Year: 2016

Newt Gingrich Admits – Donald Trump No Longer Wants to ‘Drain the Swamp’

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Not that he ever wanted to, but here’s Newt Gingrich admitting what many of us already knew regarding Donald Trump’s fake populism.

Politico reports:

President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington of corruption, but now that he’s preparing to move into the White House, Newt Gingrich said the Manhattan real estate mogul is looking to distance himself from that message.

“I’m told he now just disclaims that. He now says it was cute, but he doesn’t want to use it anymore,” the former House Speaker and close Trump adviser said of the “drain the swamp” message in an NPR interview published Wednesday morning. 

Trump’s Cabinet and other high-level appointments seem to have deviated somewhat from his “drain the swamp” message. After attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton regularly throughout the campaign for being too close to Wall Street banks, Trump has put three former Goldman Sachs executives in prominent White House positions, including Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary, Steve Bannon as chief White House strategist and Gary Cohn as the director of the National Economic Council.

As I highlighted in the recent post, The Election Never Ended:

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NY Daily News Columnist Justifies Killing of Russian Ambassador by Comparing Putin to Hitler

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As such, the media still can’t let the election go. In its obsession with “fake news” and Russia, the U.S. press is once again betraying the public trust. It is once again demonstrating that the primary purpose of American mass media is a perpetuation of the status quo narrative. The media can’t let the election go, because any acknowledgment that Trump’s victory was a reflection of public unease indicts the media for failing to validate and report on the extent of this unease and its causes. After all, it’s so much easier to just call 63 million Americans racists, misogynists and Putin stooges. Which brings me to the final point.

As is the case with the vast majority of our problems, if we want to zero in on the much bandied about “threats to democracy,” we don’t need to look abroad. Moscow didn’t force the DNC to sabotage Bernie Sanders, and it didn’t force Donna Brazile to hand debate questions to the Hillary Clinton campaign either. Putin didn’t nominate Hillary Clinton in an election year that was obviously amenable to populist messaging. No, the Democrats did all that, with a huge heaping of assistance from the mainstream media. Which is precisely why neither group can let the election go in order to focus on our very real, and very extensive national problems.

From yesterday’s post: The Election Never Ended

In a more quaint time, I’d express shock at the fact the New York Daily News published an article in which the columnist defends the killing of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey because he worked for Putin; who as we all know, is literally Hitler. With so many Hitlers running around at the moment (remember Trump is also Hitler), it’s becoming harder and harder to keep track of all the hysterical narratives being pushed around by the billionaire-owned mass media.

Since I’m a fierce advocate of free speech, I defend the author’s right to voice his opinion, irrespective of how hyperbolic and reckless it may be. That said, I would ask readers to think about the sort of frenzy that would ensue if an article with a similar line of reasoning, but directed at an ambassador of a U.S. government ally instead of Russia (say Israel or Saudi Arabia), was written and published by some prominent alternative media blogger. Can you even begin to imagine the outrage that would be unleashed upon that person and the offending website?

With that in mind, take a look at a few excerpts from the piece in question, written by Gersh Kuntzman, and published by the New York Daily News:

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The Election Never Ended

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The U.S. election never ended. By that I mean the relentless public battle for power and status, as opposed to confronting what actually ails the nation, has continued, unabated since November 8th.

Despite a clear cut and decisive win for Donald Trump, Americans have been incessantly bombarded by reckless calls for an electoral coup from figures like the certifiably disturbed former sports host Keith Olbermann, to the formerly respectable professor of law, Harvard’s Lawrence Lessig, who has in my view totally torched his credibility as a result of his participation in this stunt.

Since I never considered the elector coup a real threat, I haven’t written anything about it on these pages (though I’ve tweeted plenty on it). Nevertheless, the fact that people seen as thoughtful and serious about the state of the Republic even entertained such a disastrous ploy is a terrifying thing to contemplate. Even former advisor to President Obama, David Axelrod recognizes the extraordinary irresponsibility of such a tactic. The Hill reports:

Democratic strategist David Axelrod on Monday said an Electoral College revolt against President-elect Donald Trump would be “destructive” for the country.

“Look, Alexander Hamilton conceived of the Electoral College and the founding fathers as a buffer against democracy run amok, as a safe guard against someone who was unsuited for the office to take the office,” Axelrod said on CNN’s “New Day.”

