February 9, 2019

Watson: Fairfax said 'I knew you'd be too afraid to say anything'

Nancy E. Smith
February 8, 2019

We have heard from numerous press sources that in response to Meredith Watson revealing that Justin Fairfax raped her when she was a student at Duke, Mr. Fairfax has chosen to attack his victim again, now smearing her with the typical “she’s nuts” defense. He revealed that Ms. Watson was the victim of a prior rape. That is true.

Ms. Watson was raped by a basketball player during her sophomore year at Duke. She went to the Dean, who provided no help and discouraged her from pursuing the claim further. Ms. Watson also told friends, including Justin Fairfax

Mr. Fairfax then used this prior assault against Ms. Watson, as he explained to her during the only encounter she had with him after the rape. She left a campus party when he arrived, and he followed her out. She turned and asked: “Why did you do it?” Mr. Fairfax answered: “I knew that because of what happened to you last year, you’d be too afraid to say anything.” Mr. Fairfax actually used the prior rape of his “friend” against her when he chose to rape her in a premeditated way. Like he is smearing Dr. Vanessa Tyson, Mr. Fairfax is now smearing Ms. Watson. That’s shameful.

The smears on victims of sexual assault have to stop. Why would any woman come forward with information about a powerful man knowing that he and his supporters will stop at nothing to smear and discredit them? Women come forward to support one another and to stop the culture of rape that is even more pervasive than we acknowledge.

https://wset.com/news/local/new-statement-from-attorney-claims-fairfax-raped-watson-in-premeditated-way

Sorry. I can’t get my thoughts together. Shocking stuff.

UPDATE: Watson’s Statements corroborated by 1980 Duke Student

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211797744

February 7, 2019

Zero Cost 'Medicare for All'

Joe Lieberman crippled the ACA, ruling out the Public Option and/ or a Medicare Buy In. Putting those back reveals the ACA always offered a road to single payer. So ... here goes.

1.Legislation establishes Medicare Part E - A new Medicare Section - Medicare Enhanced / Medicare for Everyone.

2 Medicare Part E covers Part A, B & D plus additional benefits.

3. Medicare Part E is initially available as a policy on all ACA exchanges = the Public Option / Medicare Buy In.

4. All Federal employees arecovered by Medicare Part E at rates with individual opt out.

5. Medicare Part E is also offered to Businesses / Non Profits as a cost effective insurance option.

6. Medicare Part E policies are priced for full cost recovery including establishment costs = No cost to the Federal Budget.

Objection: Citizens are still paying out of their own pocket rather than through the tax system. Absolutely true. There were problems with Obamcare’s subsidies More work is required.

Higher income earners should be taxed at higher marginal tax rates.

The cost is Zero to the Federal Budget. Medicare insurance is priced to fully recover costs including establishment costs.

7. Inital Restrictions on Private Insurance.

Private health insurers required to split their polices into two parts - 1. Standard Medicare Part E benefits and Medicare Advantage - options (only) over and above standard coverage.

The road to single payer?

Individuals may elect to pay for Medicare Part E through the tax system.

Existing Medicare / Medicare merged into Medicare Part E over time.

(Uneconomic) Private insurance of Medicare Items banned.

The age of entry into publically funded Medicare reduced over birth over time.

February 6, 2019

Most viewers approved of Trump's second State of the Union address

Source: CBS News

Seventy-six percent of Americans who tuned in to President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night approved of the speech he gave. Just 24 percent disapproved.

As is often the case in State of the Union addresses, the people who watched tonight's speech leaned more towards the president's own party, at least compared to Americans overall. In the latest CBS national poll released last month, 25 percent of Americans identified themselves as Republicans. Among those who watched Tuesday night's address, that figure was 43 percent, and Republicans helped bolster the overall approval of the address.

And while 97 percent of Republicans approved of the speech, far fewer Democrats who tuned in did (30 percent). Most independents did approve.



Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/state-of-the-union-2019-most-viewers-approved-of-trumps-sotu-address-cbs-news-poll/

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THE QUESTION THEY DID NOT ASK: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? That question would have shown that many of those who dissapprove did not 'tune in'. 71% of Americans do NOT believe there is a crisis at the southern border.

February 6, 2019

Stacy: "Where voters pick their leaders not where politicians pick their voters"

If there is one issue I would our leaders to hammer home in every speech, in every townhall, in every debate it’s this.

February 4, 2019

Stone may take Trump and the GOP down.

Mueller’s investigation has terabytes of date covering ‘several years’ of Stones communications and records. CNN reports:-

The evidence includes "multiple hard drives containing several terabytes of information consisting of, among other things, FBI case reports, search warrant applications and results (e.g., Apple iCloud accounts and email accounts), bank and financial records, and the contents of numerous physical devices (e.g., cellular phones, computers, and hard drives).

This could be dynamite.

And, oh yeah, what about his emails?

(Apologies if this has been posted before)

https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/01/31/politics/roger-stone-evidence-mueller/index.html

February 2, 2019

Statement by Ralph Northam on voting for George W Bush

https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_58b48eb9e4b0780bac2c68d5/amp

Is not who I am.


Statement by Ralph Northam as Democratic Candidate For Virginia Governor
Feb 28, 2016

Ever since I first ran for public office, I have fought for my values: commonsense gun reforms, protecting our environment, defending women’s access to reproductive health care, fighting for equal rights for the LGBT community, and economic opportunity for all Virginians.

At the time, I didn’t pay much attention to politics. Knowing what I know now, I was wrong and would have voted differently. I became politically engaged after becoming fed up with insurance companies affecting my patients and learning my Republican senator said a child with disabilities was possessed by “demons,” which deeply offended me as a father and a doctor.

So, I decided to run for office on the issues I cared about: fixing our healthcare system and cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. I stood up for implementing commonsense gun reforms, ensuring the LGBT community was given equal rights, and defending women’s access to reproductive health care.

If there is a lesson Democrats should take away from 2016, it’s that voters sometimes vote against their values. Usually, they are doing it because they aren’t aware that they actually share the same values as the Democratic party. As someone who made that realization when I became engaged, there is no better person to reach these people than me.

What’s missing in this statement? Any reference to Civil Rights. Q: How could be vote for the GOP in 2000, 2004 A: Their racism did not “deeply offend” him.

Justin Fairfax, the Lt. Governor is a lifelong Democrat, an African American and entitled to seek re-election.

What’s the point of defending an ex Goper on racism. Ralph Northam no Al Franken.