so that the only acceptable forms of voter identification were the ones disproportionately used by white people. "With race data in hand, the legislature amended the bill to exclude many of the alternative photo IDs used by African Americans," the judges wrote. "The bill retained only the kinds of IDs that white North Carolinians were more likely to possess."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/07/29/the-smoking-gun-proving-north-carolina-republicans-tried-to-disenfranchise-black-voters/?utm_term=.559be88820f5

[Human Snorenado]

When Clarence Thomas is like, "nah bruh, that's fucked up" you know shit is not right.

[Great Rumbler]

President Donald Trump in March asked the director of national intelligence and director of the National Security Agency to push back against the FBI’s investigation into whether members of his campaign colluded with Russian officials last year, the Washington Post reported on Monday.

The Washington Post reported, citing unnamed current and former officials, that Trump asked Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats and NSA Director Michael Rogers to publicly deny that any evidence of collusion existed.

He made that request after former FBI Director James Comey confirmed to the House Intelligence Committee that his bureau was conducting an investigation into whether there was any “coordination” between Russian officials and Trump’s associates during the campaign, according to the Washington Post.

Two unnamed current and two unnamed former officials cited in the report said that Coats and Rogers deemed Trump’s request inappropriate and refused to do so.

According to the Washington Post, a senior NSA official documented Trump’s conversation with Rogers in an internal memo written at the time.

Senior officials in Trump’s administration also approached top intelligence officials about the possibility of asking Comey to shut down his bureau’s investigation into Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

An unnamed official told the Washington Post that those officials wondered whether they could ask Comey “to shut down the investigation.”

[Madrun Badrun]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40004300

Flynn taking the 5th

[Madrun Badrun]

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/05/22/trump_to_israelis_we_just_got_back_from_the_middle_east.html

[Human Snorenado]

When will we get to the bottom of the real scandal: the murder of Seth Rich, amirite???

[benjipwns]

https://mississippitoday.org/2017/05/21/rep-karl-oliver-those-removing-confederate-monuments-should-be-lynched/

A state representative from Winona who urged in a weekend Facebook post that those who support the removal of Confederate monuments be lynched has apologized.

Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, wrote: “The destruction of these monuments, erected in the loving memory of our family and fellow Southern Americans, is both heinous and horrific. If the, and I use this term extremely loosely, “leadership” of Louisiana wishes to, in a Nazi-ish fashion, burn books or destroy historical monuments of OUR HISTORY, they should be LYNCHED! Let it be known, I will do all in my power to prevent this from happening in our State.”

Oliver emailed a statement late Monday morning saying “I deeply regret that i chose this word.”

bad choice of words, we should save the lynchings for seth rich's murderers may he rest in piece

[Mandark]

benji, can you just for a moment stop trawling for local stories about irrelevant, fringe figures? It's obvious that this guy's rant isn't representative of anything other than his own idiotic...

Two state representatives, John Read, R-Gautier, and Doug McLeod, R-Lucedale, liked the Facebook post.

Carry on, then.

[benjipwns]

When Clarence Thomas is like, "nah bruh, that's fucked up" you know shit is not right.

Alito pulls out the big guns:

A precedent of this Court should not be treated like a disposable household item—say, a paper plate or napkin—to be used once and then tossed in the trash. But that is what the Court does today in its decision regarding North Carolina’s 12th Congressional District: The Court junks a rule adopted in a prior, remarkably similar challenge to this very same congressional district.

[Joe Molotov]

Things of that nature.

[TakingBackSunday]

I doubt he wins.

[benjipwns]

There's the Montana at-large vote on Thursday for Zinke's seat, that was basically tied last I saw and the Libertarian was polling at 8-10% and they don't tend to drop off as far from polling as out East.

[benjipwns]

CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on Monday praised President Trump's weekend speech in Saudi Arabia, saying former President Obama could have given it.

“It was nuanced. It was frankly the kind of speech that President Obama could have given. It had the kind of empathy and nuance that people look for," Zakaria said Monday on CNN, praising "both the symbolism and ... the substance."

“Because ultimately what you’re trying to do is convince these Muslim countries to in some way take on, battle, expel as President Trump said, the scourge of Islamic terrorism.”

Zakaria added that Trump’s remarks pleased Arab leaders by sounding “more resolutely anti-Iranian” than past presidents'.

“There’s no question people in the region, particularly the Arab dictators and Arab monarchs, like what they hear from Trump.”

this guy is seriously underrated as a terrible talking head

[Nola]

Fareed is the most polarizing talking head for me. His punditry is mostly just gag inducing.

He will have a week or two of some pretty good op-eds(even ones he didn't plagiarize) then he will have a "bombing Syria was the moment Trump became presidential" nonsense and then bloviate about it for half an hour.

Though his panels are usually solid. Probably the best CNN offers.....Which is not exactly saying a whole lot.