“But it’s never been used in the history of our Republic,” he continued.

“To have it happen now, despite the fact that Hillary Clinton won the popular vote and all that’s swirling around with Russia and so on,” he said, “I believe would split the country apart in a really destructive way and it would set this mad cycle in which every election the Electoral College vote would be in question.” 

Although Axelrod deserves credit for acknowledging the sheer stupidity of the thing, if Trump had actually been denied the Presidency in such a manner the situation would’ve been far worse than what he envisions. Indeed, we’d have been on a fast-track to some sort of Civil War/disintegration of the union. Unfortunately, as dangerous as the attempted electoral college coup was, it’s far from the most concerning thing I’ve witnessed since the election.

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Liberty Links 12/17/16

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If you appreciate our work, and want to contribute to genuine, independent media, consider visiting our Support Page. Must Reads Goldman Sachs Continues to Run America Under Trump (Depressing, but accurate, The Intercept) How Clinton Lost Michigan — and Blew the Election (Politico) Sean Hannity Interviews Julian Assange (YouTube) Hillary and Hypocritical Democrats Aren’t Defending American Democracy from Foreign Meddling, They Are a Clear … Read more

Must Read of the Day – ‘Sorry, Not Sorry: Neither the Media Nor Their Owners are Going to Change’

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Counterpunch published an excellent piece earlier today by Jason Hirthler titled: Sorry, Not Sorry: Neither the Media Nor Their Owners are Going to Change.

Here are my favorite excerpts:

The leftist heretic and popular scourge of religion Christopher Hitchens wrote in his superb Bill Clinton takedown, No One Left to Lie To, that the essence of American politics is “the manipulation of populism by elitism.” Unfortunately, this tactic didn’t work so well for the Clintons in November, as the reviled populists had the last irrational, racist, sexist, brutish and barbaric word on the matter (according to assembled liberal punditry). But the statement still rings true. This is, after all, the job description of corporate media. As The Intercept’s Glenn Greenwald says, the “supreme religion of the U.S. press corps is reverence for power.” Their priesthood is a cabal of anonymous sources; their catechism is war everlasting. And so, the vulgar philistines on the plains, who foolishly prefer peaceful relations, steady work, and free healthcare to profiteering wars abroad, must be endlessly misled.

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‘False Narratives of a New Cold War’ – Insightful Interview With Professor of Russian Studies

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We’re shut out now. There hasn’t been an op-ed in The New York Times or Washington Post editorial pages arguing that the United States is at least equally to blame for this new Cold War crisis. They simply will not accept those articles…So this is the problem. In a democracy we fight through discourse. If you can’t get to the mainstream media  and make the argument, then there’s no way of slowing the drift toward catastrophe.

– Stephen F. Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Russian studies at Princeton University and New York University

Stephen Cohen just recorded an incredibly trenchant interview regarding the extreme dangers of the recent explosion in Russia hysteria with Brian Lehrer on WNYC.

Before we get to it, I want to highlight the following paragraphs published in Politico earlier today. While the article itself was embarrassingly biased toward standard U.S. government talking points, some valuable history can be found amongst all the noise. Such as the following:

Related was Hillary Clinton’s enthusiasm for NATO’s further expansion into Eastern Europe. That process was based on the well-founded idea that Eastern Europe needed—indeed, was asking for—protection from Russia aggression. But Russia’s military establishment treated it as a slow-rolling invasion of their sphere of influence.

This reaction, too, had its roots under Bill Clinton. An expanded NATO would help ensure democracy, prosperity and stability across Europe, he believed. Moscow took a sharply different view. After one 1994 summit at which Yeltsin gave Bill Clinton his blessing to the addition of new NATO members—including Poland and Hungary, both former Soviet satellites—a communist newspaper fumed about “the capitulation of Russian policy before NATO and the U.S.” One of Yeltsin’s main political opponents said he had allowed “his friend Bill [to] kick him in the rear.” He compared the agreement to the treatment of Germany at Versailles after World War I—a recurring theme among Russian officials since the Cold War’s end.

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There’s a Smart Way to Resist Trump and a Very Stupid Way (Democrats Chose the Latter)

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Let me start this post by reiterating my view that a Trump Presidency carries various undeniable risks. Specifically, his stated views on civil liberties as well as a recent embrace of Wall Street, leaves much to be desired.

