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Month: December 2017

Trump’s psycho tweets

Published by digby on December 1, 2017

Trump’s psycho tweets
by digby

I wrote about Trump’s affiliation with the international neo-fascist alt-right for Salon today:

There’s been a lot of talk this week about President Trump’s mental state. Psychiatrists have weighed in calling him a “very sick man.” Former associates report that people close to him are “deeply concerned about his mental health.” It’s been reported that he’s telling people that the person on the “Access Hollywood” tape wasn’t really him, and claiming (again) that he actually won the popular vote. But the most vivid and obvious evidence that Trump is becoming even more unbalanced even than before (which is saying something) comes from his Twitter feed, which has been a daily dumpster fire ever since word came down that Michael Flynn had apparently made a deal with Robert Mueller.

Trump’s Twitter is a window into his mind, and right now it isn’t offering an attractive view. He’s madly tweeted lies about his tax plan, applauded himself for single-handedly causing the stock market to rise, insulted the media, slandered old friends and condemned some of the famous men who have been fired for sexual harassment. Apparently he is more assured of his omnipotence than ever, since he was rewarded with the presidency while all those other guys have been brought low. He’s put on quite a show and all of it has further degraded the presidency and embarrassed the nation before the world.

But there was one series of tweets that stood out and it’s so bad that it may have actually caused a diplomatic break with our closest ally. On Thursday morning, for some inexplicable reason, the president of the United States retweeted three videos claiming to be Muslim extremists perpetrating violence. One purported to show a group of Muslims pushing a boy off a roof, another claimed to show a Muslim destroying a statue of the Virgin Mary and a third supposedly showed a Muslim immigrant hitting a Dutch boy on crutches. The Dutch embassy clarified that the third video actually of two native-born dutch boys fighting, and did not involve Muslim immigrants at all.

The tweets were from a vile British neofascist named Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of a tiny far-right, anti-immigrant group called Britain First. You may recall that prior to the Brexit vote last year a Labour Party member of Parliament named Jo Cox was assassinated by a man who shouted the words “Britain First” before he killed her. According to the Daily Beast:

The group had previously struggled to garner mainstream-media coverage of their video stunts, which include mosque “invasions” and “Christian patrols” during which uniformed thugs carrying white crosses attempt to intimidate minority citizens. On Wednesday, Trump catapulted Fransen and the group’s leader Paul Golding, who is also a convicted criminal, into the global conversation.

Trump sent those videos out to his millions of followers; hundreds of millions more may have seen them through other social media and mainstream news by now. These anti-Muslim videos are the worst kind of hate propaganda, the kind of thing one expects to find deep in the bowels of the extremist right-wing internet. Needless to say, Fransen was delighted and thanked Trump for “sharing the videos with his “44 MILLION FOLLOWERS! GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP! GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

The reaction was swift. Prime Minister Theresa May’s office rebuked the president in a statement which said that Britain First “divides communities in their use of hateful narratives which pedal lies and stoke tensions. This causes anxieties to law-abiding people. The British people overwhelmingly reject the prejudiced rhetoric of the far right, which is the antithesis of the values that this country represents; decency, tolerance and respect. It is wrong for the President to have done this.”

Trump himself was not contrite, of course. He responded this way:

The British Parliament did not take this well. In speech after speech members demanded that Trump’s invitation for a state visit (already controversial) be rescinded. Labor M.P. Stephen Doughty declared that by sharing those tweets, Trump had shown himself to be “either a racist, incompetent or unthinking — or all three. I love America, it is a country and people of extraordinary generosity, courage, kindness and humanity — but this president represents none of those things.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said May should use “any influence she and her government claim to have with the president” to ask that he “delete these tweets and to apologize to the British people.” None of that is going to happen, of course. Trump’s state of mind at the moment is that following his racist instincts are what got him to the most powerful office on earth and following those instincts is the winning formula going forward.

We are all well aware of Trump’s bond with the old-fashioned American far right. David Duke is a big fan and applauded him for retweeting the videos. Trump thinks that one can be a “very fine person” and still carry a torch and march with Nazis shouting “Jews will not replace us” in American cities. His xenophobic rhetoric toward Mexicans and Muslims, and his barely concealed racism, have been obvious for years and were major selling points during his campaign. Trump has also shown an affinity for the neofascist right in Europe, perhaps under the influence of Steve Bannon, who has developed alliances with such groups for some time through his Breitbart International media venture.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said later that Trump did not know who Jayda Fransen was before he retweeted her, and claimed he was trying to “elevate the issue” of extremist violence in Europe. That’s not enough. He has been retweeting white supremacists and neofascists for a long time. Quite likely he doesn’t know who they all are either, but he obviously likes what they have to say and he’s happy to use his platform of tens of millions of followers and the prestige of the White House to spread their message far and wide.

May did not rescind the invitation to the state visit. But the British don’t seem to be in any hurry to set a date either. Plans for a “working visit” from Trump in January have been dropped, which seems wise. Our president seems to have done something that nobody else has been able to do in Britain lately: He brought left and right together — in mutual loathing for him.

