Rather than take stock of why they lost in 2016 and address demands of ordinary Americans, the Democratic Party continues to scapegoat Russia and WikiLeaks in a misguided lawsuit, says Norman Solomon in this commentary.
By Norman Solomon
Exactly 200 days before the crucial midterm election that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of Congress, the Democratic National Committee filed a 66-page lawsuit that surely cost lots of money and energy to assemble.
Does the lawsuit target purveyors of racist barriers to voting that block and deflect so many people of color from casting their ballots?
No.
Well, perhaps this ballyhooed lawsuit aims to ensure the rights of people who don’t mainly speak English to get full access to voting information?
Unfortunately, no.
Maybe it’s a legal action to challenge the ridiculously sparse voting booths provided in college precincts?
Not that either.
Announced with a flourish by DNC Chair Tom Perez, the civil lawsuit—which reads like a partisan polemic wrapped in legalisms—sues the Russian government, the Trump campaign and operatives, as well as WikiLeaks and its founding editor, Julian Assange.
It’s hard to imagine that many voters in swing districts—who’ll determine whether the GOP runs the House through the end of 2020—will be swayed by the Russia-related accusations contained in the lawsuit. People are far more concerned about economic insecurity for themselves and their families, underscored by such matters as the skyrocketing costs of health care and college education.
To emphasize that “this is a patriotic—not partisan—move,” Perez’s
McCain: “Act of war.”
announcement of the lawsuit on April 20 quoted one politician, Republican Sen. John McCain, reaching for the hyperbolic sky: “When you attack a country, it’s an act of war. And so we have to make sure that there is a price to pay, so that we can perhaps persuade the Russians to stop these kind of attacks on our very fundamentals of democracy.”
No Price for Russia
Setting aside the dangerous rhetoric about “an act of war,” it’s an odd quotation to choose. For Russia, there’s no “price to pay” from a civil lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. As the DNC well knows, any judgment against such entities as the Russian Federation and the general staff of its armed forces would be unenforceable.
The DNC’s lawsuit amounts to doubling down on its fixation of blaming Russia for the Democratic Party’s monumental 2016 loss, at a time when it’s essential to remedy the failed approaches that were major causes of Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the first place. Instead of confronting its fealty to Wall Street or overall failure to side with working-class voters against economic elites, the Democratic National Committee is ramping up the party leadership’s 18-month fixation on Russia Russia Russia.
After a humongous political investment in depicting Vladimir Putin as a pivotal Trump patron and a mortal threat to American democracy, strategists atop the Democratic Party don’t want to let up on seeking a big return from that investment. Protecting the investment will continue to mean opposing the “threat” of détente between the world’s two nuclear superpowers, while giving the party a political stake in thwarting any warming of the current ominously frigid relations between Moscow and Washington.
In truth, the party’s Russia fixation leaves significantly less messaging space for economic and social issues that the vast majority of Americans care about far more. Similarly, the Russia obsession at MSNBC (which routinely seems like “MSDNC”) has left scant airtime for addressing, or even noting, the economic concerns of so many Americans. (For instance, see the data in FAIR’s study, “Russia or Corporate Tax Cuts: Which Would Comcast Rather MSNBC Cover?”)
“Ill-Conceived”
But even some of the congressional Democrats who’ve been prominent “Russiagate” enthusiasts have recognized that the lawsuit is off track. When Wolf Blitzer on CNN asked a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Jackie Speier, whether she believes that Perez and his DNC team “are making a big mistake by filing this lawsuit,” the California congresswoman’s reply was blunt: “Well, I’m not supportive of it. Whether it’s a mistake or not we’ll soon find out.” Speier called the lawsuit “ill-conceived.”
Speier: “Not supportive”
The most unprincipled part of the lawsuit has to do with its targeting of Assange and WikiLeaks. That aspect of the suit shows that the DNC is being run by people whose attitude toward a free press—ironically enough—has marked similarities to Donald Trump’s.
Early in his presidency, Trump proclaimed that news media are “the enemy of the American people.” Of course, he didn’t mean all media, just the outlets providing information and analysis he doesn’t like.
What Perez and the DNC crew are now promoting via the lawsuit is also harmful, though more camouflaged. The lawsuit’s key arguments against WikiLeaks are contrary to the First Amendment, and they could be made against major U.S. newspapers. Unauthorized disclosures are common, with news outlets routinely reporting on information obtained from leaks, hacks and various forms of theft.
Just as the government’s criminal prosecutions for leaks are extremely selective, the DNC position is that a media outlet that’s despised by a powerful party could be sued for potentially huge sums.
But—unless it’s functionally shredded—the First Amendment doesn’t only protect media outlets that powerful interests believe are behaving acceptably. That’s why the Nixon administration was unable to prevent The New York Times and Washington Post from publishing the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
Now, the DNC lawsuit’s perverse “logic” for suing WikiLeaks could just as easily be applied by any deep-pocketed group that wants to strike back at a publisher for revealing “stolen” information that harmed the aggrieved party.
In view of the national Democratic Party’s deference to corporate power, we might see why the DNC is taking the current approach. It would be a much steeper uphill challenge to actually champion the interests of most Americans—which would require taking on Wall Street, a key patron of both major political parties.
Nor would it be easy for the Democratic Party to advocate for U.S.-Russia détente that could reduce the risks of nuclear conflagration. Such advocacy would enrage the kingpins of the military-industrial cartel complex as well as most of the corporate-owned and corporate-advertised news media.
How much easier it is to make some political hay by targeting Russia with a civil lawsuit. How much more convenient it is to show utter contempt for the First Amendment by suing Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
Still Unwilling to Confront Elite Interests
A loud and clear message from the Democrats’ 2016 election debacle is that hoping for working-class votes while refusing to do battle against corporate exploiters of the working class is a political dead end. “The mainstream Democratic storyline of victims without victimizers lacks both plausibility and passion,” says an independent report, “Autopsy: The Democratic Party in Crisis.” Six months after the release of that report (which I co-authored), the DNC still is unwilling to polarize with elite corporate interests, while remaining extra eager to portray Russia and WikiLeaks as liable for the 2016 disaster.
So, unfortunately, this assessment in the “Autopsy” remains all too relevant: “The idea that the Democrats can somehow convince Wall Street to work on behalf of Main Street through mild chiding, rather than acting as Main Street’s champion against the wealthy, no longer resonates. We live in a time of unrest and justified cynicism towards those in power; Democrats will not win if they continue to bring a wonk knife to a populist gunfight. Nor can Democratic leaders and operatives be seen as real allies of the working class if they’re afraid to alienate big funders or to harm future job or consulting prospects.”
Willingness to challenge Wall Street would certainly alienate some of the Democratic Party’s big donors. And such moves would likely curb the future earning power of high-ranking party officials, who can now look forward to upward spikes in incomes from consultant deals and cushy positions at well-heeled firms. With eyes on the prizes from corporate largesse, DNC officials don’t see downsides to whacking at WikiLeaks and undermining press freedom in the process.
