Many anti-Trump Americans see the Russia-gate “scandal” as a way to derail Donald Trump, but this political opportunism has fed a dangerous anti-Russian hysteria and led Democrats to ignore why they really lost, says Rick Sterling.
By Rick Sterling
The U.S. mainstream media and Democratic Party politicians have built a major “scandal” out of accusing Russia of “meddling” in the U.S. election to help Donald Trump win the presidency and possibly even colluding with his campaign to do so. The charges began as “allegations” but now are routinely asserted as facts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses UN General Assembly on Sept. 28, 2015. (UN Photo)
The Washington Post recently ran a long article claiming all the above plus saying the operation was directed by Russian President Putin himself and implying not enough has been done to “punish” Russia. The July-August 2017 edition of Mother Jones magazine features an article headlined “We Already Know Trump Betrayed America. Collusion? Maybe. Active Enabling? Definitely.”
Is this effort to indict Russia and condemn Trump based on facts or political opportunism? Does it help or hurt the progressive cause of peace with justice? Following are major problems with the “anti-Russia” theme, starting with the lack of clear evidence.
1) Evidence from CrowdStrike is dubious.
Accusations that Russia stole and released the Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails are based on the findings of the private company CrowdStrike. The DNC did not allow the FBI to scan the computers but relied on a hired private company which claims to have found telltale Russian alphabet characters (Cyrrilic) in the computer memory. However, CrowdStrike is known to be political biased, to be connected to the Clintons and to make false accusations such as this one documented by Voice of America. Recently, the Wikileaks “Vault7” disclosures revealed that the CIA has developed software which purposely leaves foreign language characters in memory, casting further doubt on the CrowdStrike evidence.
2) The Steele Dossier looks fictitious.
The accusations of Trump-Russia collusion and Putin’s personal involvement are significantly based on the so-called “Steele Dossier,” a 35-page compilation of “opposition research” on Trump by a former MI6 officer Christopher Steele. The research and reports by Steele first were contracted by anti-Trump Republicans in the primary race and then by Clinton supporters in the presidential race.
There is no supporting evidence or verification of the dossier’s claims; the reports are essentially that a Kremlin source says such-and-such. It has since been revealed that Steele was not in direct contact but collected the information via Russians in the U.K. who in turn received it from supposed Kremlin insiders.
The luxury Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Moscow
The reports were viewed skeptically by media, politicians and the intelligence community through the summer and fall of 2016. But elements of the dossier became public prior to the election, and it was published in full in the days before Trump’s inauguration, including sensational stories of “golden showers” by prostitutes urinating on Trump to “defile” the bed in Moscow’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel where the Obamas previously slept.
Is the Steele dossier accurate or was it a P.R. dirty trick designed to damage Trump? The latter seems at least if not more likely. This Newsweek article, “Thirteen things that don’t add up in the Russia-Trump intelligence dossier,” lists some of the reasons to be skeptical.
3) The “assessment” from several (not 17) Intel Agencies gives no evidence and seems politically biased.
On Jan. 6, the office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) released a 14-page document titled “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections.” The report says Russian President Putin ordered a campaign including cyber activity along with “overt efforts” to influence the election through official media (RT) and social media. Half of the report (seven pages) is devoted to describing the effectiveness and growth of the Russian-sponsored news outlet known as “RT,” including faulting RT for sponsoring debates among third-party U.S. presidential candidates in 2012 and for covering the Occupy Wall Street protests.
The report gives no solid evidence that the Russians did covertly interfere with the U.S. elections in 2016, acknowledging that the report “does not and cannot include the full supporting information, including specific intelligence and sources and methods.” The report further admits that its “judgments are not intended to imply that we have proof that shows something to be a fact. Assessments are based on collected information, which is often incomplete or fragmentary, as well as logic, argumentation, and precedents.”
So, should this report be accepted uncritically? Not if you consider past performance. The CIA has a long history of deception and disinformation, including “politicized intelligence” to support the goals of presidents and other senior officials. One clear example was the false claims about Iraq’s WMD that led to the U.S. invasion in 2003.
In addition, the intelligence leadership has been known to lie under oath. For example, President Obama’s Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who issued the Jan. 6 report, lied in testimony before Congress regarding the extent of the National Security Agency’s monitoring of American citizens’ private communications. The truth was later revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, forcing Clapper to retract his statement.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (right) talks with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, with John Brennan and other national security aides present. (Photo credit: Office of Director of National Intelligence)
In short, there is no good reason to uncritically accept the statements and assertions of the U.S. intelligence community. Plus, the oft-repeated claim that all 17 U.S. intelligence agencies concurred in the Russia assessment was never true. There was no community-wide assessment, which would have required some form of a National Intelligence Estimate or NIE and would have included dissents as well as consensus judgments.
In raising the Russia meddling allegation last October — before the presidential election — Clapper simply claimed to be speaking for the Intelligence Community and that was then falsely interpreted to mean that all 17 intelligence agencies agreed. A formal assessment – though not an NIE – was not undertaken until December leading to the Jan. 6 report, which was the work of what Clapper later described as “hand-picked” analysts from three agencies: CIA, NSA and FBI.
On June 29, The New York Times ran a grudging correction to one of its stories that had repeated the false claim about the “17 intelligence agencies” although that canard continues to resonate on cable news channels as way to shut down any questioning of what has become the new groupthink believing in “Russian meddling.”
Another reason to be skeptical is the fact that Trump and elements of the Intelligence Community have clashed and some senior intelligence officials may be looking to pay back the President. Even Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer warned Trump about the dangers of bucking the CIA and other agencies: “They have six ways to Sunday at getting back at you.”
What better way of getting back at Trump than shining a bright light on the Steele dossier by including a summary of its contents as a classified annex to the Jan. 6 report, thus giving credence to the third-hand accusations and giving news organizations a peg for publishing the salacious allegations?
Finally, it is significant that the NSA would only grant “moderate confidence” to the accusation that “Putin and the Russian Government aspired to help President-elect Trump’s election chances.” Page 13 of the Jan. 6 report explains that moderate confidence means the information is “plausible but not of sufficient quality or corroborated sufficiently to warrant a higher level of confidence.”
In an apparent reference to those NSA doubts, The Washington Post reported on June 25 that “Some of the most critical technical intelligence on Russia came from another country, officials said. Because of the source of the material, the NSA was reluctant to view it with high confidence.”
Though the Post did not identify the country, this reference suggests that another key element of the case for Russian culpability was based not on direct investigations by the U.S. intelligence agencies, but on the work of external organizations with checkered histories.
Given the Intelligence Community’s history of deception and politicization – and especially given the false assumption about the 17-agency consensus – there is every reason to be skeptical and to demand credible and verifiable evidence about the core charge that Russia did “meddle” in the U.S. election.
4) The counter-evidence seems stronger and more factual.
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS), including William Binney, a former technical director of the NSA, asserts that the DNC email release was caused by a leak not a “hack.” The distinction is important: a hack is done over the Internet; a leak is done transferring files onto a memory stick with little or no record. VIPS believes the emails were taken by an insider who transferred the files onto a thumb drive. If the files had been transferred over the Internet, the NSA would have a record of that since virtually every packet is stored.
Former National Security Agency official William Binney sitting in the offices of Democracy Now! in New York City. (Photo credit: Jacob Appelbaum)
In addition, the publisher of the DNC and Podesta emails, Wikileaks, says it did not receive the emails from Russia. Also, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has offered a reward for the discovery of the murderer of Seth Rich, the young DNC Director of Voter Expansion who was mysteriously murdered on July 22, 2016. When asked if Seth Rich was the source of the DNC emails, Assange does not reply directly but it is implied.
Since Trump’s November victory, there also have been accusations of “Russian interference” in European elections. But in each case, subsequent investigations showed the opposite. In Germany, France and the U.K., security services found no evidence to support the initial allegations. The French security chief dismissed the claims of the Macron campaign saying the hack “was so generic and simple that it could have been practically anyone.”
5) The purported “crimes” have been wildly inflated.
The leaking of DNC and Podesta emails has been inflated into an “attack on US democracy” and an “act of war.” Not to be outdone in the hyperbole department, The Washington Post article calls this “the crime of the century.” It’s quite astounding; even if Russia were guilty of hacking the DNC servers and the emails of Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta, the information was truthful, not “fake news” or disinformation as some mainstream media outlets have suggested. The idea that disclosing truthful and newsworthy information amounts to an “act of war” is preposterous, and indeed dangerous.
Plus, the Wikileaks-related stories were secondary problems for the Clinton campaign, far less important than the FBI closing and then re-opening the criminal investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server for her official business as Secretary of State or her labeling half of Trump’s supporters as “deplorables.”
And, blaming RT for reporting on shortcomings in the U.S. democratic process and faulting the network for allowing third-party candidates to have a forum – as the Jan. 6 report does – amount to an absurdity. Even former U.S. President Jimmy Carter questions whether the U.S. is a still democracy, saying: “Now it’s just an oligarchy, with unlimited political bribery being the essence.”
6) The anti-Russia hysteria has reduced resistance to reactionary changes in domestic policy.
For progressives, the anti-Russia hysteria has not only bordered on McCarthyistic challenges to people’s patriotism but has diverted time and attention from the need to build opposition to Trump policies including the loss of net neutrality, increased military spending, reductions in environmental protection, plans to slash health-care for the poor to permit more tax cuts for the rich, and reduction in other budgets for education and social programs.
President Donald Trump being sworn in on Jan. 20, 2017. (Screen shot from Whitehouse.gov)
Further, the “blame-Russia” and “hate Trump” campaigns have reduced the credibility of liberals and progressives and make it harder to reach out to white working-class Americans who voted for Trump, in part, because they felt ignored and disrespected by the national Democratic Party.
7) The DNC and Podesta leaks were not bad; they were good.
If one is to take The Washington Post’s new slogan seriously – “Democracy Dies in Darkness” – you’d have to agree that shedding light on the secret machinations of the DNC and the Clinton campaign was a service to democracy, not an attack on democracy.
The leaks exposed how the DNC was violating its mandate to remain neutral during the primaries. Instead, the DNC leadership conspired to boost Clinton’s candidacy and frustrate a successful challenge by Sen. Bernie Sanders. If there was an “attack on democracy,” it was by the DNC leadership, not from the public release of authentic emails. And, as for the Podesta emails, they revealed the contents of Clinton’s paid speeches to Wall Street, which she had sought to hide from voters, and exposed some pay-to-play features of the Clinton Foundation.