[benjipwns]

here comes the eggs for ur faces lieberals

'Complete panic' at highest levels of DNC over internet hacker Kim Dotcom's claims murdered Democratic aide Seth Rich WAS the source of Wikileaks

An anonymous 4 Chan poster claims that internet hacker Kim Dotcom's allegations that murdered Democratic aide Seth Rich was the source of Wikileaks has sparked 'complete panic' within the DNC.

The nameless individual, who claims to have spent 20 years working in DC, said the latest conspiracy theory, that Rich was killed because he was the source of the DNC leaks, had terrified high ranking officials.

'I know for certain that the Seth Rich case has scared the s**t out of certain high ranking current and former Democratic Party officials,' the 'insider', who has provided not information to back up his claims or that he works in DC, wrote on the controversial discussion site 4 Chan.

They added that this was why DNC executives had 'backed away from impeachment talk.'

'They know the smoking gun is out there, and they're terrified you will find it, because when you do it will bring the entire DNC, along with a couple of very big name politicians,' he added.

Dotcom, a German-Finnish internet entrepreneur known for founding Megaupload, jumped into the conversation Friday, four days after the Fox5 story ran.

He said he knew murdered Democratic National Committee staffer Rich who 'gave the political party's trove of emails to Wikileaks.'

'I knew Seth Rich. I know he was the Wikileaks source. I was involved,' Dotcom cryptically tweeted on Saturday.

'If Congress includes #SethRich case into their Russia probe I'll give written testimony with evidence that Seth Rich was Wikileaks source,' Dotcom tweeted.

The anonymous DC insider has since added that the DNC was 'near open panic' about such claims.

'To even mention this name in D.C. Circles [sic] will bring you under automatic scrutiny. To even admit that you have knowledge of this story puts you in immediate danger. If there was no smoke there would be no fire. I have never, in my 20 years of working in D.C. Seen [sic] such a panicked reaction from anyone.'

He added that both Podesta and Hillary Clinton had received anonymous calls and emails from people who shared their belief in the conspiracy theory.

According to an account from Radar Online, Dotcom will release more information on the matter Tuesday, once he talks to his lawyers.

https://twitter.com/seanhannity/status/866469670609670145

spoiler (click to show/hide)

https://twitter.com/seanhannity/status/866470926828830724

https://twitter.com/seanhannity/status/866478848657027073

https://twitter.com/seanhannity/status/866479614142631936

https://twitter.com/seanhannity/status/866862942641426433

[close]

spoiler (click to show/hide)

[close]

[bluemax]

I feel like I need to burn my computer after reading that last Benji post.

Also InfoWars got a press pass to the WH.

[chronovore]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40004300

Flynn taking the 5th

I don't get it; if someone actually just invokes the 5th Amendment, they can just blanket refuse to respond to prosecution? So what happens then? Other witnesses will provide context for the case?

Also, as a General, isn't he subject to military law, or is that only for military matters? If so, why is that job not considered a military posting?

[Joe Molotov]

I feel like I need to burn my computer after reading that last Benji post.

Also InfoWars got a press pass to the WH.

I stopped reading after

An anonymous 4 Chan poster claims that internet hacker Kim Dotcom's allegations

 

[Brehvolution]

[Brehvolution]

President Trump’s message in a guestbook at Israel’s main Holocaust memorial and museum has drawn some ridicule for its failure to demonstrate sensitivity to the atrocities memorialized at the site.

 

[zomgee]

See you in 10 years! TLA! Rock on! GO TIGERS!

[etiolate]

Top class. World class. I give if five stars. FIVE STARS. Better than the New York one. So much holocaust.

[VomKriege]

Remember those innocent times when W. was the absolute worst you could imagine a US president ?

[zomgee]

[seagrams hotsauce]

President Trump’s message in a guestbook at Israel’s main Holocaust memorial and museum has drawn some ridicule for its failure to demonstrate sensitivity to the atrocities memorialized at the site.

(Image removed from quote.)

 

The fucking casing lmao

"IT is A gReAT HOnOR TO Be HeRe WitH ALL OF MY FRienDS! So AmaZing+WiLL Never Forget!"

[Phoenix Dark]

President Trump’s message in a guestbook at Israel’s main Holocaust memorial and museum has drawn some ridicule for its failure to demonstrate sensitivity to the atrocities memorialized at the site.

(Image removed from quote.)

 

The fucking casing lmao

"IT is A gReAT HOnOR TO Be HeRe WitH ALL OF MY FRienDS! So AmaZing+WiLL Never Forget!"

[etiolate]

I don't have a problem with the evil losers line. It's actually a bit too well crafted for Trump to come up with it himself. It casts shame upon killings that are rationalized via honor and glory.

It might be the one time Trump listened to his people and handlers.

[Brehvolution]

But did he say the words "Radical Islamic Terrorism"? 

[Joe Molotov]

But did he say the words "Radical Islamic Terrorism"? 

He did, and yet we've still got terrorism. You can't explain that.