This commentary was originally published on Truthdig.
Norman Solomon is the coordinator of the online activist group RootsAction.org and the executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy. He is the author of a dozen books including “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.”
It appears that the American Shadow Regime by means of Robert Mueller have asked President Donald Trump Highly Improper questions, to try get a perjury charge on the President, even though President Bill Clinton was Impeached on Perjury, but was Not convicted by the Senate, and Many of those questions and All of those questions, appear to be Classified Information at the moment.
There are People who think that the President Should Only divulge Classified Information at a time when that Classified Information can be Declassified, for Diplomatic and Security reasons.
We have seen Many Leaks, and Regardless of the Fact that the former FBI Director is a Close Friend of the Special Council, and called the Special Counsel immediately after he was dismissed, may indicate that Extra Care with the answers to certain questions Should be given, because they are contain Classified Information.
It is an Accepted Protocol that Private Conversations with Ambassadors, and People who had Private Conversations with Ambassadors in an Official or semi Official capacity remain Private for Diplomatic and Security Purposes.
There are Americans who Know that Christopher Steele is British, and that Britain is a Close Ally and Partner to America, and those answers regarding those matters should remain Classified, until at least after the Brexit negotiations, considering that Britain is having difficult and complicated Brexit negotiations.
At times, the President has to allow for other Countries to make Known their thoughts, that they Know will be kept Confidential for a Reasonable period of time.
If such Private Conversations with Diplomats are Disclosed to the Public unless a Reasonable time has elapsed, then this would restrict Diplomacy, and the formulation of better Policies for America.
This is Why these things may have to remain Classified for a decade or longer, and this Applies to the Involvement and what the President opinions of those Unamerican, Unprincipled, Sly and Deceptive tactics of any Opposition Political Party, and their Politically Motivated appointments, and so the President can Plead the Fifth Amendment to matters regarding questions on General Michael Flynn, and to some foreign visitors to America.
There are People who think that the American People thought that if Hillary Clinton was to be cleared of Storing Classified Emails on an Unauthorized and Unsecured Secret Private Email Server, and then another Opinion was Needed by another FBI Director, other than the former FBI Director.
They think that this New FBI Director has to be Perceived as Unbiased and Professional, and the current FBI Director is Not Perceived as Unbiased and Professional.
Furthermore, even if he were Honest an Unbiased, then he could Not give a second opinion.
The President has the Right and Obligation to appoint an FBI Director that the Public thinks is Professional and Unbiased, and who can to provide another opinion, on the Servergate Crimes of Hillary Clinton, regarding those Classified Emails on her Unauthorized Private Email Server.
This is because Many Americans were Not convinced with the assessment of the former FBI Director, and for their Benefit, and for the Benefit of Public Accountability, then Many of them want a second opinion from a New FBI Director, and the Inspector General has yet to give his Analysis of that situation, and so these Answers are as Honest and Complete as they can be for a while, but some matters will of Necessity have to remain Secret under the Official Secrets Act, because America has Obligations to its Allies.
The Special Counsel is asked to Respect the proper bounds of what is Public Information and what is Classified Information, and so these answers Will have to be sufficient until some of that Information can be Declassified, and the Voters can have their say in the 2020 Presidential Election, where these matters will be an Election issue for American Voters.
We Know that certain High Public Officials have Lied under Oath, and they would be therefore be Unsuitable to be an FBI Director, but a New FBI Director who the Public can Trust will be able to Reexamine these matters.
We have heard of the meeting between Trump associates and the Russian Lawyer, and it may appear odd that this meeting between Trump associates and the Russian Lawyer was Not mentioned during the Election Campaign, given that None of this was secret, because Several People of Diverse Political Affiliations attended that meeting, and the Russian Lawyer had to Apply for a Special Permit to visit America to Represent a Client, and so there Could have been a FISA Warrant for that Russian Lawyer, or some type of Illegal Spying, and possibly was, and which also may have been the Secret Scheme by the Clinton Campaign to use as a Contrived Pretext to Improperly obtain a FISA on some of those she spoke with at that meeting, and a Republican arranged for a front row seat for the Russian Lawyer at the 14 June 2016 House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings at http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russian-lawyer-obtained-hill-hearing-seat-florida-trump/story?id=48661448 , and that was a day after WikiLeaks said they had more Emails to Publish, and the Clinton Campaign Knew of that at https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jun/12/wikileaks-to-publish-more-hillary-clinton-emails-julian-assange .
There are some things regarding this that may appear odd, and perhaps the following in this comment may be an explanation for that, and the American Shadow Regime thought that they had the Election Rigged for Hillary Clinton, and President Barack Obama said in October of 2016, that the Election would be Free and Fair and Democratic and the Video is Titled: Obama To Trump: Stop Whining About A Rigged Election at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPpt7-QOGKc .
This was said after Harry Reid wrote a letter to the former Director of the FBI regarding his Alleged concern over foreign interference in America’s Election at https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/us/politics/harry-reid-russia-tampering-election-fbi.html .
Perhaps the Shadow Regime and Clinton Campaign did Not use that Set Up that they went to a lot of effort and planning to arrange, because the associates of the Trump Campaign Realized that the meeting was Set Up, and this may be Why it was arranged for a Republican whose wife chaired the 2016 Trump Florida Campaign, to arranged for the Russian Lawyer to attend the House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings, so that they would have Documented Answers if the Clinton Campaign used that Unprincipled Set Up in the Election Campaign, and I think that the Minimum that the Clinton Campaign wanted from that meeting was a Pretext for FISA Warrants, or for Undocumented Illegal Spying.
These Deliberate Lies and Misrepresentations associated with this Unprincipled and Difficult to avoid Set Up, Shows how Deceitful and Devious the Conniving Puppets of America’s Shadow Regime really are, and this is why they Cannot make Policies that will Benefit the American People, because their time is being wasted with these Schemes and on Inventing Lies, and with Plotting a Coup on the Legitimately Elected President, who is trying to manage the Mess that was made the Bush and Clinton Dynastic Dictatorships, which Includes their Puppet Obama Administration, because of them being the Puppets of the American Shadow Regime.
It Could be that it was also for Humanitarian Reasons that the Russian Lawyer was invited to attend that 14 June 2016 House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings, where she met Several Democrats and Republicans, so that the Clintons Could Know that she did Not have any Dirt on the Clintons, because that Lie was used to arrange that Unprincipled Set Up, where once it was Known by Honest People that there was a possibility that someone had some Dirt on the Clintons, then they were Obligated to meet with that Person, and Not only because of opposition research for possible Political advantage, while that is also a valid and legitimate reason, and which is one of several reasons, and is therefore a Technically Correct and Honest Statement, but it was also for Humanitarian Reasons, and for National Security Reasons, because President Barack Obama, the FBI, and the Public had Already Known because of WikiLeaks, that Hillary Clinton had an Unauthorized, Clandestine, Secret Email Server, because since at least October of 2015, it was Known what the Hardened and Compulsive Liar Hillary Clinton’s Criminal attitude is to being Above the Law, and what her Treasonous attitude is toward National Security, and the Video is Titled: Hillary Clinton laughs when Jake Tapper asks about her email server at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2flqv2GWKA , and this is the same Corrupt Attitude that the Puppets of Shadow Regime have, and we Know that Seymour Hersh has said that Seth Rich was the Person who Leaked those Emails to WikiLeaks.