8) Social media criticizing Clinton was not bad; much of the criticism was accurate.
While short on actual evidence of a Russian hack, the Jan. 6 report blames Russia for undermining “public faith in the US democratic process” by denigrating Clinton and harming “her electability and potential presidency.” The report suggests that Russia was responsible for anti-Clinton online messages, tweets, Facebook posts, etc.
Yet, it was predictable that Hillary Clinton would generate a lot of opposition during the presidential campaign since she has long been a magnet for right- and left-wing criticism. She is strongly disliked by many progressives for a number of reasons, including her warmongering foreign policy. So, it should come as no surprise that social media was alive with tweets, pages, posts and campaigns against Clinton – as it was with harsh criticism of Donald Trump.
It is self-deception to think this opposition was initiated or controlled in any substantial way by Moscow. Without doubt, the overwhelming majority of the criticism directed at Hillary Clinton – and at Donald Trump – was sincere and home-grown.
9) The anti-Russia hysteria distracts from an objective evaluation of why the Democratic Party lost.
Instead of doing an honest and objective assessment of the election failure, the Democratic Party has invested enormous time and resources in promoting the narrative of Russian “meddling” and collusion with Trump. If the Democrats want to regain popularity – and gain congressional seats in 2018 as well as the White House in 2020 – they need to look in the mirror and undertake reforms, including a shake-up of leadership which has changed very little in over 15 years.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The Democrats must confront the reality that many working-class Americans view the party as elitist and lacking a deep concern for the economic suffering of average people.
By concentrating so much energy on blaming “Russia, Russia, Russia,” the DNC also ignores that it tilted the primary race in Clinton’s favor while Sanders might well have been a much stronger candidate against Trump. In that sense, the Democratic Party’s leaders have nobody to blame but themselves for Trump’s victory.
10) The anti-Russia hysteria reduces resistance to neoconservative forces pushing for more war.
By obsessing on Russia-gate, Democrats and liberals are playing into the hands of neoconservatives and the Military Industrial Complex, which are pushing for another war in the Middle East and an expensive New Cold War with Russia. The immediate flashpoint is Syria where the Syrian government and allies are making slow but steady progress defeating tens of thousands of foreign-funded extremists.
In response, the U.S. and its allies have escalated their intervention and aggression trying to prolong the conflict and/or grab territory to block a Syrian government victory. The expanding U.S. military role in Syria also is threatening to bring about a direct clash between United States, which is operating inside Syria in violation of international law, and Russia, which has come to the aid of the internationally recognized government.
The Democratic and liberal hysteria around Russia has confused huge numbers of people who now have been led to believe that Russia is America’s “enemy” and must be confronted militarily around the world. Leading liberals are allying themselves with the CIA and war hawks, while also alienating peace voters, another important voting bloc.
Looking back over the eight months since the election, the obsession with Russia-gate may have started from shock over Trump’s election and then morphed into a resistance to his presidency (including the unlikely hope that the “scandal” would lead to his impeachment), but the hysteria has contributed to significant mistakes by those who have embraced it.
The mainstream news media jettisoned any pretense of objectivity as it joined the “hate-Russia” and “get-Trump” movement. Many Democrats and liberals also opportunistically and uncritically accepted and promoted the anti-Russia demonization, including McCarthyistic attacks on Americans who balked at the political/media stampede and questioned the accusations as either lacking in evidence or exaggerated.
Meanwhile, Trump finds himself getting pressured by Democrats and liberals to adopt even more warlike stances – to prove that he’s not Putin’s puppet – including a slide toward a new war in the Middle East and a step onto the slippery slope that could lead to nuclear annihilation.
Rick Sterling is an investigative journalist based in the San Francisco East Bay. He can be contacted at [email protected]
These ten problems are not the basis of my objections to Trump. I don’t listen to CrowdSource and I do check out the basis of each accusation paying attention to and giving credence on only to those sources which have a consistent presentation of the news that is not left or right wing and is well thought out and researched before a presentation. NPR, The Washington Post, New York Times, BBC, Rueters, NBC and ABC seem to be in that category on a consistent basis.
Yeah,…it probably was not Russia, but Portugal, or Greece, Venezuela or even better Luxembourg. Sure Luxembourg assigned their main hacker team to crack the US servers. Both members of this cracker-team decided to use cyrillic letters to make it a challenging objective. Nigeria also tried to hack the US servers by assigning their best 20 weddingscammers but they failed… And Russian hackers? Naaa they wouldn’t do this,..they are nice guys who love Clinton, everybody knows that!
Some things not mentioned, or left out of some points, like #8, Hillary Clinton had an army of paid internet trolls to “shut down” and bad posts about her on social media. We have records and proof that they existed. How is it they didn’t stop all those “fake news” posts from Russia?
On James Clapper…he failed to disclose that, after the DNC “hack” , he himself was hacked. Sorry, but I am not going to believe a guy who can be hacked by a teen from North Carolina is going to be able to pinpoint, with any accuracy, who hacked the dnc. I am also gonna be leery of any company claiming, as CrowdStrike did, to be able to catch hackers described as meticulous, expert, and difficult to trace, especially when others have been trying to catch them for over a decade. No one is that good the first time out.
Rick,
Many thanks (at least 10!) for sorting through the “Russiagate fog” now enshrouding Washington and the corporately-led military-industrial-security-media complex that is leading our country today.. Since the “…12 Baseless Claims that Form Russiagate” by Alexander Mercouris, and now your equally clear and excellent piece, maybe some of the media parrots may get a much better picture. Perhaps we might find some salvation from the Mueller Commission, who could probably (and definitely should) subpoena both the Podesta and DNC servers, upon which the whole house of cards of Russian hacking evidentially hangs.
Somehow the Crowdstrike Connection summarizing these two servers has become synonymous with the”3-4 intelligence services”, which has morphed into ” all 17 intelligence services”, and that is what nearly all media appear to rely on. The rest looks like its coming from the inexperience of the Trump family with internecine warfare that makes up our current political landscape. Let’s hope the country can save itself in time.
Howard
Bravo!Thanks for the article,it is necessary to spread!Greetings from Russia)
In 2003, the US launched the longest, most expensive war in this country’s history on lies about “Iraq’s stockpiles of WMD.” Clearly, Americans learned nothing.
Through 2017, the Rs have worked to build support for a war against China and the Ds have worked to build support for a war against Russia — all on vague fears and unsubstantiated allegations. Lies. This has been working to bring Russia and China together, resolving their years of conflict in view of a common threat — us.
During the Trump administration, there has been a significant build-up of US/NATO troops along the Russian border — seen by the international community as a likely US provocation of war. A final war. In spite of this, Democrats work hard via media to create a tale about a “Putin/Trump bromance.”
Excellent article. Great analysis. Thanks.
Apparently Obama is scheduled to begin his “bring the party together” campaign this Thursday …. oh yeah, can’t wait …. should be fun to watch the Clintonistas attempt to neutralize him for not being 100% pure Clinton party loyalist …
I had thought the G20 might provide Trump a chance to climb down from his perch of high dungeon but he’s already backtracking in response to a poor reception to cooperation with Russia over cybersecurity … Ivanka, Jared and Trump Jr. are all in the cross-hairs … His (marginal) victory in having a decent summit with Putin is being shit-on, worse than erased … anticipate meltdown in 5-4-3-2-1 … oh and then there’s healthcare…
At least it keeps our mind off the deportations which have been ramped up in vindictive fashion nationally ….
Seth Rich was killed. On July 10, 2016 – correction
Here’s the thing that bothers me the most. There is a woman on YouTube who has a channel called the Sane Progressive and she was following the primaries since the beginning. She has provern without a shadow of a doubt that it was the DNC and the Hillary Clinton campaign that actively rigged the primaries. There are numerous videos in real time showing caucus rigging, absentee ballot stuffing and election integrity activist’s testimonies showing proof that the exit polls weren’t matching the reported results in the teens! She has a series of 30 videros proving this on her site: electionfraud2016.wordpress.com I have told people this over and over but nobody seems to want to hear it or tell the truth!! We even contacted Bernie Sanders and practically begged him to expose this. He ignored our emails. When we called his office they hung up on us. Debbie even asked him in person in Philadelphia and he totally ignored her!! There was even a petitiion Debbie started that had over 40,000 signatures on it asking him to expose this. There was a letter from some former govt employees including CIA that wrote an oen letter to Senator Sanders asking him to expose this and he totally ignored it. Bernie Sanders was well aware of what was going on but refused to protect the vote!! Now he is protecting the corruption with this Russia bullshit. Will someone please stand up and expose this and end all of this ridiculous Russia speculation? It is especially more obvious with the release of the Wikileaks emails. Debbie Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign. Donna Brazille was caught red handed giving questions to Hillary Clinton during the debates and was fired from CNN. I have no idea why she was still the head of the DNC after that!! Numerous employees were fired because of the rigging and the fraud! I challenge you all to go to that website, watch the entire video series and then tell me it was Russia!!!!
Thank you. I hadn’t heard of that website. I’ll check it out, and expect to pass it along.
it wastes time to try to parse out who is the lap and who is the dog…they are one when it comes to anglo american relations.The deep new world order with elements of UK, US and of course Israel want to shuffle the heads of state on the chess board and are so transparent in their diplomatic double speak and double dealing that only hot wars will kick up enough chaos to mask their abysmal stratagem.
I would ask you to learn more about Israel from independent resources– including the many times that the US has royally screwed Israel over. The surge of anti-Israel propaganda in some of the media marketed to liberals has all the legitimacy of the tales about a “Putin/Trump bromance” or Iraq’s stockpiles of wmd.
What we have been watching in recent decades is actually a gradual international right wing (fascist) takeover of the Western nations.
Hey D.H.
USS Liberty. ‘nuf said.
