First, the latest antics regarding the emails...
Putin was not behind the DNC email hack. Julian Assange who
posted them on Wikileaks has made that clear. He plays his cards close wishing
to protect the identity of the leaker, but is adamant the leak source was not
from Russia. On a recent newscast Margaret Brennan of CBS made sure to point
out that Assange is anti-Clinton and then just left it there. Basically it was
a line to discredit Assange.
Well, Assange is also anti-Trump and anti-Putin. But the
Establishment media's Brennan didn't bother to point that out. The Left
dislikes the American Establishment's demonisation of Putin as a mask for their
imperialism, but at the same time they are quite hostile to Putin's form of
government and vision for society.
The CBS choice of Putin pictures were also very deliberate
showing him looking imperial as he comes through the grandiose doors within the
Kremlin as he's preparing to give a speech... guards opening the doors for him.
You could almost hear 'Imperial March' from Star Wars in the background.
The whole DNC narrative regarding Trump and Putin is somewhat
silly and without foundation. The US backed oligarchs and underworld figures
are the very people Putin has moved against and at this point are mostly in
exile. That said, he is indeed dirty and has many dubious connections. At this
point he's in good company with some of the most powerful figures in the US
Establishment including members of the Bush and Clinton families.
I am not convinced of the flimsy ties that some have
attempted to bind between Trump and some of these Russian figures.
Interestingly the media continues to ignore his long friendship and mentorship
under Roy Cohn who was definitely tied to the American Mafia. The reporting on
Russia is so slanted and dishonest, if not hysterical it's hard to take any of
it seriously. The idea that America would point at anyone else and accuse them
of meddling in elections just beggars belief. The United States more than any
other nation in history has meddled in the elections and affairs of other
nations. It is the most anti-democratic nation of the modern 'democratic' era.
Outside its borders the US is actively against democracy and freedom.
Does Putin prefer Trump? Of course. Trump is a buffoon who
understands nothing and doesn't want to learn either. His Nativist policies
will bring down the US Empire and take the pressure off Moscow and its allies.
It's not a matter of supporting Trump. He's quite dangerous and a Trump
administration will lead to other global and geopolitical problems. But in
terms of the immediate pressure, a Trump presidency could be a positive from
Russia's standpoint. A US in turmoil is a US that can't viably threaten Russia
or continue to encircle it.
I find it hard to believe the US Establishment will actually
let Trump break-up NATO... which is what would happen were he to actually
implement the ideas reflected by his rhetoric. He's either going to get
straightened out or eliminated.
Who did it? Who leaked the DNC emails? It could be hackers,
but more likely it's someone within the DNC apparatus, probably a disgruntled
Sanders supporter who wanted to expose the hypocrisy and cronyism at work
within the DNC.
Personally I am more shocked that anyone is shocked by the
revelations that the DNC was always angling for Clinton. Is anyone really that
naive?
The political parties are anti-democratic to the core. They
have no interest in subjecting themselves to the whims of voters. Are you
kidding?
The Clinton campaign is trying to spin this story.
Wasserman-Schultz stayed loyal to Hilary and is now being rewarded. That shows
you what type of person Hilary Clinton is. She doesn't care what
Wasserman-Schultz did. She's more concerned about personal loyalty and has no
qualms about rewarding criminality or people that subvert the political
process.
Trump, like a drunk sitting on a barstool just runs his mouth
and decides (probably off the cuff) to invoke Russia and encourages them to
hack Clinton's emails.
By appealing to Russia he has crossed a line. No doubt he
spoke somewhat in jest. Nevertheless he has destroyed what was left of his
credibility... not just as a viable and serious candidate but as a patriotic leader.
In typical and cynical fashion his campaign tries to spin the
mistake and sends Pence out to threaten Russia regarding any meddling, a lame if
desperate attempt to deflect the mistake.
This rhetoric is that of the disloyal scoundrel, the
self-seeker, the power-mad. This is not the language of someone who actually
wants to represent the country as a whole. I say this as someone who does not
intend to vote, who has no stake in the system other than I wish for Babylon to
avoid chaos. Hillary will continue the policies of theft and war as the DNC
convention is making all too clear. The militarism and bellicosity is somewhat
stunning. The Democrats are running a Right-wing campaign.
Trump will bring unprecedented chaos which will certainly result
in theft and war.
Either way we'll get more theft and war. That's what the US
has been about since the beginning.
You almost can't take this in. Trump has called on Russia to
hack Hillary's server. If this took place in a novel or movie it would be
written off as absurd. No credible candidate would ever do such a thing.
That time is past.
I noticed a lot of confusion over this yesterday as some
commentators were conflating the Hillary emails with the DNC emails. They're
not the same thing. The Hillary emails are of course related to her tenure as
Secretary of State.
Trump is literally calling on a foreign government to commit
espionage against the US in order to destroy a rival presidential candidate.
This is beyond the pale, beyond anything the US political
machine has ever seen. Any other presidential candidate prior to 2016 would be
done.
The Trump campaign is trying to spin it as no big deal, an
expression, a figure of speech etc...
Nevertheless the statement demonstrates gross if not wanton
irresponsibility and a lack of gravitas and sobriety. These traits already
characteristic of Trump have just entered a new phase.
It is beyond ironic that those who support Trump and wish to
'make America great' will with his election decimate American prestige and are
guaranteed to weaken its power abroad and stability at home. The very system he
has critiqued is the system that he has profited from and very nicely at that.