We can see that it was a Complex situation, where it was said that someone had Dirt on Hillary Clinton, but there was No collusion with a foreign Country, and there was No attempt at collusion with a foreign Country, but there was Patriotism and Concern for Others during a Perplexing situation, which we now Know was an Unprincipled Set Up to Improperly gain FISA Warrants to Undemocratically Spy on an opposition Political Party Candidate, in order to try to Rig the Election, even as the Clinton Campaign Rigged the Primaries and Usurped the Democratic Party nomination, and we can see how Unprincipled the so called Special Counsel is if he persists in asking for Classified Information, and it has been said that the Mueller Team has spent 100 million Dollars of Taxpayers’ Money to try to ‘justify’ the Improper Spying on an opposition Presidential Political Candidate, using a Contrived Pretext, and that basically All of those questions that Mueller asked, can be answered with what is explained in this comment, and there are Many People who think that this is Not an attempt to avoid answering Legitimate Questions, but these matters are Classified, and there are Americans who think that Classified Information Should be kept Classified for the Benefit of the People of America.
‘Weapons Inspector Refutes U.S. Syria Chemical Claims”
——————————————————————————–
For firefighters who worked in World Trade Center rubble, the future includes a heightened risk of cancer
KAREN KAPLAN
APR 26, 2018
For firefighters who worked in World Trade Center rubble, the future includes a heightened risk of cancer
Firefighters make their way through the rubble of the World Trade Center. The work probably made them more likely to develop certain types of cancer, according to new research.
It’s been nearly 16 years since cleanup work officially ended at New York City’s ground zero, but the health effects for rescue and recovery workers are still making themselves known.
Two studies published Thursday in the journal JAMA Oncology suggest that the firefighters who came to lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center face a heightened risk of cancer — and will continue to do so for years to come.
()
There’s very clear history of our multiple involvement in the use of chemicals (agent orange) as well as planting chemicals and handing over chemical agents to our Appointed Dictators in many, many parts of the globe.
Reagan did it in 1983 when Saddam was our “friend” waging war against Iran at our behest.
– Please let us not forget the strange illnesses that affected US soldiers during Gulf War 1
sickness from the Depleted Uranium we used as well as the toxic vaccines we injected into our men & women.
Relative to the cancerous dust our First Responders were exposed to —
among which quite possibly could have been the Explosive NANO-THERMATE.
My heart goes out to all who suffered and now those who continue to suffer, 17 years out from that WORLD WAR Creating Event that continues unabashed and unabated in it’s uncivilized wake of DEATH, DESTRUCTION (of cultures) AND DISPLACEMENT (of social order). —- A Horribly world-wide introduction to legalized MASS MURDER that we Proclaimed as “A Global War On Terror” !
How “MAGA” it must be for somnolent Americans to realize that our government secretly collaborated with our “friends”, the Saudi’s, to CREATE this GWOT by the single act of Blowing Up the World Trade Center… ! (A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING… ?)
How many more Arabs must Die and/or LOSE THEIR PLACE IN THE LIFE THEY’VE KNOWN !!! ?
how many more WEAPONS MANUFACTURERS WILL SEE RECORD PROFITS FROM THE DEATH OF INNOCENT HUMANS ??? !
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-04-24/midwestern-democrats-want-dnc-stfu-about-trump-russia
The Democratic Party is dead. They have driven every progressive into hiding. They occupy the same position the Republicans did in 1992 thru 2000. They have forgotten the white, tan and black poor people. They only listen if you wrap your thoughts in a $100 bill. I’m 75 and had been a yellow dog Democrat until the stole the election from Bernie and gave it to the one person in the world more disliked than Trump.
She tried to buy the election by controlling the mucky mucks in the party and buying the entire DNC. And what did it get her? Well to me it seems she still owns the DNC and by alienating us progressives from running her blue wave will be a trickle. Because I refuse to vote for any Democrat the DNC is backing.
And I recommend all those as old as me, as poor as me or as black or white or tan as me do the same. If they are supported by a PAC do not vote for them. I there is no alternative except a, skip that race or write your name.
And why don’t we get to the bottom of how Clinton and the DNC conspired to make sure Bernie Sanders didn’t get the nomination, “strngr”? That is what you might call “steel” (steal) the election…
Facts are facts – first we need to get to the bottom of why Hillary Clinton is not President. Once Russia, Trump and Assange are outed and convicted (with solid evidence) then we can move on to election matters – no point in having an election if it is rigged, so that is first priority. Even if we were to try a campaign on behalf of all the oppressed peoples of America, the same bad actors would come in and steel it again. You can’t get social justice if the system is broken. This DNC lawsuit will go a long ways to fixing the broken system and is just and a necessary first step to getting our country back and healing the rift that divides us.
Strngr – Tgthr – string together some thoughts. If Mueller hasn’t found Russian collusion or any monkeying with the election, then how is it that ANOTHER investigation is going to do it?
Yes, “facts ARE facts”, and so far I don’t see any facts on the far horizon, no matter how much I try to string something together.
Adam Schiff and the DNC says there is PLENTY all in plain sight! People just have to open there eyes. Suggest you change your news source!
That sounds like a 9/11 conspiracy theory. Or a troll.
Adam “piece-o” Schiff pulls the wool over there (sic) glassy eyes.
You have fooled no one here, and you know that your statements are false. Go find some fools.
Jill Stein just came out with a parallel statement on “Russiagate.” What a refreshing contrast:
https://www.jill2016.com/stein_senate_statement?utm_campaign=senate_cmpn_blast&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jillstein
Norm has on his tutu and pointy ballet slippers and is doing a carefully-choreographed dance around issues that might expose the entire DNC apparatchik as corporate collaborators.
And Seth Rich? His murder is the elephant in the room. Either his laptop revealed evidence of contact with Wikileaks or it didn’t. Either it was a political assassination or it was not. Even Stein is not going there.
Thanks a lot for this link. It is a real shame that Jill Stein has had such a hard time gaining any traction within our utterly corrupted political system.
Absolutely damning that Jill Stein is not welcome in our “utterly corrupted political system”.
As an afterthought, I have been thinking about Bernie. It was clear from the beginning that the Dem primary would be rigged. I wonder if Bernie knew about it, but he has been a politician for ever, so he was more likely a conman than a useful idiot.