Reposted from a friend:
I don’t know – it’s hard for me to see any U.S. ties to Russia…except for the Flynn thing and the Manafort thing
and the Tillerson thing
and the Sessions thing
and the Kushner thing
and the Carter Page thing
and the Ivanka hanging with the oligarchs thing
and the Roger Stone thing
and the Felix Sater thing
and the Boris Ephsteyn thing
and the Rosneft thing
and the Gazprom thing
and the Sergey Gorkov banker thing
and the Azerbajain thing
and the “I love Putin” thing
and the Donald Trump, Jr. thing
and the Sergey Kislyak thing
and the Russian Affiliated Interests thing
and the Russian Business Interests thing
and the Emoluments Clause thing
and the Alex Schnaider thing
and the hack of the DNC thing
and the Guccifer 2.0 thing
and the Mike Pence “I don’t know anything” thing
and the Russians mysteriously dying thing
and the Trump’s public request to Russia to hack Hillary’s email thing
and the Trump house sale for $100 million at the bottom of the housing bust to the Russian fertilizer king thing
and the Russian fertilizer king’s plane showing up in Concord, NC during Trump rally campaign thing
and the Nunes sudden flight to the White House in the night thing
and the Nunes personal investments in the Russian winery thing
and the Cyprus bank thing
and Trump not releasing his tax returns thing
and the Republican Party’s rejection of an amendment to require Trump to show his taxes thing
and the election hacking thing
and the GOP platform change to the Ukraine thing
and the Steele Dossier thing
and the Leninist Bannon thing
and the Sally Yates can’t testify thing
and the intelligence community’s investigative reports thing
and the Trump reassurance that the Russian connection is all “fake news” thing
and the Spicer’s Russian Dressing “nothing’s wrong” thing
and the Chaffetz not willing to start an investigation thing
and the Chaffetz suddenly deciding to go back to private life in the middle of an investigation thing
and the The Lead DOJ Investigator Mary McCord SUDDENLY in the middle of the investigation decides to resign thing
and the appointment of Pam Bondi who was bribed by trump in the trump university scandal appointed to head the investigation thing
and the The White House going into full-on cover-up mode, refusing to turn over the documents related to the hiring and subsequent firing of Flynn thing
and the Chaffetz and White House blaming the poor vetting of Flynn on Obama thing
and the Poland and British intelligence gave information regarding the hacking back in 2015 to Paul Ryan and he didn’t do anything thing
and the Agent M16 following the money thing
And now the trump team KNEW about Flynn’s involvement but hired him anyway thing
and The Corey Lewendowski thing
and the Preet Bharara firing thing but before he left he transferred evidence against trump to a state level Schneiderman thing
And the Betsy Devos’ Brother thing
And the Sebastian Gorka thing
And the Greg Gianforte from Montana thing
And the pence actually was warned about Flynn before he was hired thing
and the Pence and Manafort connection thing
And the 7 Allies coming forward with audio where trump was picked up in incidental wire tapping thing
and the carter Page defying the Senate’s order to hand over his Russian contact list
and the Obama coming forward and sayin he warned trump directly thing
And the trump wants to VETO Sally Yates’ testimony thing
and the trump tweets attacking Yates and defending Flynn thing
and the “no evidence of collusion” attributed to Clapper, who never said such a thing, thing.
and the “18” days before Flynn was fired thing
and the witness intimidation through tweets thing
and the McGahn “Why does it matter to the DOJ if one White House official lies to another official?” thing
and firing Comey thing!
and the temporary FBI head, McCabe, being also under investigation thing
and the banning the US press but allowing the Russian press to the Russian ambassador thing!
and the Certified Letter thing!
and the threatening Comey thing!
and the firing of Comey thing!
and the I respect the investigation but it is a witch hunt and no president has been so persecuted thing!
and the Kushner back door thing!
and the appointing Christopher Wray, as head of the FBI, whos law firm represented the trump organization and has ties to Rosneft and Gasprom Russian organizations!
and the blaming Obama for the Russian hacking that a week before he called a hoax and witch hunt!
and the Kushner/ trump jr meeting with Russia’s top propagandist Natalia Veselnitskaya thing.
and Peter Smith who actually colluded with Flynn thing
And trump and Tillerson meeting privately with Putin thing.
And trump allowing VISAs to 150 known Russian spys
And NOW trump offering to work with Putin on a cyber security thing?!!!! What?
SO yeah there’s probably nothing there!
Since you don’t have any evidence for hacking or other illegitimate actions by Russian intelligence services, you simply turn to pure xenophobic demagoguery and pretend every conversation with Russian people is a scandal.
The xenophobic attitude towards private Russian citizens (e.g. business people) is simply shameful. But the attempt to pretend contact with Russian diplomats and politicians is a scandal is extremely dangerous and irresponsible. During the Cold War, it was seen as very important to keep communication channels open. But now, because of such irresponsible hateful xenophobes who treat any contact with Russians as a sign of treason, many people will think twice whether they will really talk with Russians (or people from other countries that are vilified). When communication is made difficult because of this hateful atmosphere, the danger of misunderstandings and the escalation of conflics increases, and the chances of a peaceful resolution of international problems decreases.
Agree. Want to cause a collective American wetting of pants? Inform them that US politicians and businesses have been colluding (a.k.a., communicating, doing business) with their Russian counterparts ever since Richard Nixon’s detente agenda of the early 1970s.
Spot on, Adrian. Also imagine the list one could put together for virtually any politician if you replace Russia with Israel. But somehow (probably since they own the media) no one sees this as a problem.
Meanwhile, out in the real world, there is been a significant buildup of US/NATO troops along the Russian border (particularly in Poland). The international community — including Russia — sees this as a provocation of war. This is Trump making a direct threat to Russia.
That is reality. The hard, verifiable facts. Now try to reconcile this with the anti-Russian propaganda.
Hi Fabian, the NATO troop buildup will be the counterweight to the Russian troops which are already there. The moment that there are more NATO troops then Russian troops you can start to complain about NATO. Makes sense?
Agree. There’s been a lot of speculation and conjecture but if any of it is true, they broke the law and tried to cover it up by lying and need to be held accountable
Hey Dan, I hear where you’re coming from. A LOT of smoke and we’re beginning to see the truth of the matter…that Trump and associates have no boundries of decency or morals. They will sell the country for a stupid buck and a thumbs up.
Of course there’s “cyber warfare” going on between Russia and the US. We’ve been doing it for years and years unabated. The issue ( that isn’t recognised and is downplayed here at CN ) is that there is Trump team collusion with foreign actors in orchestrating manipulation of the election. It’s as simple as that. It isn’t a Russia thing..it’s a Trump thing…that’s the cancer upon this country right now. It isn’t the Russians, the fucking Zionists, the Democrats or men from Mars. Eliminate Trump and we can get down to brass tacks in addressing the REAL PROBLEMS. With Trump/GOP we’ll be going to hell so quickly it will be difficult to pinpoint how it happened. Dump Trump and we can get back to taking on the GOP policies as well as DNC promoted policies that are dangerous and in need of opposition.
~S
The weakness in Mr Sterling’s argument is that he focuses on the Russian government and relies on the “no evidence” argument. To take the latter point first, one assumes that intelligence services have the capacity to hack into computers without leaving any “evidence” of their passage and we’re constantly being told about the nefarious deeds of the “deep state”. One assumes that Russia also has a deep state capable of the same sort of nefarious deeds as its US counterpart. Thus, “no evidence” is not proof of innocence and, since we’re constantly being told of US “interference” in other countries’ elections, the charge of Russian interference in the US and France is credible and in terms of practical politics, cannot just be dismissed by the “no evidence” argument. More importantly, WikiLeaks, which has suddenly gone very quiet, chose its words very carefully: it did not say that it did not receive the e-mails from Russia. It said it did not receive them from the Russian government. That fact that it made that distinction suggests that it did receive them from a Russian source, but not the government. The ongoing MacronLeaks investigation has so far yielded three names: one Russian national and two figures of the US “alt-right”. Given the parallels between the US and French “scenarios”, MacronLeaks thus proves Russiagate. The fact that the Russian worked for a private company changes nothing in that regard. The point is not Trump’s links to the Russian government but his links to Russian interests, whether public or private. As can be seen from the story linked to, the German case had nothing to do with elections. What attracted attention was that the story was “broken” by Lavrov at a time when the German authorities had already determined that the claim was a fake and, for that reason, it hadn’t even been reported in the German media. The question, which was never answered, was how did Lavrov find out and why he was unaware that it was a fake.
So relying on the “no evidence” argument when there is no evidence is somehow a weak point? Who leads you to the “three names”? The same people who can make up anything and pin it on anyone! Russia’s “Deep State” has had to play “catch up” in recent years. They were buying everything from the USA, and finally came to realize that they had to go their own way for security reasons. I suggest that you listen to Stone’s Putin interviews carefully, and judge the man by his own words. Of course I know you won’t, because you are a paid troll. But I’m hoping others who may be new to CN and read this comment stream and are trying to find their way to some truth see through your BS.
Your best line:
“Thus no evidence is not proof of innocence…” I want to know when you stopped beating your wife and how old you were before you stopped having sex with your mother. I have no evidence, but good luck trying to prove your innocence.
yes, people are beginning to notice that despite an abundance of smoke being blown, they can’t even manage a censure, much less a perjury charge … speaking of fake news designed to affect the election, on election eve there were news items that Manafort was about to be indicted for tax evasion, or money laundering (I forget which), after a more than 6 month FBI investigation … and that was 7 months ago … crickets.
Last Month, Flynn was cast as a second Benedict Arnold (personal grievance and motive) …. still waiting for him to be hit with perjury or contempt of congress or something … or to dramatically turn “states evidence” to save his sorry ass.
On the contrary the Macron Leaks do not prove Russian Gate. The Head of the French Cybersecurity declared it had nothing to with the Russians. It could be by any young person. As for meddling the USA meddled in the recent French elections.
Michael Kenny,
let’s hope you’ll never get into legal trouble. If you’re facing a “smart” (irony) prosecutor, you’ll almost certainly get indicted, because “no evidence is no proof of innocence”.
@ “[Wikipedia] did not say that it did not receive the e-mails from Russia. It said it did not receive them from the Russian government. That fact that it made that distinction suggests that it did receive them from a Russian source, but not the government.”
That is a giant, illogical leap. The distinction actually made was between the Russian government and every other person/government in the world. A non-government Russian source is only one of billions of possibilities left by the language actually used. You’re putting a phrase (“Russian source”) in Wikipedia’s mouth that its staff never said.
Wikipedia’s statement responded directly to claims that the Russian government was the source. Wikipedia denied the allegation. And that is all that it said.
Is Russia-gate a lame attempt to legitimize Hillary Clinton for the 2020 presidential election?
I think she will be too old by then. Her recent pictures show her getting bloated. She looks like she might be on some anti-depressants. The Deep State will have to come up with a new DINO shill for 2020. Maybe Rachel Madcow will get into politics!
