Russiagate

[AlanS 1]

Russia will have a so called presidential election on March 18th, 2018. It seems Putin has used the levers of corruption within that society so effectively that the out come isn't in doubt. (I mean after all if you have had the same leader for the past 18 years are you anything less than a dictatorship?)

Here is a list of candidates. Instead of leting the best in Russia run, it seems only candidates that let Putin look good will be allowed to run, to give an appears of elections.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_presidential_election,_2018#Free_access

Vladimir Zhirinovsky - the fascist candidate

Gennady Zyuganov - the communist candidate


The "A Just Russia" Party seems to the most legit, but it's most likely candidate, Sergey Mironov, might refuse to run. They will decide at the end of December.

[Phil1111 910]

The FSB will monitor the situation with beatings, tear gas, false charges of corruption, etc. If any candidate looks to be a challenger in any real sense. i.e. if they expose Putin's corruption in a factual way. Or if they expose any of his inner circle for corruption. They will be eliminated.

Thats why trump admires President Putin so much. Putin is a GREAT campaign organizer.President Putin also knows how to handle journalists that criticize him.

trump and FOX News, think about it.
‘Nobody defends us’: Russian journalists respond to knife attack
"Russian journalists have said an increasingly polarised and violent political climate in the country may have encouraged a knife attack in which a well-known radio host was stabbed in the neck.

Tatyana Felgenhauer, deputy editor of the Ekho Moskvy radio station, was attacked on Monday lunchtime by a man who broke into the station’s studios in a central Moscow tower block. The intruder sprayed pepper in the face of a ground-floor security guard, before vaulting the barrier and taking the lift up to the Ekho Moskvy studio on the 14th floor.

Alexei Venediktov, the station’s editor-in-chief, said in an interview on Monday evening that doctors had operated on Felgenhauer for more than an hour. She will be in an induced coma overnight, but doctors say there is no immediate threat to her life."

A Russian journalists’ union was sharply critical of the television report. “We think that these programmes stoke hatred towards our colleagues and could have provoked an unstable person into attacking Tanya,” a statement from the Union of Journalists and Media Workers said.

Yulia Latynina, a journalist who hosted a weekly show on Ekho Moskvy, fled Russia this year after an attempted arson attack on her car. Last year an assailant tipped a canister of faeces over her in central Moscow.

Yevgenia Albats, a magazine editor who also has a long-running show on Ekho, said she was surprised there had not been similar attacks before.

“The amount of aggression directed towards liberal journalists in this country from state media and elsewhere is overwhelming and non-stop,” she said. “Nobody is going to defend us; we’re the enemies of everyone.”
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/oct/23/russian-radio-journalist-tatyana-felgenhauer-stabbed-in-neck-at-her-moscow-office

[AlanS 1]

Very relevant for our next election.


Google will only show news from sites that are honest about their country of origin.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/google-won-apos-t-show-203300968.html

[AlanS 1]

PBS News Hour


Story: To this Russian-American community, Russia has become a political scapegoat

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/to-this-russian-american-community-russia-has-become-a-political-scapegoat

[Phil1111 910]

AlanS

PBS News Hour


Story: To this Russian-American community, Russia has become a political scapegoat

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/to-this-russian-american-community-russia-has-become-a-political-scapegoat

Its a long read but gives an idea of Putin's current hold on the Russian spying and one perspective on how "Russiagate" came about. As always, follow the money.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/01/putins-game/546548/

The story leads you to believe that Russia, Iran and N. Korea have all turned hackers loose on the west.

[rushmc 18]

Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[gowlerk 1,911]

rushmc

Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

From a democratic and anti-Trump perspective I'm enjoying watching his and the R party's support plummet like a rock. And elections with strong D turnout.

Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free.