However, the mass movement for his candidacy left those in power with a clandestine blacklist of potential dissenters (usually the one with a brain, which has been a dying breed in America for decades).
I hope, they realize that after a major false flag attack, they will be the first to be picked up by a FEMa vehicle and taken to camps where disease or worse will soon bring their numbers to zilch…
I know, my post exposes me too, but who cares? Life as a slave is not worth living… I am still, quite irrationally, hoping that those in power will not simply plunder and leave for their island, while the rest of the world will be left to armed conflicts and pandemics…
14th paragraph, 1st sentence: …’historic defeat’…Clinton won the majority vote still, and Trump got the mostly unelected electoral college votes. Those whom speak of DNC-Clinton historic defeat is either ignorant or nascent or this fact, or propagandizing. Simple as that. This is all theater, a bread and circus. I agree with this article that our ‘officials’ should be going after the financial sector. Yet, most politicians and bureaucrats are controlled by those in the financial and/or corporate sectors. That is how the have become wealthy or more so. More theater. They are not going to bite the hand that feeds them. The 14th amendment makes the 1st amendment obsolete. That is why is was incorporated, not just for former slaves, but for all citizens.
Never doubt – it was an historic defeat. Clinging to the idea that Clinton winning a few districts, mainly in California where it was of no consequence, that gave her the voting majority is going to change the direction of this country is a complete delusion. The point of the article is that the DNC – winning or losing – maintains the same corporatist strategy.
The underlying assumption of this piece is that the Democratic Party represents the interests and concerns of the working class. It doesn’t. It represents the interests and concerns of the corporate elite. It utilises identity politics (which is contrary to working class interests as it divides people and denies possibilities for class solidarity) as a rhetoric to provide an illusion of left wing politics. The corporate elite are perfectly comfortable with identity politics, as it presents zero challenge to their power, whilst undermining the only possible genuine constraint: a united working class.
Well said and I concur.
Your post is both honest and incisive to the core. The DNC is both a corrupt and criminal interprise that does not represent the working class. Good post friend.
Yes! Who cares about endless war, destroying the planet, and creating a global coorporate oligarchy…give me bathrooms for transexuals and #metoo!
Just so nobody gets me confused here, I support transexuals being comfortable in the bathroom and #metoo, just think these issues are exploited to get people fired up while we the aforementioned bigger problems are normalized and accepted. Do I need to explain this? We all know what the smoke screen of identity politics looks like. I just saw my last comment being held up for “moderation” so I figured I would self-moderate. :)
Does all this lack of ability for leaders to tell the truth come down to the fact that most people don’t want to know the truth, a growing class of people who feel they have to protect their interests, and for a smaller percentage, a sense of growing frustration of fewer and fewer options to get the truth out there and have it acted upon in a way so as to effect positive changes?
It seems like it Tim. The DNC is putrified to its roots so nobody should be surprised of its hanget for big money. Hillary took more than 2 Billion in “campaign donations” from corporate America proving unambiguously who her true constituency really is.
This is an obvious attempt to hold the mind and opinion of the public in the camp of geopolitics as defined by the Wall Street/City-of-London financial axis (and its MIIC apparatus that it commands),which demands war and austerity and enmity with Russia and China. This paradigm is also being dismantled and swept away by the New Silk Road policies of optimism which is sweeping across the World and seizing power from the hands of The City and The Street. A radical change-of-Paradigm is in play, and the old Western Axis resists becoming irrelevant like an old newspaper, but the Power in charge of the changing of the Zeigeists insists upon the Change. That is what is going on in the World.
The Old Paradigm sees the World as just so much private property at their command. The New Paradigm will instill the idea that this World and the Universe is the “property” of The Creator of it, and it is governed by inviolable Law. THAT is why the Old Paradigm is being moved off the World Stage. Time and Patience is up.
I don’t know anything about the American legal system, so I am wondering what happens if the other side don’t turn up for the case? Assange certainly can’t put in an appearance and the Russian government will just ignore it for the trash that it is. However, If the ‘other side’ doesn’t turn up does the judge automatically find in favour of those bringing the suit? If so, could there be a raid on Russian assets or Wikileaks assets. Further, could the American government use this as an excuse to serve a subpoena against Assange? Can someone enlighten me?
You may have just hit the nail on the head. This may be what this bread and circus is really about. Asset forfeiture. Larceny. DNC didn’t get into Congress because the ‘elites’ deemed it was time for a ‘change'(again). So, they worked out a plan to ‘pay’ the DNC for their part in the bread and circus. Yes, if one side doesn’t show up with their side of the argument, then it is basically defaulted to the side that is there bringing their argument. Unless, of course, the Administrator(judge) has any independent thinking and throws out a frivolous law suit. But, that said administrator will do as previously instructed.
I still struggle with a very simple concept. During the debates this God awful Clinton woman repeated over and over again that 17 intelligence agencies are all in agreement that Russia was involved in a leak, and most likely passed it on to Wikileaks in order to effect the election, which is proof of muddling in our election.
If I were the opposing counsel in a lawsuit I would ask “Ms Clinton, you falsified the data and presented incorrect, and false information during the run up to the election. In fact, you outright lied to the American people regarding the influence of Russia and the involvement, with a consensus, of all 17 intelligence agencies. Why, almost 2 years later should we believe you now regarding Russias’ influence, even if you’ve circumvented your lies about the agencies? On what basis do you accuse Russia now since you were so wrong to begin with in your attacks? Since you don’t have 17 agencies to back you up, as you pretended you had before, what information do you now possess to press charges against Russia? Please tell us in very fine detail your proof.”
Dear Curious: hell will freeze a hundred times over before any real proof of Russian allege involvement in US election is found. Believe me, if the DNC had any real evidence of Russia meddling, the public would have seen it by now. In my opinion, the DNC showed its true colours when it cheated Me. Sanders.
Agreed Jose. I just am trying to imagine a court setting where lawyers try and ding Russia, just because they think they can. It would be interesting to bring in Mr Binney and a few other people who we know from this site and allow them their day in court on live TV. One can only dream about things like this.
I know this is one of the most idiotic law suit possible, but the DNC likes a proper distraction from their own behaviors.
I wonder if they even believe they have a case? That alone would be shocking, but I do like the live TV aspect which I’m sure the DNC would never allow, speaking of hell freezing over.
Mr. Soloman is correct in his characterisation of this lawsuit as an attack on free speech and is correct in his view that the suit indicates the absolute control of the party by the corporate power structure. In my view this lawsuit exposes the party as the key element of the fascist establishment now running the yankee imperium. By taking on Assange and Wikileaks, the party reveals itself as the central element of the dark forces in control of the US and exposes why our very survival is under threat by this nihilist militarist combination running the show totally these days. As a former democrat, I can see that the hostile takeover of the party by the Clinton crowd is total and irreversible and its destruction and replacement has now become a necessary first step to remedy the threat to our survival posed by this amoral cynical power structure which is totally lacking in decency and legitimacy. Meanwhile, anybody who describes this structure as “leftist” is basing this view on a past history which has not been valid for decades. The identity politics and political correctness is a total sham camouflaging what has become an odious fascism hostile to the public interest, and, in its backing of mercenary barbaric thugs, even hostile to civilization itself.