Rachel Maddow doing the State of the Union address, now that should be entertaining, not. Skip quit scaring the kids. How about Chris Matthews as Secretary of State, and Anderson Cooper for VP? Now I’ll never get the kids to sleep…damn, I had to go ruin everything,
Sometimes I even scare myself. Go play with the puppy Joe, I’m taking my dog for a walk to clear my head.
yes, Joe, that’s scary and the “true democrats” appear to be doubling down to call this latest meeting “treason” … Because finding out what “dirt” “some Russian” recommended by friends is now to be considered treason …
They are again parsing various past statements … but apparently meeting with Manafort (who was — irrc — angling for an official role in the campaign and whose “Russian” and Ukranian and ‘Stan ties are long-standing and well known) is also “treason”
Maybe someone will demand to know who attended Cheney’s energy meetings … and it’s more and more clear as we angle to use LNG exports (Americans exporting natural gas — cleaner than all that oil we’re still importing and refining) is apparently the new Enron like fracking pyramid scheme by which we will buy “allies” particularly among NATO countries and attempt to shiv the Russian economy …
Maddow for President … persish the thought now that she has fully morphed into a Keith Olbermann clone — but even more grating …
There had been a few new calls by Democratic Stalwarts to refocus on 2020 and reunifying the party — I guess that’s a “no go” … The Clinton cabal will never let go of the Clinton Party. Eat shit and die.
The point of all this Anti-Russia obsession is to cover up the corrupt actions of the DNC as revealed by Wikileaks. Watch how they first came up with the fake cover-up scheme: https://youtu.be/V8ERFwZoPXE
That video you provided should be aired on prime time. Thanks for the link. Joe
I’m trying to get my head around today’s outrage that Trump associates attended a meeting with some Russian claiming to have dirt on Clinton …. while apparently some Clinton booster (and anti-Trump republicans) paying Steele for that dossier is A-OK …. the provenance of that pussygrab video and the negotiations for it being handed over to Clinton campaign — and their deployment of same as a Trump campaign killer — probably also deserves scrutiny …
Shall we discuss (again or more thoroughly) the relevance of the Podesta e-mails and the Judicial Watch FOIA — versus — the Steele dodgy dossier of unverifiable claims and the 10-year-old pussygrab video (the “short fingered vulgarian” label was coined in 1988 — almost 30 years old in 2016) — yes, we were all shocked that gambling was going on in Rick’s Cafe too.
Rick made Americans look good – maybe for the last time. Hitler helped make us do the right thing ,at least for a while.
We keep trying to make all our enemies look like Hitler now, but it’s a propaganda lie. We want to pretend all our piracies are compassionate interventions. What sickening hypocrisy to hide our terrorist aggressions!
Something had to be made over the Clinton email discovery, so they did make something of it, it’s called Russia-Gate. Nothing to see here, now move along. Susan you have it so right, I just had to add my two cents in support. Joe
This “Russiagate” malarkey is wrong in so many ways, it’s getting hard to know where to start…
A thought over a beverage of ones choice,
Can we not use our language and intellect to override the banal and baseless adage or motto attracting “-gate” to any new cause or event which spawns lingo in our discourse? Its old, it’s tired, it implies some harmony with Nixon which has no place in modern dialog. Personally, whenever I see the “-gate” I immediately do not give any attention to the theme as it is just regurgitated newspeak. I think a lot of people do as well. It is time for newspeople to dust of a thesaurus and get out of the 70s. This is just a suggestion. Russia-gate? Are you kidding?
Yeah, the wording is unfortunate. It is a type of short-hand the MSM has adopted, and I am guilty of using their terminology. And of course there was nothing about Watergate that was leading us towards nuclear war with Russia. So in a sense, it trivializes the importance of the matter at hand.
I just can’t get enough dumpster loads of this juvenile “Russia done it” prop-crap.
Regarding the “crime of the century” the winner in that category in my opinion is a sequence of U.S. wars, which actually start before the most recent turn of the century with the busting up of Yugoslavia, continued on with the decision to attack Afghanistan rather than providing evidence to that country to justify an extradition of Ben Laden, going on the the lie based attack on Iraq and on Lybia and now on Syria and support of the Saudi attack on Yemen. Oh yes, and in 1991 the great incubator lie which gave weight to U.S. determination to impede a diplomatic resolution of Iraq’s issues with Kuwait. (See The New Yorker’s article by Milton Viorst on how US pulled the rug out from under King Hussein’s efforts to get the Arab League to mediate. Pierre Sallinger also wrote on the subject.) Of course U.S. is not the only contestant in the crime of the century contest. We should also look at Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza from the moment Hamas — the legitimate winner of the Palestinian elections — took power and Israel instituted a siege, with U.S. support all the way.
The American media and even Trump’s appointees won’t give up the mythology even after the impromptu summit followed by the mutual compliments that Trump and Putin gave each other.
Unlike the Kremlin analysts who said… “I can say with certainty that Putin was pleased after the meeting. And while I don’t personally know Donald Trump, my impression was that he was satisfied as well,” said Dmitry Peskov, who pointed out that he wasn’t personally present at the two-hour talks, but was later fully briefed by the Russian leader. “Accusations that Trump is somewhat incompetent or that he is a novice, can be classified as delusional trash,” Peskov told the Russia 1 news channel. “Trump is not some simpleton. He has expert knowledge, he is a very determined negotiator and skillful at using his knowledge to put his position across” [RT]…
Nikki Haley had to offer… “Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they’re not just meddling in the United States’ election. They’re doing this across multiple continents, and they’re doing this in a way that they’re trying to cause chaos within the countries,” Haley told CNN’s State of the Union show. Haley said that Putin “did exactly what we thought he would do, which is deny” any meddling in US elections. She went on to say that Russia was trying to “save face,” but couldn’t because “everybody knows that Russia meddled in our [US] elections.” She went on to say that “we can’t trust Russia and we won’t ever trust Russia.” [RT]
Even US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson deflated hopes for optimism when he said “the US had expected Putin to say that the election meddling accusations were groundless during his meeting with Trump.” “I think, in all candidness, we did not expect an answer other than one we’ve received, so it was about the way we’d expected the conversation to go,” the state secretary said. He also pointed out that this issue “stands as an obstacle to our ability to improve the relationship between the US and Russia and it needs to be addressed in terms of how we assure the American people that interference into our elections will not occur by Russia or anyone else.” [RT]
So, in spite of the smiles and glad-handing, the asymmetry in the narrative presented by the two sides still largely persists. Though it is to his detriment, even Trump’s operatives are still basically saying that he is president essentially because Russia cheated to give him an advantage. How stupid is that? Well, it keeps the Deep State’s foot in the door on the world war they seem determined to have.
I have been repeatedly disgusted by Trump’s handling of this whole Russia-gate thing. He keeps half-caving to the MSM narrative, rather than call it out for the lie that it is. He should be demanding a full scale investigation into Seth Rich’s murder, and bringing all the facts in this article directly to the American people via the bully pulpit. Why does he keep tweeting such simplistic nonsense? Is he trying to walk some kind of fine line to keep the Deep State at bay?
Skip read Paul Craig Roberts 7/9/17.
Thanks Joe. Two questions. Why did Trump appoint the people he did, who have contrary positions to the ones he took during the campaign? Why doesn’t he speak directly to the American people in depth about the charade of Russia-gate? I am guessing that he’s had his “trip to the woodshed” and is trying to walk some kind of fine line to maintain some small shred of credibility while at the same time doing a complete 180 on his campaign promises. I remember when PCR was pro-Trump. Now he seems about as disgusted with him as I am. “Trumps incompetence is illustrated by his appointments” Exactly!
I think the sountrack for Trump’s first six months in office will be The Bee Gees ‘Staying a Live’. If Trump makes it through to the end of his term, it will be marveled as it being one of the greatest feats know to man. Isn’t it amazing to how much the Deep State is revealing of itself. I mean pretty soon they won’t need to stay behind the curtain. The best part is Hillary would have loss to Romney, let alone Trump. Soon no one vote, because people are tired of picking between the Lessor of the Two Evils. We need candidates.
Read this….
https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/07/10/democrats-never-learn-2/
Ps see the link I left Susan about Dem’s talking Single Payer.
Take care Skip Joe
The voters stayed away from the polls since the DNC is a Fraud. They just proved it again by killing Single Payer in CA in exchange for millions in “donations” from Big Pharma and the Insurance Industry.
This is an excellent summary of the entire controversy and the dangers it threatens us with and the fact it is ultimately destructive to its proponents since it destroys their legitimacy as “progressives.” Crowdstrike as is documented in the article is the creature of Ukrainian anti-Russian oligarch Alperovich (I think I have his name right) and is closely associated with the Clintons. The fact the DNC won’t allow the FBI to even look at its computers also is indicative of fraud. The Steele dossier, meanwhile, was also a power structure creation.
It is also a fact that the leaks of the documentation to wikileaks furthered democracy, in contrast to the bleatings of the Clinton lackeys by revealing their corruption of the democratic process. They are like gangsters who are disappointed that their crimes were disclosed. It is a disgrace to see “Mother Jones” which I used to respect, end up as a yellow sheet promoting conspiracy theories the logical conclusion of which would be a potentially world ending war. This is one of the best summaries of the phony controversy and cogently addresses almost all of the aspects of it.
I agree with all ten points……… yet, shouldn’t be we worried that US is isolating itself Europe and East Asia, sent Ivanka to G20, and is just dumb enough to join bed with Russia on cyber security?
We have a third world dictator in the White House and a willing Congress. Forget Russia. We have a crisis within.
Ivanka is for global warming and paid family leave. She is not her dad. Actually, Trump was a dem and ran for Nader’s party once. If the Dems hadn’t started this insane Russia attack he would have worked with them. But they’ve cornered him so he has to go Total GOP so the party will protect him from the insane McCarthyite assault, which is a fraudulent as WMDs in Iraq.
My problem is with Ivanka is that her only qualifications are her pretty face and money laundering skills for her dad.
ZERO EVIDENCE!
Excellent basic summary of this situation!
Of course, getting the US public to pay any significant attention to serious, anti-MSM truths — that are WITHOUT a DIRECT relationship to the average person’s health or money — is unforeseeable at this time. People getting killed in foreign lands with our weapons and/or direct-participation? Who cares… anyway, the TV said only the bad guys are being killed, it’s complicated, and I can’t do anything about it… so let’s go catch the game at the new arena they built, or watch “The Housewives of ??? City”. Until there’s some MAJOR negative financial/personal consequences, the US public will intentionally disregard easily discernible truths that interfere with their entertaining themselves and distract them from getting that ‘McMansion in the sky’. The Vietnam ‘War’ (undeclared as it was) wasn’t a problem for the majority until too many sons (good, white middle-class boys, doncha know!) started coming home in boxes – – – THEN it be came a ‘big deal’ (albeit after 3 or 4 yrs).