[kallend 1,623]

rushmc

Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

I am TRULY impressed that Special Counsel Mueller has chosen to take you into his confidence, when the results of his investigation are, by law, to be kept confidential until officially unsealed in an indictment.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[tonyhays 86]

Quote

Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

First I've heard of it falling apart, so I did quick google search on "Trump Russia investigation". Zero links (at least on page one) that even hint that this is happening. Couple of stories on how team Trump is turning on Flynn, numerous articles on how the investigation is widening. Such as this one....

http://www.newsweek.com/mueller-investigation-trump-kushner-rnc-data-us-voters-760833

Care to back up your statement with some actual content?

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

[billvon 2,397]

>Care to back up your statement with some actual content?

I couldn't find anything either. Something triggered Rush so I searched on "Russian investigation falling apart." The most relevant hits were:

"Republican attack on Mueller's Trump investigation falls apart"
"Mueller Russia investigation hits Trump family"
"Trump's “No Collusion” Defense Is Falling Apart"
"The White House's Counter-Theory of Russian Collusion [i.e. Clinton did it] Is Falling Apart"
"The Trump Presidency Falls Apart"

All of which are fun to watch, but probably not what the Trumpies intended.

So what crazy-straw news source has something that would trigger them? I took a look at his usual sources and found:

"Chris Matthews: Trump-Russia collusion theory 'came apart' with Comey testimony" (Jun 2017)
"Lewandowski: Democrats' case into Trump campaign ties to Russia falling apart" (May 2017)

This is from the Washington Examiner, whose owner stated he 'wanted nothing but conservative columns and conservative op-ed writers.' And both stories are pretty old. So probably not them.

"The Week the Russia Conspiracy Theory Fell Apart" (Jul 2017)
"Tom Fitton: Robert Mueller Investigation Now ‘Irredeemably Compromised’" (recent)

These are both from Breitbart, one of Rush's favorites. The first one is both outdated and funny (as it preceded at least four arrests and one conviction for lying to the FBI about Russian collusion) so perhaps the second one? It's a story about how a right-wing lawyer thinks that Mueller is compromised. Which isn't news; the right wing has been trying to undermine the justice system for months now, so that when more indictments come down they have a pre-loaded "fake news! bias! lies!" denial ready to go.

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

Well, I think the Rs and the "Trumpettes" are starting to get seriously worried.

They are getting a bit desperate too.

So they are attacking Mueller and his team with anything they can think of.

The one investigator who was removed for Tweeting stuff against Trump is a good example.
Despite a potential issue with bias, anything that particular investigator uncovered would still have had to "pass muster" with both Mueller and survive any challenges from the Trump team defense counsel.

But the "Trumpettes" are still going to try to convince people that the investigation is "doomed."

I wonder if they are dumb enough to actually believe that?

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[billvon 2,397]

>I wonder if they are dumb enough to actually believe that?

Hey, they believed everything Trump told them; can't get much dumber than that. (And as a group they tend to be undereducated, which makes sense.)

[wolfriverjoe 1,340]

billvon

>I wonder if they are dumb enough to actually believe that?

Hey, they believed everything Trump told them; can't get much dumber than that. (And as a group they tend to be undereducated, which makes sense.)

Yes.

History is full of groups that actually believed their own propaganda.

Most of them lost.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[Phil1111 910]

wolfriverjoe

***>I wonder if they are dumb enough to actually believe that?

Hey, they believed everything Trump told them; can't get much dumber than that. (And as a group they tend to be undereducated, which makes sense.)

Yes.

History is full of groups that actually believed their own propaganda.

Most of them lost.

Only 25% of the hard core left. "But less than a quarter of Americans think Trump has made good on the pledges he made to voters while running for president, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research."...

As 2017 comes to a close, the majority of Americans painted a broadly pessimistic view of Trump’s presidency, the nation’s politics and the overall direction of the country. Just three in 10 Americans said the United States is heading in the right direction, and 52 percent said the country is worse off since Trump became president — worrisome signs both for the White House and Republicans heading into a midterm election year where control of Congress will be at stake.