Obviously the lawsuit is entirely frivolous, a political gambit rather than any defensive action against a Russian “aggressor” of any sort. However, the entire American government is presently so deranged that, even if the suit is not prosecuted and does not “win” in court–which are both entirely possible in the present hysterical environment–I suspect that Congress will pass some ad hoc extraconstitutional laws seizing Russian assets in the United States, probably title to the two consulates on the West Coast (federal agents have broken into them and have been skulking around) and the vacation compound back East. What else have we de facto stolen?
Washington has become very creative in the rhetoric it employs in the pursuit of fascism these days, so expect anything in terms of new legal privileges and dispensations it allows itself to attack other countries, most notably its favorite whipping boy, the Russian Federation. It is all very sad and a ticket to disaster, but seemingly not stoppable because we are no longer dealing with rational individuals. We are confronted with maniacs suffering from war fever and no one dares get in their way. It’s especially bad when the people that the elected president has appointed to high office are in reality working for the other side and against his intended agenda. The result is an unnatural kabal trying to simultaneously destabilise both the Russian and the American governments.
All the things they said about Hillary’s massive, ruthless and unstable ego leading up to the election sure turned out to be true based on subsequent events she has vigorously instigated. The woman still thinks she will be president, if she has to force the entire world to its knees to make it so. It’s as plain as day that whenever a sock puppet like Tom Perez speaks, it is really her throwing her voice.
That is the say if Trump’s agenda is really what he say it is, and he is not a liar as the rest of them are. Remember, the electoral college put him into office, not the majority that actually voted. So, why doesn’t Trump just tell them ‘you’re fired!’ and be done with them? I say they are all insane and everything out of their mouths is drivel and it is all just bread and circus. I do concur with your declarations on the law suit and Russia.
The Democrats used to represent the working man, but they joined the elite and cheered the jobs going overseas. Wall Street became their friend. All that’s left is Identity Politics, Russiagate, and Save an Illegal (even though they won’t fight to save their own citizens).
Paul Craig Roberts explains how what used to be a class war (workers against capitalists) has morphed into an “Identity Politics” war:
“In the pseudo Marxism of Identity Politics, the white race is the villain, especially the white heterosexual male, and racial minorities, women, and homosexuals are the victims.
There is, of course, no such thing as a white or black race. There are many different nationalities of whites, and they have done a good job throughout history of killing each other. Similarly, there are many different black tribes and Asian ethnicities who also have fought more among themselves than with others. But all of this goes by the wayside, along with the fact that in the world the “racial minorities” are actually majorities and the “white majority” is actually a minority. There are more Chinese or Indians alone than there are white people.
But orchestrated histories are not fact-based.
The working class, designated by Hillary Clinton as “the Trump deplorables,” is now the victimizer, not the victim. Marxism has been stood on its head.
The American ruling class loves Identity Politics because Identity Politics divides the people into hostile groups and prevents any resistance to the ruling elite. With blacks screaming at whites, women screaming at men, and homosexuals screaming at heterosexuals, there is no one left to scream at the rulers.
The ruling elite favors a “conversation on race” because the ruling elite know it can only result in accusations that will further divide society. Consequently, the ruling elite have funded “black history,” “women’s studies,” and “transgender dialogues” in universities as a way to institutionalize the divisiveness that protects them. These “studies” have replaced real history with fake history.”
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/04/18/conversation-race-paul-craig-roberts/
Poor democrats. The writing has been on the wall for decades. The DLC, under Al From, was a response to Reagan’s vivisection of the last remaining truly liberal 60s style democrats that subsequently morphed into the DNC when poster boy Clinton adopted their oligarchical and fascist positions. Clinton now owns the DLC archives, and by extension, represents the democratic platform by controlling the democratic party’s narrative. A rank and file democrat is now an oxymoron as originally defined. A rank and file democrat today is an oligarch, a one percenter, a corporate elitist who can put his/her money to work via a few phone calls and wire transfers.
Why anyone would expect the DNC to advance a progressive or alternative (to repubs) platform today is out of their mind. The heir apparent to this ugly pseudo-progressive, pseudo-liberal racketeering organization, got firmly trounced by Trump in 2016, but it would never have been this way unless progressives, including democratic socialists, understood economics instead of conceding to the DNC’s socio-politico, racial and gender inequity narrative that they always profess to have solutions, and instead, ushered in an alternative platform, albeit a third party using the innate power of the internet and social media similar in the way Trump’s tweets carry more weight and visibility than do his press conferences and public appearances. Ding dong the wicked witch’s politically dead – but there is no hope for the democratic party regardless of who is their poster girl, boy or other.
The Republicans back in the day were supposedly anti-slavery and replace the Whigs party. Then they done an intelligent thing and created the 14th Amendment making every one Federal second class citizens. What I am contesting is that were any of these ‘parties’ really what they said they were?
Norman Solomon – “The most unprincipled part of the lawsuit has to do with its targeting of Assange and WikiLeaks. That aspect of the suit shows that the DNC is being run by people whose attitude toward a free press—ironically enough—has marked similarities to Donald Trump’s. Early in his presidency, Trump proclaimed that news media are “the enemy of the American people.” Of course, he didn’t mean all media, just the outlets providing information and analysis he doesn’t like.”
Trump is exactly right. The media IS the enemy of the American people. The only time the MSM have applauded Trump was when he bombed Syria twice. The rest of the time they have vilified him about Russian collusion (still no evidence), saying he should be impeached for trying to be friendly and get along with Russia and others. The American people are being lied to.
Had Obama bombed Libya twice, even forewarned them that the bombs were coming (as Trump did), and he had struck an empty airport on one occasion and three buildings the next, they would have said, “Oh, how very presidential of him! He used restraint when he should have.” Obama, Bush and Clinton played ball. Trump is not. That’s why they want him impeached. They’d much rather have a President who would just listen to what they tell him and bomb Damascus.
I think the real reason the Democratic Party are coming out with this lawsuit is because the Inspector General has almost completed his report on the corruption that’s gone on at the DNC, the FBI, DOJ and the CIA. They want to counteract the charges that will soon be forthcoming against them, like a counter suit.
As soon as Trump won, these very people (Comey, McCabe, Rosenstein, Lynch, Clinton et al) said to themselves, “Oh, my God, if they find out what we’ve done, we’re are in big trouble.” When they came out with Russiagate, I think they realized that Trump had a fair chance of winning and got out ahead of him, accused him of the very things they were guilty of.
This lawsuit is just a cover for their own corruption. Some of these people most likely will go to jail.