I could go on-and-on with examples, but there are plenty of others who have done-so and are much better at it than I. I just remain continually befuddled/stunned by a majority of the US population’s acceptance of these things, as evidenced by their voting patterns.
Most people now know WMDs were a fraud perpetrated by the WaPo and NYT, yet they are still believed. Fewer know that the Gulf of Tonkin never happened. And almost none know we destroyed democracy in Iran, leading to our current troubles. The US wants Tyrants to rule the ME, not democracies.
As the Democratic Party today is a right wing, big-business, pro militarist party of the top 10 percent or so, just as is the Republican Party, they adopt a strategic posture of character assassination, scandal mongering and repetitive big lie propaganda tactics and political provocation, just as the Republican Party. On what other basis to they have to run agains the Republicans? None, except the reactionary politics of identity, which further discredits the Democratic Party as elitist while ignoring the actual needs and aspirations of the 90 percent.
The Democrats haven a proven right-wing trajectory going back 40 years or more, from the Jimmy Carter years right on through the Obama Administration. There is no changing or reforming this corrupt institution despite the false prophets and phony populism of ‘Bernie’ or, next, one presumes, Elizabeth Warren.
What is needed is a new movement of the 90 percent, separate from and in firm opposition to both of the major two right-wing parties of the political establishment, not in the orbit of them (such as such tendencies as the Greens).
Such a movement, to succeed, must be consistent – that is, staunchly anti-war and a party of every-day and working people.
A pro-militarist party that is also populist (not big-business centered and nationalist) is an impossibility. The continual rightward trajectory of the Democratic party going back 40 years has amply proven the impossibility of ‘reforming’ this thoroughly discredited institution and its hangers on among the diversity crowd and within the bought-and-paid-for labor bureaucracy.
At least, one would think by now.
Daniel I think you are right. I actually was so disappointed with the Democrates back when McGovern ran and loss, that I quite voting between 1972 & 1992. You see back when McGovern ran for president I thought then that the Democrates didn’t get behind McGovern enough to make a difference. I started voting again believing I might be able to make things better for my children, but that has only been proven to be a fool’s folly. First we need reasonable, and committed, candidates who will represent the better interest of the people who elect them. They say, things move in cycles, well I feel it’s about time for the ‘we the people’ cycle to begin, how about you?
Daniel: Very accurate description of the Democratic Party. As Gore Vidal said many years ago, both the parties are the left and right wings of the same bird. As I see it: Clinton was the most dishonest, cleverest, manipulative, slick and self-centered, and bought off leader of the Democrats with no conscience, in recent times. Obama was no better either. In fact, with his mixed race credentials, and those ivy-league honed skills, he was even more effective and very dangerous. He is still out there, cohorting with Merkel, Trudeau, and Renzi, and others to shore up NeoLiberal Globalism, and block this possible opportunity for peace. This very hard-hearted, and bitter Hillary is a danger to the entire humanity.
These are your current democratic Party leaders. And we want to reform this Party! It does not have much chance.
These – Democrats’ leaders – are very clever and manipulative politicians. In collusion with their partners in Finance, Media, and Entertainment have made the following issues as the main issues to fool the gullible public.
1. Identity politics. Immigration of 75 millions people during the last two or three decades were part of that design. They are mostly their voters.
2. LGBT issues, Transgender rest rooms, gay marriage, and other such issues to distract the largely uninformed masses from the real bread and butter, healthcare, nuclear war, armament, defense expenditures and war and peace issues.
3. Inventing imaginary or real threats: Russia Threat, terrorist threat, China, Iran . . .
One can go on with the list.
There is possibility of a right leader comes up and makes some impact on the Democratic party. It seems like Tulsi Gabbard has some guts, and principles. Going to Syria with Dennis Kucinich to meet Syrian People, and meet their leader Assad was a very bold step she took. That is the only hope on the horizon.
Tulsi is a CFR member.
The Democrat party is dead.
Rick Sterling’s 10th point is particularly significant: “The anti-Russia hysteria reduces resistance to neoconservative forces pushing for more war.”
Sterling notes that the “Democratic and liberal hysteria around Russia has confused huge numbers of people who now have been led to believe that Russia is America’s ‘enemy’ and must be confronted militarily around the world. Leading liberals are allying themselves with the CIA and war hawks, while also alienating peace voters, another important voting bloc.”
It is important to acknowledge the Obama administration was populated with neoconservatives and liberal interventionist war hawks eager to demonize Russia. Automatically rejecting “We came, we bombed, they died” Hillary, peace voters were confused by Trumps’ phony “outsider” peace rhetoric and Bernie’s sheepdog bomb run.
Another factor: The Queen of Chaos on her worst day couldn’t generate the levels of distraction that the Huge Cheetoh produces with a single obnoxious Tweet. Trump as Emmanuel Goldstein as Big Brother is a post-Orwellian performance America and the world jus’ loves to hate.
Meanwhile cash and weapons hemorrhage to the Saudis and the Israelis, and the road to Tehran is being paved with bombs through Raqqa.
Deeply inserted from 2008 to 2016, will the peace movement perform a cranial-rectal extraction in time to figure out what and where the real war is happening, and on whose behalf?
“not great politics”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOOfwN0iYxM
America is still feelin’ the burn.
That was Bernie’s concession speech…and what’s left of the “left” still doesn’t get it.
Abe even now watching and hearing Bernie collapse to the Clinton machine breaks my heart, not to mention how at that moment I felt something terribly wrong was unraveling right before our very disappointed eyes. If Bernie was the sheep dog, well then herder Hillary got the short end of that deal, because what she forgot, is how even with Bernie endorsements no one was going to vote for her anyway. Just think while Bernie was giving Hillary away out on the email scandal, Hillary & Company was sabotaging his campaign.
Thanks for the video Abe Joe
“the evidence is overwhelming”
http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/01/10/bernie-sanders-town-hall-russia-hacking-sot.cnn
we now have more than a generation that does not know “peace” … all those under the age of consciousness in 2001 and those old enough but inattentive enough to remember Gulf War I and Bosnia as very-successful minor conflicts (“surgical”) … they seem to accept various exceptionalist / neocon tenants as unquestionable … American preeminence and “responsibility” to intervene (when other’s “won’t”) …
They believe, most dangerously, in preemptive aggression … and the need for an American “upper hand” in all things …
Most of all, they turn on their TV to make sure the world hasn’t fallen apart … that there has been no “new 09/11” on American soil … and then they go about their day, worrying about themselves and the price of gasoline or their cell phone service.
I’ve been looking for the perfect “Peace” or “Stop the War(s)” bumpersticker …. no frou-frou about co-existence or tolerance … unfortunately most I have found seem airy-fairy idealistic …. when I’m looking for “Demand Peace” “Peace NOW!” and/or Prosecute War profiteers!
Abe: I agree with all the points you made. Sterling notes that the “Democratic and liberal hysteria around Russia has confused huge numbers of people who now have been led to believe that Russia is America’s ‘enemy’ and must be confronted militarily around the world . . . ” . That is exactly what Liberal Democrat hawks want to do, they will keep at it until the end – they have in their minds. Russia Gate isn’t going nowhere. The Liberal Democrats in the old sense of the word ended with Bill Clinton. They have been Wall Street Corporate War Hawk Democrats since Clinton Presidency; just about all of them now. It is the Democrats who are more united now to start still more wars than the Republicans. As Joe Tedesky wrote above, they have been all bought off.
Bernie Sanders does not differ much from these Wall Street Corporate War Hawk Democrats. Just like Soviet style votes in the senate now on defense budget, weapons to arm terrorists or for war, Bernie Sanders raises his hand each time in 98-1, 99-1 results. Bernie Sanders is part of the Establishment, and has been put there to assuage or rather fool the progressives and old style liberals, and the new young liberal voters who do not understand the Establishment’s game plan. Some may say that Bernie Sanders is a mole in the progressive movement.
Ironically, U.S. is looking more or less like Soviet union now with no opposition, and Oligarchy’s complete control over Finance, Media, Entertainment, and more or less over Academic Institutions as well. Who could have thought of it forty of fifty years ago!
Cranial-rectal extraction! Gotta love it!
(Deeply inserted)
Here is a totally explanatory link about the DNC leaks…
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk
These two videos from OffGuardian fairly well describe the Clinton agenda and BCCI.
https://off-guardian.org/2017/07/08/video-requiem-for-the-suicided-danny-casolaro-part-1/
Thanks Bob. Great link. I just read it and forwarded it to a bunch of friends and family.
Thank you Skip, and the comments are informative too…
ditto
I would add #11: It only serves to bolster Trump’s anti-establishment credibility with his supporters since the entire Clintonista crowd and the establishment MSM is pushing this Russia bullshit. A surefire way of insuring him a 2nd term. Really stupid. Of course the Dems may prefer Trump to an actual populist progressive which I see as the only type of politician that can beat him in 2020. It is certainly the case that they preferred Trump over Sanders in 2016.
I’d add #12 that it increases and amplifies like a constant drumbeat the polarization / tribalism between “The Real Democrats” and everyone else … it’s that droning noise that convinces people not to even bother to listen to a thing “those people” have to say … further branding the party, like Clinton the Candidate, as a serial fabulist, liar and arrogant civil society rule-breakers … to go along with “basket of deplorables” and that 10-year-old pussygrab video that wasn’t the Trump-slayer that the Clintons assumed (whenver happened to Allred’s dozen of accusors and all those other tapes that were promised but never arrived?)
The fact that two people had a meeting or shared a dining table or a dais or one person accepted a speaking engagement from some entity or person with “russian ties” is now considered “suspect” … merits a front page article in the NYT or washington post —
absurdity … like all that metadata the NSA collects.
Where’s the beef.
Rick Sterling here has written the one article which describes this Russia-Gate nonsense from every aspect of what this story entails. I could not add to this authors fine observations, as he said everything I can think of from any angle you would prefer hearing it from, and then some.