Along with the 23 percent who think Trump has kept his promises, another 30 percent think he has tried and failed and 45 percent think he hasn’t kept them at all....

In a second AP-NORC poll conducted this month, Trump’s job approval rating sits at just 32 percent, making him the least popular first-year president on record. A quarter of Republicans say they’re among those who disapprove of the president....

Just 25 percent of Americans think the country is better off since Trump took office — and only 20 percent say they personally are doing better.

By contrast, an AP-NORC poll conducted a year ago found that Americans were more likely to think the country had become better off over the course of Barack Obama’s presidency than worse off, 46 percent to 33 percent. "
https://apnews.com/9079eca84bc542a7bdd79b65fae1e53f

Furthermore, "52 percent of Americans feel the U.S. became less respected worldwide over the course of 2017, the poll found. ..., but the poll also showed 52 percent of Americans either strongly or somewhat disapproved of the way Trump is handling his presidency, putting his overall approval rating at roughly 38 percent. Only 39 percent approve of the job Trump is doing when it comes to foreign policy.

The poll also showed a majority of Americans, 57 percent, believe Trump is fairly or very likely to get the U.S. into a war—and 55 percent feel he doesn't have the temperament to be president.
http://www.newsweek.com/trump-start-war-us-less-respected-worldwide-760931

The Russian plan is working. In the face of a skyrocketing stock market in which only 25% feel better off. Most Americans are very worried about Americas future.

[rushmc 18]

gowlerk

***Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

From a democratic and anti-Trump perspective I'm enjoying watching his and the R party's support plummet like a rock. And elections with strong D turnout.

Did you see the Obama Trump comparison Pole today? Trump's support level is it the exact same level that Obama's was at the same time in his presidency. The Republican support is not dropping it's a democratic delusion that it is

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[rushmc 18]

wolfriverjoe

***>I wonder if they are dumb enough to actually believe that?

Hey, they believed everything Trump told them; can't get much dumber than that. (And as a group they tend to be undereducated, which makes sense.)

Yes.

History is full of groups that actually believed their own propaganda.

Most of them lost.

Yes, you are correct Hillary lost

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[Phil1111 910]

rushmc

******Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

From a democratic and anti-Trump perspective I'm enjoying watching his and the R party's support plummet like a rock. And elections with strong D turnout.

Did you see the Obama Trump comparison Pole today? Trump's support level is it the exact same level that Obama's was at the same time in his presidency. The Republican support is not dropping it's a democratic delusion that it is

Do you mean this "pole"?
"Gallup poll: Obama is 'most admired man' for the 10th year in a row"

Former President Barack Obama is America’s “most admired man” for the 10th consecutive year, according to new survey data from Gallup.

The annual poll has been taken every year but one since 1946 and asks respondents to name their most admired man and woman, as well as their second choice....

Trump is one of few incumbent presidents who have not been named the most admired among all Americans.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/366561-poll-obama-is-most-admired-man-for-the-10th-year-in-a-row

Or this poll?:
"US president Barack Obama will leave office with an approval rating of 57% according to a survey from the polling firm Gallup taken from Jan. 9-15, 2017. Obama’s exiting approval rating is 23 percentage points higher than former US president George W. Bush’s when he left office, ...

Donald Trump’s favorability rating sits at 40%. This is extremely low for an incoming president—each of the last three presidents entered with favorability ratings above 60%. Upon Trump’s inauguration, the US will move from having a generally well-liked leader to having one that is historically unpopular.
https://qz.com/889644/obamas-approval-rating-from-his-first-day-to-his-last-in-charts/

[Bob_Church 7]

Speaking of polling in general, it's hard to take the results seriously anymore. I think it was in 1998 that pretty much every state had gay rights laws on the ballot. Polling showed all of them having a strong lead and yet they all failed. But is that surprising? Not the anti-gay part, but the lying to the pollsters. If you have beliefs that go against the grain, anti-gay, anti-affirmative action, things like that, would you let people know? Remember the woman in California who's restaurant was attacked when it came out the she'd donated to a group opposing new laws protecting gay renters.