I hope this proves to be an accurate prediction of what happens, but I fear that the power structure has gone too far off the rule of law reservation for this to occur. I would say that putting this crowd in the slammer is a necessary first step before the reinstitution of the rule of law and the sidelining of the odious yankee regime can even be contemplated.
Solomon says sanders would be better?Ugh.dnc is toast.The zionists have control,of both parties.
Sanders and Stein are no doubt both zionists. What a coincidence that Jews are the only alternatives to DemRep zionists!
When I saw the news that the DNC was still going all Hillary and had sued Russia, the RNC, and Wikileaks presumably for “meddling” in the 2016 election, my immediate reaction was ROTFLMAO. My second reaction was utter disgust. Not surprisingly, that was also my reaction when Three Names immediately started whining that Russia had stolen the election in the first place. Christ on a Crutch! My daughters could do a better job of whining when they were little and I told them NO.
Dear Mr. Perez. You are in serious need of help. Three Names won the election by 3 million votes. But she lost the votes in the electoral college by 304 to 228. Which means that she lost the election. How could that happen? Answer: she won in population centers but not in the hinterland. E.g. she won St. Louis and Kansas City but didn’t win anything else in Missouri and, thus, didn’t get Missouri’s electoral votes. Could you kindly tell me how the hell Russia could have caused that to happen or how Wikileaks could have caused that to happen? Hint: Your gauzy bullshit about swaying the vote ain’t gonna cut it. To repeat: Three Names had 3 MILLION votes more than she needed to become head dog catcher. She lost because those three million votes were all in population centers and not spread out over the landscape. Trump won 2,626 counties across the nation and Three Names only won 487. That’s why she lost. I realize that in a civil case you aren’t required to prove something “beyond a reasonable doubt” but you are required to prove something nonetheless. For Russia, you will be going up against the likes of Bill Binney and others formerly from the NSA who say it was a leak, not a hack. Of course, Assange could blow this whole mess up in your face by simply telling us who gave him all those e-mails, couldn’t he?….. And if he were to give us the name of a DNC staffer …… I just hope you have your ass covered, pal.
As for the Democratic party. Look, I’m the wrong guy to ask. I started voting third party in 1992 when Slick Willie was the Democratic party candidate and I had finally figured out that the Republicans had basically been evil for the rest of the world for the previous 15 years. So, hey, there’s a reason that Three Names was the Front Person for the Democratic party. She’s a Wall Street shill and a warmonger. So are they. The reality is that both parties are offering the same thing. A corporate shill and warmonger. The only real difference is the relative power of the shill vis-a-vis the warmonger. This is why the US appears to be a fiddler crab, with one HUGE claw and another much smaller one.
Tom Perez represents the corporate funded tone deaf DNC leadership that helped put Trump in office. They create their own reality in a boardroom somewhere, and then lose touch with the reality of what the average voter thinks. Maybe this is by design to prevent any thoughtful person from voting, or it could be hubris over expectations driving their madness, but either way the Democrat’s lose.
Most people I know aren’t worried about Russians in as much they want to be able to survive. Voters want their children, and grandchildren, to have at least some of what they had growing up in America under better times. If the MSM were truly unbiased then a 3rd party could develop with a little publicity, but fear not our sabotaging MSM of propaganda keeps us safe from reality.
There is no proof, nor evidence in Russiagate offered over years now. The Clinton Democrats are strategically delaying any meaningful public response to Hillary’s war-Zionization of the USA. By other means than government, Oligarchs who hire Hillary are securing Finance-Media-Religion-Education-Military-Industrial-Legislative-Complex command & control. Meanwhile the Republicans are preparing the following pre-midterm legal news coverage. Congress Sends Criminal Referral To Sessions, Wray & Prosecutor Huber 18Apr’18 by sundance Led by Representative Ron DeSantis congress has sent a criminal referral letter (full pdf below) to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, FBI Director Christopher Wray & Federal Prosecutor John Huber. Identified targets of the referral include: •former FBI Director James Comey; •former Asst. FBI Director Andrew McCabe; •former Attorney General Loretta Lynch; •former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; •current FBI Agent Peter Strzok; & •current DOJ Attorney Lisa Page (former Special Counsel to Andrew McCabe). https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/04/18/congress-sends-criminal-referral-to-sessions-wray-and-prosecutor-huber/comment-page-4/ Public response to the shenanigan parasitism of both parties must start from the economic strengths of where we live & work. Politics follow economy & we are more powerful than we realize. https://sites.google.com/site/indigenecommunity/relational-economy/8-economic-democracy
Rainey, you are very wise. Eight years of Obama woke me up. I voted lukewarmly for him by the time 2012 arrived. I was beginning to understand the perfidy. Now, I detest the DNC and all they represent. Congratulations on making it to 84 and instead of being stuck, you have grown, as have I.
We will doubtless see changes as a result of such learning. Many will seek more identity-and-nature pretty-talk from other oligarchy-front sheepdog parties. But many are thinking more now, and skeptical of promises. As crises worsen, a new left may inspire enough violence to scare the rich into concessions.
Thanks ML for those kind words I gave up on Obama after his first 4 years and voted for Jill the 2nd time around. I was so angry that Obama signed the NDAA in 2008 (or there abouts) that I typed up the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th amendments in large print and bold type and put them in one of the windows of my independent bookstore with a heading that said (in bold caps) ” For over 200 years we have had these rights. Now we don’t”.
These words have been up there for almost 10 years and probably thousands have stopped to read them along with other things I have posted on this particular window. Things I think an informed citizenry should know whether they are liberal or conservative. In all those years I have had only one person come in the bookstore and be angry about it. I have had hundreds thank me for my “wall” and tell others they should go read it. And this is in red state Arizona.
Despite my disappointment in Obama I kept hoping that the Democrat party might see the light and shape up, but it’s clear now that that is not going to happen. Being independent is not the same as having a party. I’m never going to vote for a Republican, but I’m hard pressed to vote for a Democrat, though I will, reluctantly, unless that person has expressed democratic socialist ideas kind of like those put forth by Roosevelt – who was my president for the first 12 years of my life. Then I will exuberantly vote for that person. We have a few like that – Bernie, Tulsi, Elizabeth, and half a dozen more I can name. We need to get more of these people in office and then, when that happens, we can develop a branch of liberal Democratic-socialists as a major part of the Democrat party, so that we have a name that isn’t just “independent”. After a while we can split off and become the Democratic-socialist Party – or maybe, just maybe the Democrat party will decide to join us.
The Democratic Party is still fighting yesterday’s battle which they lost, somethime ago? The navel gazing, finger pointing & blamegame they are attributing to others such as a totally innocent Russia & Wikileaks is ridiculous & really pathetic?If you want to blame someone, blame the American people for voting for Trump? That is the reason “YOU LOST”? Trump got more votes, plain & simple? Admit your failure, stop the whinging & wining & move on! Stop living in the Past!
First of all, I agree that the Democratic Party seems to only know how to fight backwards and eat their own. That’s why I’m not a member.