The Clintons I hope someday soon, will be looked upon by the Democrates for what they are, and that is they represent Wall St. more than the Clinton’s provide for Main Street. Bernie isn’t the only casualty of the Clinton machine, and if we are not careful, and if the Clintons are to be allowed to remain in charge of the party of FDR, then all hope is loss. In fact there are many of you, who have made up your minds too never trust the Democrates ever again. The only good news for the Democrates, is these loss Democrates will certainly not become card carrying GOPer’s.
Bill Clinton made a deal with the financial devils back in 1992 … FWIW, I’ve always wondered if that attempt at national healthcare was deliberately sabotaged for a generation (how could anybody that smart be that stupid???) Their “first, you have to get elected” nostrums proved the soul-selling required to work “within the system” not that “the system” was particularly amenable with them any more than they were eager to work with Obama. Healthcare will wreck our economy eventually … conspicuously unmentioned is that it’s the 2nd or 3 largest industry …. and employs primarily and secondarily a shit-ton of people of many job descriptions …
The drama of Trump’s devastation wrt the provision of health care to the populous may be overshadowed by the loss of jobs resulting from closure of smaller facilities and an exodus of those with critical and transferable skills … rebuilding a healthcare infrastructure will be staggeringly expensive if the trend of clinic and local hospital closures continue … the loss of cutting edge innovation will be slower and less obvious … Our reliance on third world trained physicians may well become a liability as working conditions and remuneration deteriorate.
Yes, the Clinton failure to quite succeed at all in health care reform would be worth investigation. Whether it is due to fake “necessities,” or just lack of real concern. Nothing at all was accomplished in Obama’s first two years when the Dems held House and Senate and Presidency, compared with FDR’s first 100 days. Clearly there is no more sympathy with humanity in the heart of the DNC than in the heart of DC.
yes, it’s not “paradoxical” that Clintons “ineptly” pushing healthcare in 1992 (with massive popular support) managed to take it “off the table” for a generation because “no one elected Hilary Clinton to manage healthcare reform” … never forget that Medicare expansion to universal health care had been the plan at the time MEDICARE was created…
We have learned that the badly formed Obamacare was “the plan” all along …. those agonizing months of “negotiations” were kabuki of the “don’t forget to be grateful you’ve got a job” tactics of labor negotiations … it was unpopular even with its supporters and those who depended on it because it cost too much and provided too little and threatened $$ penalties for the people (like me) who couldn’t afford it.
Susan if you read the counterpunch article by Vincente Navarro you will see how right you are, about the Clinton’s avoiding to appeal to the public for support of a healthcare plan. The Clinton’s went out of there way, to not gather this support from the citizens, and there was a good reason for that. The reason was, the Clinton’s nor the Republicans plus a few corporate owned Democrates purposely didn’t want to bring the public into this debate for national single payer healthcare, because then that would mean America goes single payer. America’s not having a single healthcare system, isn’t because the voters don’t want one, it’s due to the fact that the healthcare insurance lobby literally owns these corrupted politicos, and that’s the truth.
I for one, who does own a small business, and yes we do provide healthcare to our employees, wish that a single payer healthcare system would be put in place, and thus remove my company from the burden of trying to pick out a good enough plan which will benefit all of our employees….that’s me.
I am leaving a link to a counterpunch article written by Vicente Navarro who is Professor of Health and Public Policy at the Johns Hopkins University, U.S.A., and of Political Sciences in the Pompeu Fabra University, Spain. Mr Navarro’s article does a flash back in time to describe the many in’s and out’s of the Clinton healthcare initiative back in 1993, and how it failed. You should go on counterpunch and put in the search box ‘Clinton healthcare failure’ or something like that, and read the many articles which have been written concerning this past failure. Also see the consortiumnews internal links where ‘healthcare reform’ is, and see what is here for further information.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2007/11/12/why-hillary-s-health-care-plan-really-failed/
The long and short of it, the Clintons never were true to single payer. As usual though, the Clintons were, and still are, professionals at using a progressive narrative. Likewise they mimick progressives with their talking the talk, but in the end the Clintons always return to their true blue benefactors, and that of course is they bow to their beholden masters of Wall Street.
Here is a article from consortiumnews archives. This was written by Barbara Koeppel from back in 2008, but Koeppel gets into Hillary’s failed healthcare epoisode, and she also mentions Vincente Navarro while reporting it.
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/02/21/clintons-experience-fact-and-fantasy/
thanks — the link in that article to Navarro’s piece on how Bill Clinton came to run on healthcare, etc. is wrong/dead … here’s the correct link
https://www.counterpunch.org/2007/11/12/why-hillary-s-health-care-plan-really-failed/
Susan I’m confused the link to the counterpunch article is the same as yours, and the second link, which you linked off from was a consortiumnews article that sighted Navarro. In any case I do believe you got what I wanted to provide to you, since you brought up Hillary and healthcare. Take it easy Susan Joe
fascinating — Kaiser foundation says healthcare = 9% of American jobs, auto industry says they account for 3.8% … oh, and like the auto industry, many many healthcare jobs** tend to come with benefits (because they meet # of employees criteria for mandatory coverages)
although there has been inexorable and predictable shift towards sub-contracting/outsourcing to non-benefit supplying subcontractors to — cough — save costs.
Just think Susan, if Podesta’s and Hillary had not ever hatched this Russian hacking accusation, and without any evidence, you and I would not be here now discussing Hillary’s past endeavors. Even when Hillary isn’t she is. That’s some pretty good marketing of a brand, but always remember if a Clinton is moving their mouth then that means they are lying to you. This whole Russian blame game affair, is unfortunate on so many levels, but the level we should be concerned with the most, is the level of each countries military status in regard to this sad fabricated situation. To think how the Democrates would poke at the Russian bear goes to show just how desperate that party really is. What a waste, if only the Democrates would cater to the average voter then they would see a different party for sure.
Hey Susan, I just saw this, and thought you might have interest in what it’s about.
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/341057-single-payer-healthcare-gains-traction-with-dems
While on the subject of healthcare:
https://theysaythepenismightier.com/2017/07/06/healthcare-what-would-a-working-alternative-look-like/
Joe, You brought up a very important – if not the most important, which currently I think is danger of nuclear war – issue of health care which should concern all Americans. Clintons first, Obama recently, both sold out to the Wall street as they are, desrtoyed the chances of single payer system, which was within reach. Our businesses can’t compete with Europe, Japan, S. Korea, Taiwan because in those countries all the employees have government financed single payer healthcare systems, and retirement systems as well.
And the whole country has been put through this Russia Gate nonsense – a nonstop 24/7 nightmare, for a year now. It says everything about political priorities in the Country – all dictated by the Wall Street Oligarchy. Regardless of the fact that, since World war II, U.S. has intervened or assisted in sixty or seventy countries in overthrowing their governments, five or six leaders eliminated, and have been involved in all these very destructive wars with millions dead. And NSA hacks all emails, phone calls all over the world. We are hacking the phones of leaders our Adversaries as well as our Allies.
And we are blaming – without any evidence – that Russia hacked Hillary – Podesta, and DNC emails. So called Russia Gate should be a nonissue. Democratic Party, Republicans, and the other actors who are behind this Canard must have something in mind – they are not doing it for nothing. In fact, in fanning this Russia Threat hysteria, MSM has outdone the Hitler’s Nazis very famous propaganda machine.
For starters, you make a good point about American businesses are being handicapped by our healthcare system. To prove my point, I do business with a company in Canada, I know these people very well. One day my Canadian counterpart and my accountant went through their list alongside our list of fixed expenses. What we uncovered was deeply saddening for our company, and a relief for our Canadian friend’s business. Our company pays over thirty percent more, than does our Canadian look alike in the way of fixed expenses.
Among your list of Wall Street Oligarchy accomplishments done in the name of libery and freedom for all since WWII, you forgot to mention presidential assassinations. I mean seriously the JFK assassination independent investigators has uncovered over these many years more evidence than enough, that proves how Lee Harvey Oswald wasn’t the lonegunman who killed our 35th president, and yet we are to believe Russia-Gate without any evidence is to be believed, while believing JFK was an inside hit job is thrown on the trash heap of conspiracy theories. Since none of this can be crunched down into the size of a sound bite Kennedy’s death will remain as it is described in the Warren Report, while Russia-Gate sells because all you need to say is, ‘Putin is a thug’, or ‘Putin is bad’. Evidence they don’t need no stink’n evidence….they are the government.
Truth Dave, all we want and need is the truth. Joe
Joe-
One of the least talked about advantages of a single payer system is that it would level the playing field, both nationally and internationally, for small business. I think that’s just one of the many reasons it’s been sabotaged from the beginning.
Yes Skip it is the stupidest arrangement that could have been thought of. Why have an employer pick out your healthcare. A person should be able to get healthcare the same way a person would purchase anything else…they themselves buy it. I’d rather give the employee the money, oh and by the way our employees contribute $40.xx a month, and I’m not crazy about that. Joe
“…has diverted time and attention from the need to build opposition to Trump policies including the loss of net neutrality, increased military spending, reductions in environmental protection, plans to slash health-care for the poor to permit more tax cuts for the rich, and reduction in other budgets for education and social programs.”
THIS! While liberals continue foaming at the mouth over Russia related propaganda, the Koch Brothers and their massive network of deceptively named organizations are ever so close to achieving their nightmarish, dystopian dream for the USA, aka: “Dickensian Democracy.” From an article in today’s Truth-out, titled, “Misinforming the Majority: A Deliberate Strategy of Right-Wing Libertarians”, here are the words of Tyler Cowen, the famous and Koch-fueled economist:
“the ‘rewriting of the ‘social contract’ underway, people will be “expected to fend for themselves much more than they do now.” While some will flourish, he admits, “others will fall by the wayside.” Since “worthy individuals” will manage to climb their way out of poverty, “that will make it easier to ignore those who are left behind.” Cowen continues, prophesying “lower-income parts of America ‘recreating a Mexico-like or Brazil-like environment.’. The ‘quality of water’ might not be what US citizens are used to, he admits, but ‘partial shantytowns’ would satisfy the need for cheaper housing as ‘wage polarization’ grows and government shrinks.’ Cowen says that ‘some version of Texas — and then some — is the future for a lot of us’ and advises, ‘Get ready.'”