[Phil1111 910]

You're referring of the propensity of people to moderate their views when answering polls and talking to strangers. Most polls have sophisticated quantitative modeling as the basis of the poll. It factors race, incomes, sex, etc. It also factors non responsive answers, hang-ups , etc.

Obama had his lowest popularity about one year into his Presidency. About the time he was bailing out wall street bankers, etc. You can't govern based upon polls and trump dosn't.

I'll give trump credit for the N. Korea sanctions and for the sale of arms to Ukraine this last week. IMO he's the bad cop and Tillerson the "good cop". The anti-tank guided missile sales to Ukraine are bound to piss off Putin. Because there are Russian special forces and "volunteers" fighting with the rebels. All paid for by Putin.

[billvon 2,397]

> Trump's support level is it the exact same level that Obama's was at the same time in his presidency.

So for you 55% = 37%.

I am starting to see why concepts like anthropogenic climate change and smart grid reliability are eluding you.

[kallend 1,623]

rushmc

******Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

From a democratic and anti-Trump perspective I'm enjoying watching his and the R party's support plummet like a rock. And elections with strong D turnout.

Did you see the Obama Trump comparison Pole today? Trump's support level is it the exact same level that Obama's was at the same time in his presidency. The Republican support is not dropping it's a democratic delusion that it is

Just when I believe your credibility can't possibly go any lower, you prove me wrong.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[tkhayes 126]

Quote

Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

not sure that 4 arrests and two guilty pleas are considered 'falling apart'....

[wmw999 2,121]

I'm so happy we can rejoice while our country (at least for some of us) is hurt by (whatever we think is hurting it), as long as we win and you lose.

Kind of like rejoicing that the forest fire took your neighbor's house and spared yours, forgetting that you have massive smoke damage, no vegetation, and all your friends lost their houses, too.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[nolhtairt 0]

Phil1111

*********Are you enjoying watching this fall apart as much as I am?

At least from a democratic anti-trump perspective.

From a democratic and anti-Trump perspective I'm enjoying watching his and the R party's support plummet like a rock. And elections with strong D turnout.

Did you see the Obama Trump comparison Pole today? Trump's support level is it the exact same level that Obama's was at the same time in his presidency. The Republican support is not dropping it's a democratic delusion that it is

Do you mean this "pole"?
"Gallup poll: Obama is 'most admired man' for the 10th year in a row"

Former President Barack Obama is America’s “most admired man” for the 10th consecutive year, according to new survey data from Gallup.

The annual poll has been taken every year but one since 1946 and asks respondents to name their most admired man and woman, as well as their second choice....

Trump is one of few incumbent presidents who have not been named the most admired among all Americans.
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/366561-poll-obama-is-most-admired-man-for-the-10th-year-in-a-row

Or this poll?:
"US president Barack Obama will leave office with an approval rating of 57% according to a survey from the polling firm Gallup taken from Jan. 9-15, 2017. Obama’s exiting approval rating is 23 percentage points higher than former US president George W. Bush’s when he left office, ...

Donald Trump’s favorability rating sits at 40%. This is extremely low for an incoming president—each of the last three presidents entered with favorability ratings above 60%. Upon Trump’s inauguration, the US will move from having a generally well-liked leader to having one that is historically unpopular.
https://qz.com/889644/obamas-approval-rating-from-his-first-day-to-his-last-in-charts/

Underlined and bolded in red... Say what? Did Trump win re-election?

[JerryBaumchen 1,048]

Hi nolhtairt,

Quote

Did Trump win re-election?

'holding an indicated position, role, office, etc., currently'

Your lesson for today,

Jerry Baumchen

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/incumbent?s=t