Secondly, a “totally innocent Russia & Wikileaks?” There are not totally innocent actors…anywhere. This is not a zero-sum-game; the Democrats AND Russia AND Wikileaks can all be tainted (does anyone really believe that Russia and Wikileaks are without an agenda?). Like Trump and the neoliberal Dems and Repubs, Putin shouldn’t be trusted any further than we can spit…into the wind. Yeah, the media distorts, but let’s not lose our perspective.
Finally, yeah, the American people. I don’t know what to say about us other than…we’re in serious trouble.
Putin for potus.
The agenda Wikileaks is doing is what your propagandist MSM is failing to do & that is holding their corrupt Govts to account & informing the World by exposing illegal, immoral activities that would otherwise remain hidden from sight? Its called exposing the TRUTH? Something that’s seriously lacking in America? And yes Russia is “totally innocent” from interference in America’s Election! If you want to blame someone, blame Mark Zuckerberg & Facebook who datamined then onsold 87 million customers private details to Cambridge Analytica, who then sold this info to the Trump campaign in order to target American voters & attempt to influence then to vote for Trump! Thats what I call Election meddling & interference? But is Zuckerberg thrown in jail for this? NO? Because it was RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA who supposedly did it! Pathetic!
Ranney, you are wise. It took me a while too, but 8 years of Obama did it for me. What a waste of time those DNC wastrels are!
I propose that we never refer to them as the “Democratic” party; they are simply the Democrat party, nothing ‘democratic’ about them. We call it the Republican party, so it should be the Democrat party. I’m having no trouble making that semantic switch.
Wouldn’t it be great if the CIA were hit with lawsuits from other nations where the CIA had pulled off coups and assassinations? Russia could sue, too, over the Clinton administration meddling to support Yeltsin. I suppose the CIA would just claim “statute of limitations”.
The US refuses to sign the Treaty of Rome accepting ICC jurisdiction. There is a path using civil racketeering and similar lawsuits in the US, as long as US citizens were injured. Racketeering applies the statute of limitations only to the most recent of a pattern of crimes including fraud and denial of “honest services” of officials. But of course the judiciary is far, far too corrupt to permit any such claims. The US Court of Federal Claims is now denying all jurisdiction of cases against the US with zero legal grounds, just citations of their own faked-up recent decisions to deny jurisdiction without any basis whatsoever, although that is their sole purpose and reason for being. There is no recourse against a dictatorship of the rich, any more than against other emperors.
The DNC is a criminal organization in bed with the neocon warmongers and sadistic paranoid Zionist psychopaths. The DNC kowtows to Wall Street at every opportunity and never saw a progressive-populist Democrat they didn’t feel the knee-jerk reaction to smear, mock, undermine and disparage. As soon as the DNC — and its media lapdogs at MSDNC, NPR, CNN, PBS News Hour — is relegated to the dustbin of history it’ll be like finally getting a gorilla off our backs.
Malcolm X once said, “with deep south racists at least they’re direct and you know where they’re coming from and where you stand; with the northern liberal covert racists you’re sometimes caught off guard, they’re deceitful.” Malcolm’s assessment is so damn spot-on as it relates to the GOP and the DNC that it’s downright scary.
The system is called Capitalism; er . . . well . . . used to be capitalism. But it still runs on the ebb and flow of money. Why would politicians not carter to Wall St.?
WC – if only it was “free market capitalism”! Of course, it’s not. It’s “engineered and manipulated capitalism” that ensures the elite stay on top.
The futures market is manipulated, along with the gold market. The Japanese government are buying up and own most of their stock market. Bailouts, laws rescinded, mark to model instead of mark to market, QE upon QE upon QE to keep yield down, Glass-Steagall – gone…..
I could go on and on. This is not capitalism. If it were, all of the insolvent Wall Street banks would have gone under in 2008 and bankers would have been jailed for fraud. None of that happened. Don’t even get me started on insider information and high frequency trading.
It IS capitalism when those who take big, stupid risks are allowed to fail, not when they’re bailed out.
Perfect summary. Now comes the sixty-four thousand dollar question. How long can they keep it afloat?
They seem to think going digital will fix it. But they need a crash first to create the demand.
Interesting times. :)
WC – who knows what they’re up to. All I can say is they are complete idiots who are playing with and destroying a lot of people’s lives. Ponzi games are all they have left.
Yes, the DNC was bought out by oligarchy to sheepdog liberals to the right. A great bargain, because Dems will not admit it until a series of defeats and depressions leaves a large majority unable to afford a TV to tell them that all is well, and extremely angry that they were sold out all their lives. But I predict that will be a long slow fragmentation of the sleepwalking left, as the dictatorship of the rich consolidates power under the DemReps.
As ranney notes below, we need new and sincere progressive parties to form coalitions to oust the oligarchy.
Wall Street is where the DNC gets its money, or a large part of it, and the other donors have similar interests.
The whole point of the Russiagate project is to explain the loss to donors, who were furious their money was wasted in 2016. Many threated to stop giving, and some did stop for awhile.
The DNC now has no interest in the voters. It is all about the donors. They think they can buy voters later, with the money they get from donors. They’re wrong, but in the meantime they get the money.
Norman, if you don’t get that the Democrats and the Republicans are the same yet, well… Two wings of the same bird of prey.
I couldn’t agree more… Other than the party affiliation, there’s really no difference between the candidates for office, be that the House, Congress, or the White House. They will continue the terrorism, oops, wars in any country they will decide and yes, they will also decrease taxes for corporations and oligarchs.
The worst thing about elections in the US, that there’s only three choices; don’t vote, or vote for either of the DemocRATS or RepubliCANS…
RepubliCONS. FIFY.
Any idea that the deep reforms we need will come about through the thoroughly corrupted political process is naive at best, and totally deluding at worst – tending towards futile idealism and a waste of precious time and energy.
The Spider and the Fly
“Will you walk into my parlour?” said the Spider to the Fly,
‘Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I’ve a many curious things to show when you are there.”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can never come down again.”
“I’m sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?” said the Spider to the Fly.
“There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I’ll snugly tuck you in!”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “for I’ve often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!”
Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, “Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I ‘ve always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that’s nice;
I’m sure you’re very welcome — will you please to take a slice?”
“Oh no, no,” said the little Fly, “kind Sir, that cannot be,
I’ve heard what’s in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!”
“Sweet creature!” said the Spider, “you’re witty and you’re wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I’ve a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you’ll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself.”
“I thank you, gentle sir,” she said, “for what you’re pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I’ll call another day.”
The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
“Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple — there’s a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!”
Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by;
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue —
Thinking only of her crested head — poor foolish thing!
At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour — but she ne’er came out again!
And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne’er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the fly.
~By Mary Howitt, 1829
And so my friends, do not waste your time within the Kafkaesque halls and corridors of Washington DC, wherein you may lose your mind and possibly your very soul, as so many have done before you.