These Koch-fueled “pod-people” are advocating a form of genocide, and they have infiltrated every level of government and more, yet the MSM has not mentioned this, of course. This information needs to be spread far and wide, before they can continue to surreptitiouly destroy the already tattered social safety net. Please liberals: NO more obsessing over Russia related propaganda. It’s time to expose the Koch Brothers and their massive network, including the so-called “Freedom Caucus”…and yes, Neil Gorsuch is one of them!
yes, the cui bono is — in fact — the status quo which has relied on a succession of “#1 big bad enemy” figures since (at least) post-WWI when anarchy and communist/socialist reorganization in Europe became imaginable … after the Russian Revolution and the empires being reorganized in the wake of WWI.
All of this article is so clear and obvious, it begs the question “why can’t most Americans see it?” The answer is all the societal forms of propaganda and brain washing, plus a truly inadequate educational system full of false ideas about ‘our democracy, etc.’ The truth is just too disturbing for people to look at it. They just can’t handle the truth!
I think the majority of people do see it.
But the media bubble keeps banging the drum as it gets them ratings.
There are democrats and republican and never – Trumpers who fuel this for their own nefarious reasons
McCain for example just hates Russia
Podesta and Hillary need an excuse as to why she lost to a TV personality
And then there are those who just use whatever means necessary to get Trump out – Rache Maddow is in this category using her platform to undermine the president
Trump does not help with his endless tweeting.
Yes, many if not most suspect the falseness, but only the brave risk dissension by voicing concerns. They are met by conformists using the mass media standard, usually a majority, of whom the opportunists will act against non-conformists without argument, and gain enough of a majority to cause some social injury.
Mencken (approx.) “The average man avoids truth as diligently as he avoids arson, regicide, and piracy on the high seas, and for the same reasons: it is dangerous, no good can come of it, and it doesn’t pay.”
Sorry to disagree. From the people I meet and talk to, it appears to me very few people suspect anything different from the American values rhetoric they’ve been brought up on; i.e., “America does no wrong, only good.” The percentage is so low, I wonder if it’s 1 in a 1000 who is alert to what CN commentators know and write about. Or 1 in 10,000! And look, as much as I love and appreciate this site and a few others, are the people who comment the only readers? I hope vastly more people read than comment, and they probably do, but how many more? That’s why this site is so important and why we need to spread the good news of it as broadly as we can. I found CN through an rt.com article, another imperative site if one wants to be informed by real news and honest brokers.
It’s just a big DINO temper tantrum. I wish they would take their meds.
It could be true if only Americans would see things differently. Unfortunately this is not the case. Most countries in the world agree to the concept of Russian aggression. (Not counting Iran, North-Korea, Syrie, Venezuela and some …stan-countries but the reason why they line-up with Russia is due to ongoing or planned weapon deliveries) As I don’t believe that all educational systems in all other countries are inadequate, I think that your conclusion is wrong.
The “anti-Russian” hysteria also appears to be a stalking horse issue for arguments supporting control of the internet … (as kiddy porn and human trafficking have been used in the past).
Salon, specifically but not uniquely, has conflated “hacking” with “leaking” with identity theft and the unlawful threat of release of highly personal possibly endangering or damaging data.
When I watch TV — the most basic of basic Dish packages — there is an advertising frenzy about products to thwart identity thieves and cybercrimes, malware, doncha know.
After almost a year of vigorously discrediting alternative news sources, the warmongerers would like nothing better than to up their game with controls and ** official ** “fake news” designations, be they from reliable and government-dependent MIC-connected moguls like Zukerberg or Bezos.
Unrelated, but similar a “privatization”, I saw/read material on the “white helmets” that suggested (to me at least) that they were a Blackwater-like attempt at faux-non-denominational humanitarian relief efforts … very much like the non-denominational independent contractor-based private militias of Blackwater and clones (and spin-offs), other rush to covertly contract for big $$$ from deep-pocket partisans, in Syria … suspect similar blackwater money-laundering schemes already operate in Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq
Very profound.
I would not call it anti-Russia hysteria, but the anti-Russia awakening. After the cold war NATO troops were reducing in size. After the lgm in Crimea, NATO has woken up. Russia should now be prepared for a very long and very cold war. Was anybody expecting differently?
Excellent reporting…this website is a beacon of light in a pit of darkness.
I would call it the opposite: a dark report in a shiny bright world. The ‘pit of darkness’ is a term that I would save for a country that has no freedom of speech. Example: NKorea, China(judging by the nobel peace price), Russia, Iran,.. Those are pits of darkness. A rebellious report in those countries would classify as beacon of light in a pit of darkness. So far m2c.
10) Team Hillary WAS the neoconservative force pushing for more wars in that election. Her excuses of course tend to do the same.
9) The whole point of the hysteria is to avoid admitting to donors that their money was wasted and any more they give will be wasted too. The election failure was not random or done by outsiders, it was rejection of what Hillary was trying to do for her cabal of neo-liberals and liberal hawk interventionists. Voters rejected one sided trade deals and more wars and Wall Street excuses and claims that the recovery of a few was a recovery of all. It will be rejected again if tried again, and they wish to try again.
8) Focus on who leaked is a way to avoid admitting that it was true, and that it mattered.
Exactly. If you haven’t already, please read this I wrote early in April: https://caucus99percent.com/content/okeydoke-americans-were-supposed-get
By the timing of the release of information, this “Russia hack” story was originally going to bloom after Clinton won the election, in order to justify her wars against Russia, whether in Iran, Syria, Ukraine, Chechnya or the Baltics.
Bob I just read your piece. I loved it. I particularly liked how you pointed out to how media retractions don’t come even close to the original press release, which is where the bulk of the propaganda is funneled out into the public sphere.
I also believe you are right, that this Russian hacking story was put in place to give President Hillary a battle cry for revenge. No doubt, that if Hillary would have won, we would be right down planning or already be engaged in a war with the Kremlin.
I always like reading what you write Bob. I find much of what you say intriguing, and well thought out. Thanks for sharing your essays, and many great comments here. Joe
Great article. It effectively discusses all of the major elements of the regime’s demonisation of Russia. Dmitri Alperovich is a key figure and his Crowdstrike operation is a key element. Your view that the plan was intended as a casus belli following the likely Clinton win is convincing.
The writing was on the wall during the campaign. Any mention of the email scandal was immediately and arrogantly deflected at the Russians. She absolutely never -said a word about the contents of the same. The hubris I could see and the deadly aim of the response told me that the ‘Russia thing’ was not going to stop. It indeed carried the weight of her revenge after her loss.
Of course, it was useful for the neocon neoliberal overall war strategy too. And as nefarious juggernaut to control the DNC itself. Bernie, to the establishment, is far more dangerous than Trump.
Bob, I read your essay just now. Excellent. A very exhaustive piece of work. As you wrote everything has been planned by the Deep State, which includes Hillary, starting in last summer. Hillary’s election loss put a temporary halt in the project. But it is not over. Only way to describe these perpetrators of propaganda and War; Hillary, Kerry, Clapper, Brennan, and all the others is that they are truly Evil people. The news coming out today suggests that N.A.T.O. has installed patriot missiles in Lithuania. It is going to be hot summer.
Well said, although note that “her cabal of neo-liberals and liberal hawk interventionists” are in fact zionists. Her top ten campaign “donors” are all zionists. They intervened in Ukraine to weaken Russia in the Mideast, and intervene militarily nowhere else, except in secret wars against socialist countries. They have no liberal intentions whatsoever, or they would be shouting for humanitarian aid to poor nations. Israel is where those campaign bribes come from, indirectly, fed back from US “aid” for absolutely nothing.
The liberal, hawk, or conservative owned corporations; those who control the USA, used the USA to intervene in Ukraine in order to make money. If public services could be privatized into utility companies, the cost of water, gas, electricity, garbage collection and sewage could be elevated high enough to deplete Ukraine wallets for the cost of the war, if the farmers in the bread basket of Europe [Ukraine] could be forced to sell their farms, if Ukraine high-technology factories [Make great rocket engines and weapons] could be forced to sell, if Russian gas passing through Ukraine pipelines could be blocked by hiking pipeline transport fees and inducing pipeline no op incidents, and if sanctions could be applied to prevent the Russian corporations access to the global banking system, then maybe, by design, the high priced corporate LNG arriving by ship from USA places like Sabine Pass, Texas could be offered to Europeans at prices eastern corporations could not compete with?
Russia circumvented these expected invasion benefits, it seems: NORD 2, shut-down pipeline-dreams in Syria, constructed direct to Germany pipelines, enhanced SGO and Brics and tamed Turkey. Ukraine was about blocking competition from Russian corporations so Europe would be forced to buy western corporation owned, ship transported, LNG (see Sabine Pass, Texas for example).. Qatar adds insult to injury as it transports and sells its extensive supplies of cheap gas via Iran into Germany..and other parts of Europe. correct me if I am wrong.. but this is how I see it.
Yes, no doubt opportunists sought profit from bargain infrastructure, farms and factories in Ukraine, but the usual vultures do not explain the location of killing.
US LNG suppliers hope to block Russian gas to Europe (although costlier to ship LNG, and Qatar could compete), but the Syria hawks want a Qatar-Turkey pipeline without US profit: they want to damage Russia and block the Russia-Iran-Syria-Lebanon link for bribes from Israel et al.
The Ukraine hawks want to weaken Russia and provoke incidents to excuse attacks on Russia elsewhere, but probably they cannot get bribes from scattered Ukraine vultures to compare with those from established zionist channels for attacking the lifeline of Syria and Lebanon.
yes, the eastern Europe can play the USA for more aid due to “Russian Threat” exactly as most of the middle east and much of Africa as played the USA for aid of all kinds to “combat” terrorism … and we go without universal healthcare … and decent schools and maintained and improving infrastructure ….
I should add that Russia is not obstructing the goals of anyone in the US but the zionists, so there is no other source of the false accusations. Even the MIC can find more plausible threats than the distant, isolated, and defensive nation. So indeed Israel is the problem, and to a lesser extent KSA et al. Russia-gate is Israel-gate.