That said, if you want to effectively push back against the real risks Trump presents, it’s important you live in reality. Hysterically comparing him to Hitler, or saying he’s going to put Muslims in concentration camps, is a surefire way to incinerate your credibility and strengthen Trump’s support amongst the public. Trying to steal the office from him via an extremely dangerous and irresponsible coup attempt is equally foolish. These tactics only serve to strengthen Trump.

This is because a majority of Americans simply weren’t really into Trump or Hillary. Many of these people voted for Trump not because they like him or his policies, but because they just wanted to put up a gigantic middle finger in the face of the establishment and the mainstream media. Whether or not Trump is really such a middle finger is highly questionable, but that’s not the point. The point is enough people didn’t buy into the hysterical claims about Trump in the run up to the election, otherwise he wouldn’t have won. The lesson Trump opposition should have learned from Hillary’s loss is that the “just act like insane lunatics” approach to Trump doesn’t work against him. This would’ve been the logical conclusion reached upon genuine reflection and introspection, but this is not what happened.

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Daily Kos Founder Tells Readers – ‘Be Happy for Coal Miners Losing Their Health Insurance’

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On Monday, Markos “kos” Moulitsas, founder of the highly trafficked Daily Kos website penned an article that many have found deeply offensive titled, Be Happy for Coal Miners Losing Their Health Insurance. They’re Getting Exactly What They Voted for. Here’s some of what he wrote:

Hillary Clinton won the election, but a system designed to let a powerful minority override the will of the majority selected some asshole. For now, we have to deal with that bullshit reality, and lots of good people will suffer serious consequences. But don’t feel sorry for the ones who enabled this nightmare by voting for the incoming Trump-Putin administration. For example, why should we weep for the retired coal miners who will now lose their health insurance thanks to the GOP majority—despite the best efforts of coal-state Democrats to change the outcome? 

Don’t weep for these coal miners, now abandoned by their GOP patrons. They are getting exactly the government that they voted for. Democrats can no longer offer unrequited love and cover for them. And isn’t this what democracy is all about? They won the election! This is what they wanted!

While I’m as concerned as anyone that Trump is a fake populist who is likely to betray those who voted for him, I find the above extraordinarily offensive and devoid of all human compassion. After all, isn’t being a “liberal” supposed to be about compassion for others no matter the cause of their suffering?

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Video of the Day – The ‘Fake Left’ Has Lost Its Mind

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I spent much of the morning ranting on Twitter about a group of people (largely comprised of Hillary Clinton cultists), who I refer to as the “fake left.”

Before I show you today’s video, I want you to take a look at some of these tweets in order to gain some context.

Keep all of that in mind when you watch the following hysterical, unhinged and utterly embarrassing rant from former ESPN sports host Keith Olbermann.

WARNING: This is cringeworthy.

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Did The Washington Post Once Again Promote ‘Fake News’ With Regard to Russian Election Interference?

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In its recent hysterical tirades against the ambiguous plaque of ‘fake news,’ mainstream media outlets are engaged in a well known psychological practice known as projection. Here’s a quick description of Psychological Projection:

Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others. For example, a person who is habitually rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude. It incorporates blame shifting.

This appears to be precisely what the mainstream media has been obsessively engaged in ever since Hillary Clinton’s embarrassing, but entirely understandable, election loss. The most obvious example of such media projection appeared on Thanksgiving Day when The Washington Post published a widely panned, and easily disproven, fake news article about “fake news” (for my analysis, see: Liberty Blitzkrieg Included on Washington Post Highlighted Hit List of “Russian Propaganda” Websites).

Although a full retraction would have been the appropriate response for any paper with an ounce of integrity, The Washington Post has no such integrity. Nevertheless, the paper was indeed forced to add an editor’s note to the top of its article, effectively admitting the entire piece was a complete fabrication, primarily sourced via a clownish anonymous group with apparent ties to Ukrainian fascists.

Undaunted, The Washington Post went ahead and published another “blockbuster” article this past Friday. If the same piece was published by some random alternative media blog, it would’ve immediately been dismissed as unsubstantiated fake news by the endlessly chattering, terminally wrong mainstream media punditry class. The gist of the entire thing can be seen within the first two paragraphs. Here they are:

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