There's a greater danger with Trump and his movement. The
most disturbing aspect of the RNC was the way in which the political opposition
is quite literally dehumanised and ultimately demonised.
The leadership may be mostly joking, but the people on the
floor are not. They're calling for the opposition to be jailed and destroyed.
No compromise. The Democrats are viewed as demonic and evil.
This is rhetoric that will only lead to a breakdown of
society, violence and ultimately civil war.
Hilary and her crew are indeed an evil lot, but the demonism
is most apparent in the false prophets of Christo-Americanism, figures like Ben
Carson who are quite literally fomenting violence. They're slippery, so they
will deny this, but that's the end result and consequence of their words and
the emotions they are trying to stir up.
You don't work with demons. You vanquish them. The idea of a
political process is all but over. Hilary is undoubtedly a criminal. I can't
think of a Secretary of State or US president who isn't. I speak both in terms
of morality and the legal framework of the Constitution. But of course once you
start down that road, where does it stop? Civil War is the only possibly
outcome.
But the RNC is laying the groundwork for civil violence and
the breakdown of society. If the opposition is evil and criminal, then you can
only fight and that's the message many are receiving.
In so many ways, this country is doomed.
People have forgotten the instability and violence of the
late 1960s and early 1970s. We're nowhere near that point, but I'll say this...
we're getting closer. And, things happen a lot faster today. Technology and the
nature of news play no small role in that. We may find ourselves moving back
into such a scenario in the near future.
If you want to learn more about that period I recommend:
The author is not sympathetic but is reasonably fair in his
treatment.
Both sides have proved quite capable of completely demonizing the other. My guess, and this is just a hunch, is that Trump is not really a buffoon, but still trying to play a tactical game. Perhaps he has become completely drunk on his own power and really believes the image of himself that he's erected, and so has lost all restraint in letting absurd comment fly. But I still think there's some kind of spin going. I wouldn't have said so (nor anyone else) 9 months to a year ago, but I'm amazed at what he's gotten away with.
ReplyDeleteHillary plays the same game, but perhaps with a lot more timidity. She's a reptile who adapts to the conditions, and she has done pretty well to cement take the momentum from disgruntled Sanders people. Granted, there were a lot of unhappy people at the convention who were furious, but the media didn't pay attention to them. Yet, I can only imagine, with the relentless vitriol of a 5th grade bully, Trump will pummel her over the emails in her party, in her office, and her husband's rampant infidelity. I can just see him staring across the debate table at her and say, "you can't control your party, office, or your husband...what can you control?"
Hillary will play Trump's game, and they're both handling some very dangerous fire. All it will take is for Clinton to find something more-or-less explicitly racist out of Trump's past, and a conflagration could unleash. Hillary might angle herself as the rational candidate, not swept away with emotion, but I don't think that will work in the end. Poll indicate hatred for her is swelling Trump's numbers. Granted, one could be certain that she won't mean any of it, but as the election heats up, the chance for violence and destruction as both sides herald their opponent as the harbinger of doom will skyrocket.
2 cents,
cal
I vacillate on the 'spin' question. Is he for real or is this all a grandstanding joke?
ReplyDeleteIs he smart and cunning (I didn't say intelligent) or is he incredibly stupid and vain?
Everyone is amazed at what he's gotten away with. Is this some bad formula with the ratings-driven commercial media and the dumbing down of society or is there something else going on? You almost wonder... for him to have survived this long, to not be taken down and removed... are there some big players behind him?
I don't know.
Trump is demonised and called a fascist and he certainly represents aspects of what can historically be identified as fascism.
I've argued that he's really not that extreme... it's more the package. He says the things that you're not supposed to openly say.
I think Hillary is just as evil but certainly less outrageous, unstable and destructive.... in an explosive, immediate or short-term sense.
In another sense she would be very destructive... in the militarist sense.
But I think the demonisation and growing hostility in the GOP has a degree of social danger that I don't (yet) see in the Capitalist-Nationalist-Establishment party... the Democrats.
Everyone is now waiting for the debates. If he 'bullies' her it might not go well... but what am I saying? His ratings will probably go up!
It's amazing but you're right...she's actually more disliked and distrusted than he is. I don't think I've ever heard him utter a word of truth. I think if I asked him the time... I don't think I'd believe his answer.
The Trump phenomenon is exposing a lot about this society.
ReplyDeleteBut just as many aspects of Sanders were ignored.... Trump seems to be getting an almost free ride.
Anyone who's old enough remembers what Bill Clinton went through in 1992... the scrutiny of his past etc...
Bush was off the hook. Obama got a treatment but I think Bill was probably worse.
Trump is getting a free ride. There's so much in his past to dig up, it fills large books.
Is this a post-9/11 thing? The press rolled over a played dead when it came to JFK and LBJ's past.... all swept under the rug. I guess you were just bummed if you had to run for office post Watergate and pre-9/11.
Carter was the rare figure who was actually clean.
Reagan was made of teflon and had a powerful spin machine and big money on his side.
GHW Bush was a career bureaucrat and spook... his past was buried.
And then there's Bill. By 1994 he was a bitter angry man. I though he was going to explode at his unveiling of Ruth Bader-Ginsburg. He would have punched Brit Hume if the cameras had been off.
But he showed him. He betrayed his base and a lot of other things but he humiliated Gingrich, ruined him and would have gone down in history with pretty high ratings except for that little intern problem.
Not to say that I agree with such an assessment but that's how it would have gone down.