It is so ironic that Don the Con Jr. met with a Russian government agent last June in search of emails by Hillary that would provide damaging evidence against her… and documented the meeting with an email that showed that he knew it was a Russian agent who wanted to provide “something of value” (hacked documents)– the definition of illegal conduct under US laws regulating campaigns. The emails that were revealed by Wikileaks (apparently in coordination with Don’s presidential campaign) were embarrassing to the Democratic National Committee but didn’t reveal any illegal behavior. The emails that Don Jr. participated in were prima facie evidence of illegal activity. Oh, the irony!
Quote of the Day: Ethics Czar Speaks Out
“It’s wildly inappropriate for him to be running a hotel that he’s leasing from the federal government. As a president, you shouldn’t be doing business with the United States government. He’s his own landlord at this point.”
—Walter Shaub, who resigned this month as director of the Office of Government Ethics in protest, referring to Don the Con and his hotel in the Old Post Office building in Washington; quoted in the Guardian July 31, 2017
John Toren
Minneapolis 14 minutes ago
Thinkers will have reached a new stage of rudimentary enlightenment when they come to realize that physics can tell us very little about life processes. Does skin serve a purpose? Of course. Do claws serve a purpose? Of course. Did the laws devised by Hammurabi serve a purpose. Of course. The “laws” of thermodynamics are not only dull but largely irrelevant in a universe that has been growing more complex for as long back in time as we can determine.
Andy
Salt Lake City, Utah 22 hours ago
I’m not sure I would describe the current U.S. experience as anti-Russian fanaticism. Leaving Trump aside for a moment, Putin did globally humiliate the past two U.S. Presidents. He has done so in very intentional and malicious ways. He continually works to undermine the U.S. position globally. Most recently, Putin actively interfered with the U.S. national election. The list goes on. And of course, there’s also Trump and team.
I don’t see how retaliatory action from the United States is not only expected but warranted. The fact that a sitting U.S. President would so willingly argue against these measures is the only strange thing here. It’s not fanaticism if your actions are justified. Putin did something wrong and Congress had to retaliate on behalf of the President. That’s strange.
Now Putin is moving to escalate against what should have been a normal international response. This after Trump has successfully isolated the U.S. from Europe and Asia. There’s blood in the water mate. Putin is a shark and Trump is the minnow. He may be President but that doesn’t mean Trump isn’t dental floss for Vladimir Putin.
Brian
Pierre, South Dakota 1 day ago
These are times where the United States requires a strong diplomatic corps to handle these types of situations. However thanks to the ignorance and poor leadership of President Trump and SoS Rex Tillerson our State Department is a hollow shell of what it once was.
In the words of the only sane person in Trump’s cabinet, James Mattis:
‘If you don’t fully fund the State Department, then I need to buy more ammunition.’”
Lie of the Day: Putin Moves His Lips
Mr. Putin has denied any Russian interference in the American election, saying that anti-Russian sentiment in the United States was being used to drive an internal political battle.
—Vlad “the Impaler” Putin, President of Russia, via the New York Times July 30, 2017
Quote of the Day: What Trump Needs
“Trump now has a chance at governing, but it may be only a slim chance,” Mr. Whipple said. “The fundamental problem is that Donald Trump is an outsider president who has shown he has no idea how to govern — who, more than any of his predecessors, desperately needs to empower a chief of staff as first among equals to execute his agenda and tell him hard truths.
“But does anyone believe that this president wants such a person around?”
“The information system is in such a chaotic transition and people are deluged with so much noise that it gives an opening for Trump and his forces to wage war against facts and reason.”
—Al Gore, quoted in an interview with The Guardian
Lie of the Month: Scaramucci’s Debut
“The President has really good karma, O.K.? And the world turns back to him. He’s genuinely a wonderful human being, and I think, as the members of Congress get to know him better and get comfortable with him, they’re going to let him lead them to the right things for the American people. So, I think we’re going to get the health care done.”
–Anthony Scaramucci, July 21
Every word in this statement, except for “the”, is a lie.
Virginia
Cape Cod, MA
What is even more shocking and distressing, at this point, than even this First Family of grifters, liars, traitors, and conmen, is that, according to some poll I just saw, a whopping 85% of Republicans believe there is no wrongdoing here, and only 15% think there is some problem of ethics but nothing illegal.
What disturbs me about that, since this party has full power now, is that, were this Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or any other Democrat, I have approximately zero doubt that impeachment papers would already be drawn up, and those polls would look nothing like these. Meaning, for Republicans, it is not about the country and not even about their party, per se, but is really about their relentless and entrenched mindset of political warfare against the American left and Democrats. It confirms for me that they have abused their power, their positions, and the American public, including their own constituents, in service to this political war. They’ve wasted millions in taxpayer money, time, energy, and are motivated to make really bad law, i.e.: the health care bill, solely to be against anything Obama or Democrat or Clinton.
The GOP is, therefore, an “enemy within” because they no longer possess any objective principles. If a Republican does it, it’s legal, ethical, fine, no problem; if a Democrat does the exact same thing, well, Lock her up!That really scares me more than anything.
Peter
Colorado
Anyone, and I do mean anyone, who either knew of Trump from his NYC days or was paying attention to the 2016 campaign without putting party loyalty over country knew exactly what Trump is like and what his motivations have always been. Number one – adoration and exaltation of The Donald. Number Two – Enrichment of The Donald. Number Three – Revenge for the night the balck guy made a fool of him at the White House Correspondents Dinner. His behavior in office has simply followed the well known pattern.
The question now – will the Republicans continue to put party over country, tax cuts for the rich over doing right by the American people, erasing Obama’s legacy, even the parts they secretly agree with – or will they do the right thing, and rid us of this cancer on the country, the billionaire cabinet that is executing the agenda, and the complicit and equally dirty vice president?
Yeah
Illinois
Really, we are well past the point of asking when Republicans are going to stand up or when Trump voters are going to wise up. They won’t.
the only path forward is to push them out of the way at the ballot box by getting non voters involved, and in large enough numbers to overcome the electoral college, Russia, gerrymandering, Republican state governments, voter suppression, Fox News, and all the other anti democratic forces arrayed against the American majority.