Love your post!
The Misguided Lawsuit
could be
one against
you, Mr. Solomon.
Why are the People
of Yemen
Allowed To Be
Killed/Murdered
at the Behest of
Saudi Regime,
/change
After Trump
Danced w/ the
Sword of Ismael
??????????????
Remember Paris in 1968?
Driven by the idea
that wecouldchange the world!?
Is It Happening Again???
Find the French documentary “THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS”
after that, discover the rebellious soil & soul of 1968 Paris/France
and how it aligned politically / militarily
W/ NATO Intents and purposes, which
fanned youthful sentiment of rebellion
The “Battle Of Algiers”
– explains the side-of-the “other”
——————————
When we run away from the realities we’ve created
in our conspicuous quest for ; –
not so-called easy street, `
‘some sort of belief in a ?prosperous/semi-prosperpous shot-at-life that’d propel me into a “higher realm”
of thinking as I analyze the prospectus of for my Progress in the age-of- street-gang murder based on
cliques and affiliations / And Death is-to-be-expected
They Got TONS-A–GUNS and AMMO
and do as taught — in the ghetto life style,
Death is/as a moment by moment expectation.
Imagine That … !
After Dinner, find the great French recorded, historical film, —
starring great actor Michael Pitt w/ Strong support from Ms Eva Green
… all you’d ever want to know about students in Paris, France in the 1960’s —
Their “Declaration of Independence ” that coincided with our concerted egalitarian push for equal rights / equal opportunity for a ‘theoretically” “equal” chance at advancement/achievement.
The “Struggle” means vastly different things to a people that face vastly different obstacles to achievement.
The film’s ending , :the film-is presented as a as fictional/documentary but is Very Factual of actual events
Along w/ this, you must see find and study the CD or YouTube “The Battle of Algiers”
Very true, Mike, the District of Corruption will not soon see better minds or souls. An anecdote about DC:
I recently tried to convince the Dept of Education to donate a surplus old building in DC to help found my proposed College of Policy Debate. That took months of work. Although the CPD is to be nonpartisan and purely educational, they decided that it was not educational. The Library of Congress, which spends about 108 million annually on the Congressional Research Service collecting and summarizing research materials in many areas for Congress members, refused even to respond to well drafted letters suggesting that this might be a natural extension of that service. The CPD seems to me as important as either agency.
So I agree that DC will not decide to help re-envision its own organization.
Human nature has obviously not changed much since 1829.
I think it is time for liberals to seriously consider and gather together to create a new party. It is clear that being a Democrat is no longer a name we can carry with pride. I stopped calling myself a Democrat over a year ago. It finally dawned on me that the Democratic party that I thought I knew had died quietly some time ago and I hadn’t noticed.
I wonder if the same sort of thing happened to the GOP. This was the party that 150 years ago was against slavery and other things bad for the common man. And then it morphed into something Lincoln would not have recognized. Probably, just like the Democratic party today, no one really noticed until it was too late.
How long will it take for liberals to realize the Democratic party cannot be fixed? It is overloaded with neocons in powerful positions who are good at lying and also predisposed to making war. Time to make a change. Can we decide to do this? Will it be done in my life time? Probably not (I’m 84) but one can always hope.
I wonder too how many of CN’s readers feel the same?
I certainly do ranney, I intend to vote the candidate I personally approve of regardless of party. The heck with the dnc…
I certainly do ranney. I intend to vote the candidate I personally approve of regardless of party. The heck with the dnc… Thank you Normon Soloman and Joe Lauria.
“I wonder too how many of CN’s readers feel the same?”
I think that is why we are here.
I think the braintrust, including statistical wizards like Nate Silver, assume that the Dems will win big this November because the GOP voters have been disappointed and alienated by Trump for not adhering to his campaign promises. (I don’t think they believe for a minute that he “colluded with the Russians.”)
This would indeed be unfortunate, not because I’m a Republican or a conservative, but because the Dems will never learn a lesson and re-align with the old “New Deal” until forced to do so by the voters. The only way to achieve this goal is simply do not vote for a Dem any time soon. Rather, vote for a GOPer if you must (they will be blamed for the failures of government in the dismal near term) or vote for an independent or third party candidate.
Keep doing this until the Democratic candidates and the corporate media start talking sense about national policy and world events, rather than laying on an entire false narrative made of whole cloth. Above all, keep bellyaching about how the warmongers and corporatists have bought our government entirely for themselves, every chance you get and to every person you know.
All those folks who lost homes and jobs ten years ago are still plenty sore about it (also still in debt and still underemployed). Trump was, in fact, meant by all the angry Americans to be a monkey wrench in the well-oiled machine owned and operated by our privileged aristocracy, which is why the insiders have been trying to destroy him (and pretty much have) since the day after the election. We need to keep delivering such iconoclasts into office to thwart these self-appointed superior beings. Maybe someday one of them will get something accomplished for the people and cause the fat cats to abandon politics or leave the country for greener pastures. Let them move all their assets to Paraguay, New Zealand or whatever place is supposed to become the new paradise for laissez faire capitalists.
How about just not voting in our crooked election system? Voting is just a pathetic attempt to use a system designed to frustrate your good intentions. The pretend democracy that is a pillar of the con job perpetrated on the American public uses voting to hoodwink us into thinking we can change the totally corrupt system by playing it’s little game every few years, and wasting our time in the intervals thinking and scheming about politics. This rotten US government is beyond repairing – it needs to be discarded and replaced by something totally different. If you say this can’t be done, then we are permanently screwed, and reduced to waiting for extinction. And that may be our fate, unless we find a way to get this evil cabal of oligarchs off our back.
Ask yourself this question: What has voting got us so far? Isn’t it part of the problem, not a solution?
Fine. However you think you can get the message across that you, as an American citizen, are totally unhappy with the way this country is being governed.
I think I might vote for “none of the above sell-outs” in the Democratic primaries, and then add the notation: “Putin had not a damned thing to do with my vote. Stop misleading the people.”
mike k-
Voting has gotten us nothing thus far, but the alternative is violent revolution, which I’m sure you abhor as much as I. I think the time is ripe for a huge transfer of progressives to either the Green party, or some other new populist party. The latte sippers live in a bubble, and completely ignore the plight of middle America (their “deplorables’). Trump won some of these people over with his campaign rhetoric, and 40 pct didn’t even vote. We need someone with “star power” that the MSM can’t ignore to rally these people. Once we cross the 15 pct threshold and this candidate gets to speak to the American people on TV, we’ll be on our way to real change. Of course there is the very real danger of assassination or cooptation, but I see no other possibility for a peaceful path forward.
I agree Skip. With so many disaffected voters, the time is ripe for a 3rd party to gain traction and open up the dialogue. I thought more young people and Bernie supporters would be galvanized toward Stein after the Dem Convention in ’16…what a missed opportunity to force a debate that would have “reach”.