[FStop7]

President Trump’s message in a guestbook at Israel’s main Holocaust memorial and museum has drawn some ridicule for its failure to demonstrate sensitivity to the atrocities memorialized at the site.

(Image removed from quote.)

 

Did he think he was signing somebody's yearbook

[etiolate]

I KNOW THAT SETCH RICH WAS INVOLVED IN THE DNC LEAK.
I know this because in late 2014 a person contacted me about helping me to start a branch of the Internet Party in the United States. He called himself Panda. I now know that Panda was Seth Rich.

Panda advised me that he was working on voter analytics tools and other technologies that the Internet Party may find helpful.

I communicated with Panda on a number of topics including corruption and the influence of corporate money in politics.

“He wanted to change that from the inside.”
I was referring to what I knew when I did an interview with Bloomberg in New Zealand in May 2015. In that interview I hinted that Julian Assange and Wikileaks would release information about Hillary Clinton in the upcoming election.

The Rich family has reached out to me to ask that I be sensitive to their loss in my public comments. That request is entirely reasonable.

I have consulted with my lawyers. I accept that my full statement should be provided to the authorities and I am prepared to do that so that there can be a full investigation. My lawyers will speak with the authorities regarding the proper process.

If my evidence is required to be given in the United States I would be prepared to do so if appropriate arrangements are made. I would need a guarantee from Special Counsel Mueller, on behalf of the United States, of safe passage from New Zealand to the United States and back. In the coming days we will be communicating with the appropriate authorities to make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, I will make no further comment.

STATEMENT FROM
KIM DOTCOM

Panda was a known handle of Seth Rich due to his love of pandas.

Bloomberg article: https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-14/kim-dotcom-julian-assange-will-be-hillary-clinton-s-worst-nightmare-in-2016

(getting trashed by heavy traffic right now)

“I have to say it’s probably more Julian,” who threatens Hillary, Dotcom said. “But I’m aware of some of the things that are going to be roadblocks for her.”

Assange has access to information, Dotcom said, though he added that he didn't know anything more specific.

“If I can provide some transparency with these people and make them part of what the Internet Party stands for, then, you know, I will be happy to do that,” Dotcom told Chang.

According to Kim, his reference to Panda/Seth Rich in 2015.




And now let's see the dance.

[brawndolicious]

President Trump’s message in a guestbook at Israel’s main Holocaust memorial and museum has drawn some ridicule for its failure to demonstrate sensitivity to the atrocities memorialized at the site.

(Image removed from quote.)

 

Did he think he was signing somebody's yearbook

The "+ will Never Forget! " at the end makes it seem like he writing that comment without knowing where he was until an aide caught what he signed.

Really feeling embarrassed for WASPS between 30-60.

[Brehvolution]

I KNOW THAT SETCH RICH WAS INVOLVED IN THE DNC LEAK.
I know this because in late 2014 a person contacted me about helping me to start a branch of the Internet Party in the United States. He called himself Panda. I now know that Panda was Seth Rich.

Panda advised me that he was working on voter analytics tools and other technologies that the Internet Party may find helpful.

I communicated with Panda on a number of topics including corruption and the influence of corporate money in politics.

“He wanted to change that from the inside.”
I was referring to what I knew when I did an interview with Bloomberg in New Zealand in May 2015. In that interview I hinted that Julian Assange and Wikileaks would release information about Hillary Clinton in the upcoming election.

The Rich family has reached out to me to ask that I be sensitive to their loss in my public comments. That request is entirely reasonable.

I have consulted with my lawyers. I accept that my full statement should be provided to the authorities and I am prepared to do that so that there can be a full investigation. My lawyers will speak with the authorities regarding the proper process.

If my evidence is required to be given in the United States I would be prepared to do so if appropriate arrangements are made. I would need a guarantee from Special Counsel Mueller, on behalf of the United States, of safe passage from New Zealand to the United States and back. In the coming days we will be communicating with the appropriate authorities to make the necessary arrangements. In the meantime, I will make no further comment.

STATEMENT FROM
KIM DOTCOM

Panda was a known handle of Seth Rich due to his love of pandas.

Bloomberg article: https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-14/kim-dotcom-julian-assange-will-be-hillary-clinton-s-worst-nightmare-in-2016

(getting trashed by heavy traffic right now)

“I have to say it’s probably more Julian,” who threatens Hillary, Dotcom said. “But I’m aware of some of the things that are going to be roadblocks for her.”

Assange has access to information, Dotcom said, though he added that he didn't know anything more specific.

“If I can provide some transparency with these people and make them part of what the Internet Party stands for, then, you know, I will be happy to do that,” Dotcom told Chang.

According to Kim, his reference to Panda/Seth Rich in 2015.




And now let's see the dance.

[Joe Molotov]

[etiolate]

I'm glad you're taking the Ls.

I am kind of curious what the spin will be on this. I imagine it will ignore that he's willing to testify and provide his evidence, which is the important part of his statement.