Has U.S. Democracy Been Trumped?

[Winstonm]

This, from The Observer, is a damning report on how unscrupulous and relentless Donald Trump is in fighting to protect his delusions.

 

Update and correction from the New Yorker by way of The Daily Beast: (emphasis added)

 

The secretive Israeli intelligence firm reportedly once enlisted by disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein to dig up dirt on his accusers also targeted aides to former President Barack Obama in an attempt to undermine the Iran nuclear deal, according to documents obtained by The New Yorker. The documents come after a weekend story by The Observer, which reported that aides to President Trump had hired a private Israeli intelligence firm in an attempt to discredit the previous administration’s advocacy of the Iran nuclear accord. The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow reports that the firm in question is, indeed, Black Cube—the entity used by Weinstein. But he cites a source saying the work was not done at the behest of the Trump administration but, rather, for “a private-sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran.”

[hrothgar]

The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow reports that the firm in question is, indeed, Black Cube—the entity used by Weinstein. But he cites a source saying the work was not done at the behest of the Trump administration but, rather, for “a private-sector client pursuing commercial interests related to sanctions on Iran.”

 

Sheldon Adelson

[Winstonm]

Sheldon Adelson

 

Thanks.

That makes one wonder if the reporters at the Observer and the New Yorker hold two different pieces of the same puzzle.

[Winstonm]

This, from Politico, should chill you to the bone as an American. (ehphasis added)

 

 

Their emergence underscores a reality of the Trump era: power and prominence on Capitol Hill these days often flow not to the most senior lawmakers but to Republicans who display allegiance to a president who prizes loyalty. None of the four holds a powerful committee chairmanship, but they have something just as important: regular airtime on Fox News. And their pressure campaign against the Justice Department and FBI has put Mueller’s boss, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on the defensive.

[Winstonm]

Twitter:

 

Donald J. Trump

✔

@realDonaldTrump

The 13 Angry Democrats in charge of the Russian Witch Hunt are starting to find out that there is a Court System in place that actually protects people from injustice...and just wait ‘till the Courts get to see your unrevealed Conflicts of Interest!

 

6:39 AM - May 7, 2018

62.8K

34.2K people are talking about this

 

If there truly are 80-90% of Republicans and upwards of 60 million people in the U.S. who still support this guy, then, as a country, we are in a much more precarious position regarding continued democracy than I ever imagined was possible to reach in many lifetimes.

 

We can only hope this cabal will be shattered into thousands of pieces in November.

[Al_U_Card]

This, from Politico, should chill you to the bone as an American. (ehphasis added)

As it has been (Starr, Cox etc.) so shall it be. Part of the underbelly of your system.

[Winstonm]

Nice job of draining the swamp.

 

Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation, writing in WaPo:

 

“At least 187 Trump political appointees have been federal lobbyists, and . . . many are now overseeing the industries they once lobbied on behalf of. We’ve also discovered ethics waivers that allow Trump staffers to work on subjects in which they have financial conflicts of interest.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-tweets-distract-us-from-the-biggest-scandal-of-all/2018/05/08/0212817e-520a-11e8-9c91-7dab596e8252_story.html?utm_term=.5d4c8f457aee

[Winstonm]

As it has been (Starr, Cox etc.) so shall it be. Part of the underbelly of your system.

 

Nixon was a little like this. No one else in modern times has come close to the total disregard for American values and total demand for personal loyalty other than in the crime families.

[barmar]

Nixon was a little like this. No one else in modern times has come close to the total disregard for American values and total demand for personal loyalty other than in the crime families.

And every time someone mentions the possibility of Trump firing Mueller or Rosenstein, someone mentions parallels to the Saturday Night Massacre.

 

Nixon at least had the advantage of being a career politician. Aside from his illegal activities, he at least seemed to understand what the job of POTUS entailed, and how to navigate the DC system.

[Al_U_Card]

And every time someone mentions the possibility of Trump firing Mueller or Rosenstein, someone mentions parallels to the Saturday Night Massacre.

 

Nixon at least had the advantage of being a career politician. Aside from his illegal activities, he at least seemed to understand what the job of POTUS entailed, and how to navigate the DC system.

With the moniker "Tricky Dick" the surprise was his straying into detente and subsequent conflict with the deep state and their objectives (Slick Willie, Frat boy (W) et al notwithstanding.) Trump is likely the exemplar of crony (toady?) PALitics but what happens in Washington rarely stays there.....a neverending story.;)

[Winstonm]

President Dennison today has taken one more step in turning the U.S. into a third-rate country.

[PassedOut]

President Dennison today has taken one more step in turning the U.S. into a third-rate country.

The US president has the power to ruin the lives of folks all over the world. And those folks have no vote in the matter.

 

That's just one reason why it's disturbing that irresponsible voters elected a moron to the US presidency.

[Winstonm]

The US president has the power to ruin the lives of folks all over the world. And those folks have no vote in the matter.

 

That's just one reason why it's disturbing that irresponsible voters elected a moron to the US presidency.