Fudmier,
Just a quick reminder, our VP Biden at the time spent two hours on the phone talking to the Ukraine leader who was about to vanish back to Russia, even while this leader was still in power. Then Bidens’ son becomes head of the largest gas company in Ukraine. Burisma and Naftogas , with ties to Zlochevskych which is a dirty group of characters. Our meek Obama tried to sell LGS as a hint, hint, but no one wanted to convert the ports and the refineries for a tentive, or unknown promises. No wonder it’s all amiss. They just don’t want the EU to rely on Russia even though it makes more economic sense. This is rather typical.
yes, part of the strategy with oil/gas/energy is not just having a lot of cheap fuel for your/ourselves … its also keeping control on prices and access by other nations, friends and foe … as the world’s #1 “most favored nation” glutton market traditionally, now being challenged by China, we’ve had a lot power in controlling OPEC … look at what we’re doing to the oil producing states of South America … look at what low oil prices are doing to Iraq and Iraqi redevelopment …. likely much of this is to put a brake on China’s insatiable developing market(s) — again, not just in China, but also in China’s international network of major infrastructure projects …
It will be very interesting to see how powerful the effect of the the one-band-one-road alternative to cargo ships for smaller producers and for perishables … “and yet” all along the route depots need steady energy to load/unload and regional distribution … it’s a competition where we’re not even a contender
I like your president if he is helping EU to become less dependant on Russian gas. Or at least helps us to push down the price of the Russian gas. Competition on the market will always be in favor of the EU consumer. Good job Obama!
I think the donors and the origin of the hysteria are one and the same. Propaganda is the only game they’ve got. The way they get to keep raping the American public and keep their regime change wars going is to constantly flood the MSM, and thus the people’s minds, with lies and distractions.
Seth Rich’s life mattered. It matters a great deal that we establish him as the source of the leak, and find his killers and bring them to justice.
Right on. The Clintons set the blueprint on how to fill the airwaves with superfluous non-news while further implementing smash and grab neoliberal policies. Corporate media has reached Jerry Springer-style tabloid sensationalism that only the dimmest of minds could actually take seriously.
“The dangerous American fascist is the man who wants to do in the United States in an American way what Hitler did in Germany in an [Austrian] way. The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power.”
An article in the New York Times, April 9, 1944.
From Henry A. Wallace, Democracy Reborn
(H. Wallace was FDR’s VP, 1941-45.)
http://newdeal.feri.org/wallace/haw23.htm
We really dodged a bullet when Wallace was bumped off the ticket in the 1944 campaign by the St. Louis political machine. He gave a once famous but now quite forgotten speech at a meeting of the “Free World Association” in New York on May 9, 1942 nin which he said, “Satan is turned loose upon the world … We shall cleanse the plague spot of Europe which is Hitler’s Germany, and with it the hell-hole of Asia, which is Japan. No compromise with Satan is possible.”
He further stated “[t]his is a fight between a free world and a slave world”, conveniently disregarding the millions in our great ally Stalin’s slave labor camps. “The peoples,” he continued, “are on the march to even fuller freedom”, which was not quite the outcome of Stalin’s U.S.-backed westward advance, where the Red Army would inflict murder, rape, pillage, and displacement on a scale not seen in Europe since Attila the Hun, nor of the postwar occupation of Germany in which perhaps eight million Germans perished.
Wallace concluded by announcing – seriously, this really is what he said – that “[t]he object of this war is to make sure that everybody in the world has the privilege of drinking a quart of milk a day.”
Cooler heads understand that the fundamental causes of that war, as all wars, were economic: Britain feared a strong Germany would challenge her global supremacy, and U.S. merchants were not pleased to be shut out of the lucrative trade with China when it was occupied by Japan. And Stalin saw this as his golden opportunity to expand his empire both westward and eastward, and he played all parties with consummate skill to achieve this goal.
Incidentally remember that the fascists were as adamantly opposed to international capitalism as they were to eradicating totalitarian communism, which is the true root cause of why those two odd bedfellows got together to wipe Germany off the map.
Boy does this hit the nail smack on the head!
The article carefully ignores the principal purpose of Russia-gate, which is to conceal Israel-gate. In fact the DNC is zionist, Hillary’s top ten donors are all zionists, and the emails provide glimpses of zionist control of her real foreign policy. The real source of control of the US election is Israel, and to a lesser extent KSA, and if the public knew it would be outraged and the Dems would be out for good. This is treason!
Those who keep the focus on the distraction like this are complicit.
While I largely agree with this view of that Israeli influence is likely a large underlying source of the phony controversy, the raw effort of the broader power structure to retain absolute power, which includes this as a major element, is the overarching source of the controversy. It seems to me that bringing issue out, while it might have completed the discussion put forward by the article, might have reduced the effectiveness of the whole article by blurring its focus on the phony Russian charges being used by the predominantly zionist power structure.
@ Sam F Both parties are zionist puppets. . Their is not one member from both houses that has not pledged allegiance to the State of Israel that gets extorted by AIPAC. Can’t remember the Ladies name from Girogia I think . Mkinley or Mckinnon not sure was a dem and refused to make the Zionist pledge well they campaigned against her and was booted out of the house of reps. They did it to Grayson as well but used his better judgment and made the zionist pledge . His crime was on insisting on auditing the Fed so they ruined his chances in Florida. Just remember mad puppy Netanyaoooooo when he bipassed the then President Obama extending 2 wars to seven . He came to the house and recieved not one satanding ovation but multiple standing ovations. Phillip Giraldi, Ray Mcgovern and a few others have tried to call the zionist out and AIPAC but just gets burried in the dust . Remember the anglo-zionist run ,own high finance and most areas of the information networks ,Papers television and entertainment industry in England ,Canada and the gold old USA. One good thing is that we the sheeple have past the 16 percent of doubt in anything theses shills tell us hence the anglo-zionist /western oligarchs are running scared IE Look at France and viola Macaroni man is their new guy just like the old guy just younger with an older wife. Same stuff it’s like if you are old enough to remember TAKE THE PEPSI CHALLENGE . Same sh####t just different label. AIPAC gate is what they should be doing during these hearings.
Yes, both parties are run by AIPAC, and the intel agencies certainly know about it.
It was Cynthia McKinney. Point 10 in the article, in mentioning the neocons, obliquely is covering the Israel issue, since the neocons are the representatives of primacy of Israeli foreign policy interests over peace and stability.
Zionism, KSA are themselves the distraction from the vast Synarchist network in place for over 150 years now, as per the findings of FDRs OSS and French Intel ops in 1940 (was already 100 years old by then), combined with Cecil Rhodes RoundTable Group pushing the Zionist wedge into the nascent Muslim Empire, blocking westward expansion into North Africa. This is about reviving Empire and unifying its various European Empires under a new Napoleon/Hitler/Holy Roman Emperor. This traces back to the boardrooms of financiers and MICers who hatched the Fascist/NAZI Movements in the first place in the 20s and 30s. This is Oligarchy, red in tooth and claw, and talon, the Big Revenge for 1776 and subsequent democratic republican movements upsetting the “Natural Order” of Oligarchy. This is the big picture. Less focus on the pawns of the big operation, more on the “kings and queens” sitting in those boardrooms of human destiny.
Please just supply a link to evidence for this theory, which I find implausible because:
1. I find very few UK people in US business; nearly none are Tories;
2. I have never heard mass media advance a rationale for British supremacy;
3. There is no evidence of UK influence on US mass media or elections, but there is overwhelming evidence of zionist influence in ownership, management, etc.
4. There is no UK bank significant in the US, nor even a major Canadian bank;
5. There is no evidence of supremacy in the UK economy or foreign policy or affairs;
6. US forces have been greater than those of the UK since the Civil War;
7. UK was completely crippled financially by WWI And WWII;
8. There are almost zero UK products in the US; not a single UK machine or auto;
Most UK influence is cultural, and that is very positive. Whatever Tories may wish to do, it appears that they have little influence here, and they could not take over US business and politics after WWII. No doubt richer brits consort with richer brits here, but evidence of effect would be needed. The difficulty of tracing banking influence does not warrant any theory. Some may think the Tory theory a spoiler to hide zionist control of US finance, mass media and elections. But I will check new sources if identified.
eir website, search box: “Return of the Monarchs”, Synarchy against America”, “Cecil Rhodes RoundTable Group”, “Inter-Alpha Group”. This should be enough to pop up dozens of other articles(throughout the decades) to read and expand your search. The material is voluminous and covers decades of counter-intelligence investigation. It literally took me years to just get a handle on this massive subject to be able to present gists of it in reasonably small paragraphs. You can order books on it if you wish. They’re available too, but alas, life is too short and the work of investigation is already done and the counter to this conspiracy has already been launched (also look into “the New Silk Road becomes the World Land Bridge” book; the flanking operation upon the Synarchists’ plans; been in the works since the 80s by Lyndon and Helga. Helga’s known as the “Silk Road Lady” in China ). Also LaRouchePAC and Webster G. Tarpley.Net are valuable troves of info. Also check their “Hot News” column on the right-hand side of the web page. I’l let the material itself refute your objections, if you’re genuinely interested. Otherwise, I don’t really care about other views. This EIR website is on the money. Period. It’s there for all to see for themselves.
Some more search words foe EIR search box: oligarchism (the article “lifting the veil of oligarchy” is particularly informative), CCF( Bertrand Russell’s views are particulary self-damning), BAE, Al Yamamah, Fight Fascism, Black Nobility. The main fight going on throughout the ensuing centuries is Oligarchy, set in real historical time & place, vs. the idea of national republics of educable, enlightened, sovereign citizens, capable of organizing their own public affairs for mutual benefit. The articles I reference gives the historical, who-what-when-where, time & place reality to these abstract concepts. It explains what has REALLY been going on in the World these past centuries, to shift focus from the inane conspiracy theories floating around.
All of the money is printed by banks based in London. If you control the money source you control the business.
#8: I ride a 2016 Triumph Speed Triple. My sister drives a Jaguar. I have a Omega ( US company) T/C controller made in UK ( poorly) and use Edwards Vacuum Systems equipment extensively….commons in Space Physics departments nationwide/worldwide.
#7: London is a worldwide banking center
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/britain-europe-cost/
I do not seek to belittle UK by any means.
Brad, thanks; I will look at EIR over time, although sceptical for the reasons listed.
Jim, The printing location for currency does not “control” US money supply, but rather the Fed; and I’m sure that US currency is printed in the US for security reasons.
Stiv, Triumph became a Honda in 1981 and was last produced 1984; Jaguar was bought by Ford in 1990 although apparently still produced in UK; no doubt there is some equipment in the US made in UK; but my point is that with only minor imports the economic influence is likely minor.
To Sam F
You are absolutely right. I think more and more people are becoming conscious of the lies, and trace them to their originator.
So true.
Hmm…it looks like Donald Trump junior is about to wipe these 10 points straight of the table. Oh well, everyday we learn a bit more about this Russian meddling. I give it a few more months and then the confessions will start, after that it will be just another failed Russian coverup.