January 19, 2019

A possible chink in the armor of willfully ignorant tRumpsters.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/01/17/many-voters-think-trumps-a-self-made-man-what-happens-when-you-tell-them-otherwise-224019

“Large swaths of the public believe the Trump myth. Across three surveys of eligible voters from 2016 to 2018, we found that as many as half of all Americans do not know that he was born into a very wealthy family.”

“A LexisNexis search of leading newspapers from January 1, 2016, until Election Day 2016 found more than six times as many articles referring to Trump’s divorces than those mentioning his father. The problem is not just that the media prefers the salacious to the substantive; the practices of even serious journalists may not always produce an informed public. By 2016, Fred Trump’s aid to his son was in the distant past. It had been reported over the years, so . . ., it just wasn’t “news” to reporters. Yet without repeated coverage, many voters who do not follow politics closely will not absorb the facts that journalists take for granted.”

January 15, 2019

Is anyone else inspired by Rachel's Watergate history lesson?

If I weren’t falling asleep after a very long day, I would start a MoveOn petition to demand Mueller’s presence at Barr’s hearing tomorrow. Maybe someone from the DU community is inspired to make it happen.
https://petitions.moveon.org/create_start.html?source=front_nav&utm_source=front&utm_content=nav

January 9, 2019

Given tRump's Oval Office immigration fiasco, major networks must change.

They need to stop cowering in fear over spurious accusations of “left-wing bias,” “fake news,” and “enemy of the people.” James Fallows’ Atlantic article offers effective guidelines for how to deal with the malignant orange creature going forward.

“They were not afraid of criticism for turning down Obama. They are afraid about what would happen if they turned down Trump. You can think of lots of explanations. But the difference is clear.

An instructive parallel: During the 2016 campaign, James Comey’s FBI was closemouthed about the ongoing investigations of Trump and his Russian connections. To have said anything about them would have opened the bureau to criticism of playing politics. But when it came to discussing Hillary Clinton’s email situation, obviously the calculus of potential criticism was different. . .. My point for now is what military planners call the “asymmetric risk,” which warped the FBI’s behavior and that of much of the press.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/01/trump-networks/579697/

January 2, 2019

Eichenwald Twitter thread connects tRump to Russian disinformation scheme.

I’ve been waiting for someone else to post this on DU, but haven’t seen it so far. It seems too significant to ignore. The thread is long, and I had to read it twice, but it makes a credible case for asking some pointed questions. First on my list is, who provided content from a Russian disinformation site to tRump, who pushed it at a rally within two hours after it was first posted?
https://mobile.twitter.com/kurteichenwald/status/1079860540271484931

December 16, 2018

Has anyone listened to Rachel's "Bagman" series? n/t

December 13, 2018

Kellyanne has rendered me speechless.

She really needs to think harder before she casts stones at AO-C. https://mobile.twitter.com/tommyxtopher/status/1072914978116698112

November 8, 2018

Are you planning to attend tonight's Milwaukee protest/march to protect Mueller?

If you live near Bayshore or the Brown Deer East Park&Ride and have an extra seat in your car, I could use a ride. Due to night blindness it’s difficult for me to drive after dark, but those two locations are within my (nonsmoker) comfort zone. Thanks for your kind consideration.

September 12, 2018

Another anniversary that will live in infamy--heck of a job Timmy.

Tim Geitner always seemed slimy to me, and I never understood why President Obama allowed him free rein. If this story is true, then there should be a special Hell on Earth for this creep. He can run, but he can’t hide. https://www.truthdig.com/articles/when-timothy-geithner-defied-barack-obama/

September 6, 2018

If ever DU is plagued by Russian trolls, this might be useful:

https://theconversation.com/propaganda-spewing-russian-trolls-act-differently-online-from-regular-people-100855

August 18, 2018

MoveOn is considering Dan Kohl-6th District for an endorsement.

They’re polling members, and I will vote yes because the perfectly awful Glenn Grothman must be defeated. My biggest problem with Kohl is his “disavowal” of Nancy Pelosi for Speaker. I submitted this comment on his web site’s contact page, for what it’s worth:

“Dear Mr. Kohl,

My single-minded consideration for the upcoming mid-term election is to be part of a blue tsunami that washes every Republican out to sea for a couple of generations, till we clean up the mess they’ve made of America. You have my vote. That said, I am concerned about reports that you have “disavowed” Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. As thrilled as I am about the new blood coming into the Democratic Party, we still need wise elders with institutional memory and proven track records of success, to keep us from crashing on the rocks. Diversity is strength.

Instead of allowing yourself to be cowed by the relentless, ageist, misogynist attacks on Nancy Pelosi, I encourage you to show more backbone and valor. One of the most frustrating, infuriating traits of the Democratic Party is the tendency to be herded over the cliff by right-wing bullies.”