 

Taking a step back and looking from a macro level we see legislatures nationwide attacking abortion, attacks on the Justice Department and FBI, assaults on free speech and democratic processes, a retreat from world leadership, and I get the sense of a step backward in time toward dark ages mentality of fear and loathing of those who are not like "us".

 

It is as if the Southern Baptist Convention has taken control of governments and are full throttle into Republican Jihad.

[hrothgar]

JESUS ***** CHRIST

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pskgpwr15r48tx5/Executive%20Summary.pdf?dl=0

[Winstonm]

JESUS ***** CHRIST

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pskgpwr15r48tx5/Executive%20Summary.pdf?dl=0

 

Wow! Now a lot of things make sense: why Cohen wasn't brought into the WH, why Dennison is so committed to Cohen, the crime family mentality of everyone associated with this administration, and the ties to Russia.

 

Follow the money.

[Chas_P]

 

That's just one reason why it's disturbing that irresponsible voters elected a moron to the US presidency.

 

Please tell us who appointed you as judge and jury of who's "irresponsible".

[Winstonm]

Please tell us who appointed you as judge and jury of who's "irresponsible".

 

If you voted for Dennison and are still in support of him, you are not irresponsible but deplorable. Is that better?

[PassedOut]

Please tell us who appointed you as judge and jury of who's "irresponsible".

It was no appointment: it was a free and fair election. You lost. Get over it.

:P

[Chas_P]

It was no appointment: it was a free and fair election. You lost. Get over it.

 

LOL. HRH Hillary's in the White House? Spare me. You guys are the ones who need to get over it.

[Winstonm]

LOL. HRH Hillary's in the White House? Spare me. You guys are the ones who need to get over it.

 

Donald Trump is a loser, a small-minded, bitter, vindictive old crime boss who puts his own self-interests above the interests of his country.

 

Anyone who still supports him is either sick or stupid or both.

[PassedOut]

LOL. HRH Hillary's in the White House? Spare me. You guys are the ones who need to get over it.

Gotcha! You snowflakes are so predictable!

:lol:

[awm]

It will be interesting to see the EU response to the latest Trump decisions. He’s threatened tariffs against Europe (although he keeps delaying them), pulled the US out of both the Paris climate change agreement and the Iran agreement, supported Brexit and called for other European countries to leave the EU, cast doubt on US commitment to NATO, supported anti-democratic leaders in Poland and Hungary (and candidates in France and other places) etc.

 

It seems like at some point the EU will have to recognize that the US is not a reliable partner. Angela Merkel has suggested as much, but I’m wondering if we will see some retaliatory tariffs, or the EU taking Iran’s side against the US in exchange for Iran keeping its commitments to denuclearization, etc.

 

Or maybe the EU is too busy dealing with Brexit, hard to say. Like all big bureaucracies it tends to move slowly... but once things do change, it may be tough to reverse the momentum even if the next US President is less hostile to trade and democracy.

[kenberg]

It will be interesting to see the EU response to the latest Trump decisions. He's threatened tariffs against Europe (although he keeps delaying them), pulled the US out of both the Paris climate change agreement and the Iran agreement, supported Brexit and called for other European countries to leave the EU, cast doubt on US commitment to NATO, supported anti-democratic leaders in Poland and Hungary (and candidates in France and other places) etc.

 

It seems like at some point the EU will have to recognize that the US is not a reliable partner. Angela Merkel has suggested as much, but I'm wondering if we will see some retaliatory tariffs, or the EU taking Iran's side against the US in exchange for Iran keeping its commitments to denuclearization, etc.

 

Or maybe the EU is too busy dealing with Brexit, hard to say. Like all big bureaucracies it tends to move slowly... but once things do change, it may be tough to reverse the momentum even if the next US President is less hostile to trade and democracy.

 

There are many reasons for concern, but the one you address seems to me among the most serious. I don't think being a lone wolf is all that good an idea in today's world, being an unreliable lone wolf is seriously worse. When we entered the Iran deal my thoughts were "Well, I hope he [Obama] knows what he is doing". So that was skepticism. With Trump pulling out I cannot even muster up some skeptical hope that he [Trump] knows what he is doing. He just does things. The man likes to do things. And say things. Roller coasters were fun when I was 12. I'm past that part of my life.

[barmar]

JESUS ***** CHRIST

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pskgpwr15r48tx5/Executive%20Summary.pdf?dl=0

What happened to this? I get a 404 screen.

[barmar]

Taking a step back and looking from a macro level we see legislatures nationwide attacking abortion, attacks on the Justice Department and FBI, assaults on free speech and democratic processes, a retreat from world leadership, and I get the sense of a step backward in time toward dark ages mentality of fear and loathing of those who are not like "us".

 

It is as if the Southern Baptist Convention has taken control of governments and are full throttle into Republican Jihad.

They've been lurking for a while, but until Trump took the WH it was more of a fringe movement. Now they've been emboldened and they're getting their legislations pushed through.