Over the Thanksgiving holiday Trump made a weird, cryptic comment to Coast Guard troops, saying, “You never know about an ally, an ally can turn, you’re going to find that out.” Maybe he was talking about himself.

How the Right Weaponizes Accusations to Destroy People and Institutions @spockosbrain

Published by Spocko on December 1, 2017

How the Right Weaponizes Accusations to Destroy People and Institutions

By Spocko

I was listening to Sam Seder and Digby on the Majority Report talking about the various political sexual harassment cases in the news last week.  Sam talked about the fear the GOP will weaponize them.  Of course they will, they have in the past.

I expect more allegations of misconduct on the left to pop up. Not because there are numerically more, but because the right will actively seek out cases on the left to push to balance out their own woman-grabbing elephant in the room.

When I started this piece on Thanksgiving weekend 2017, I anticipated cases of false allegations coming from the right.

On Monday I read the story of a woman who manufactured an allegation against Roy Moore and tried to get the Washington Post to run with it. The woman worked for James O’Keefe’s Project Veritas.  (I was right again, but since I didn’t publish Sunday I don’t expect a cookie this time.)

A false allegation that is reported as real by the liberal media–then revealed to be false–would be great for the right. It lets them defend their own while demonizing women and the media.  “See?” they would crow, “Women LIE! You shouldn’t believe them! The liberal media lies too!”

Project Veritas: Bad Actors Hiring Bad Actors 

It’s important to know that James O’Keefe is a wannabe thespian.
Project Veritas is a bad theater group pretending to be a non-profit muckraking journalist group. He’s a bad actor in both meanings of the phrase.

Conservative spend millions on groups like O’Keefe’s to damage people, groups and institutions that they see thwarting their agenda. It also gives the volunteers and paid operatives an opportunity to “stick it to the libs.”  One right wing conservative group, called Turning Point USA, is currently using the O’Keefe model to attack teachers and universities.

The good news is that the MSM is getting better at detecting O’Keefe’s tricks and turning the tables on them. However, not all groups or institutions targeted have the ability to thwart the scammers before they do damage. That is why we have to educate ourselves in order to help the groups under attack. It is possible to prepare for them, and, if they miss the opportunity to thwart the attacks, how to seek redress afterwards.

O’Keefe’s incompetence allows us to see the method to his mendacity. This story from Jane Mayer in the New Yorker describes his attempt to sting Open Society Foundation, a George Soros pro-democracy group. Listen as he unwittingly leaves a voicemail describing his entire plan to the person he was targeting at the Open Society Foundation.


 1) They distribute a mix of lies and manufactured evidence with some facts

One of the important things I learned at James O’Keefe University (AKA a seminar in an airport hotel), is that while their most damning “evidence” is usually manufactured, sometimes they do catch real people, breaking laws, violating the rights of others or just not living up to the stated values of the group.

Groups that are under attack don’t always respond rationally in a crisis.  One mistake is firing or demanding the resignation of the people accused before the full story can come out. When this happens the right wing attackers win.

In some cases it is absolutely correct to fire someone or to demand a resignation. But the attacking groups count on an instant response, usually from someone caught on camera, off guard and while in public.

If you are in this position when first hearing an allegation, ask to see the results of the full investigation of everything, including the source of allegations

 2) O’Keefe teaches groups to hold back some supporting evidence to use after the story first breaks in the MSM.

O’Keefe is hoping the media (or an organization) will defend the accused before seeing the entire story. If they do, he then rolls out some new information that supports the first revelation.

The goal of this action is not just to embarrass the liberal media, but to keep the scandal going for another news cycle. O’Keefe has learned that he can offer the unedited raw tapes, but no one has  time to go through them all. (A line used by O’Keefe on Sam Seder.)

Although O’Keefe’s tricks are now known by national media, a group using O’Keefe methods can still push a story forward in regional media especially if they aren’t aware of the group’s methods and intent.

In addition, while O’Keefe and other groups still crave the attention of the MSM, they now go straight to YouTube with their narrative, which is then promoted on social media to their base.

 Ask that all evidence to be seen, sourced and vetted, but expect it won’t happen in a timely fashion.

Prepare your own social media response until the media can weigh in. 

3) They want allies of the person/group under attack to either disavow or defend them

The mainstream media will go to the allies of the group under attack looking for a comment after an allegation. If you are under attack, brief your allies ASAP.  They especially like to go to government officials because the media quote them.

 Remind your allies that other media will call. They need to be prepared. I’ve found that not all allies are equally sophisticated when it comes to talking to the media. The attackers often pitch the story to RW media with a list of people and organizations to call. They are looking for the weakest link.

Allies: Get the facts before you react.

 I don’t like burning up the keyboard talking about O’Keefe, Turning Point and their mendacious moles, but it’s very possible you or a friend in a progressive organization will be under attack from them and will need to respond.

 The right counts on people being unaware of their tricks and the MSM to act a certain way. But as the Washington Post has shown, it is possible to turn the tables on them and flip the narrative.

Coming next: You’ve been attacked by O’Keefe’s moles, now what do you do?
Answer: Sue.

What you have a right to expect by @BloggersRUs

Published by Tom Sullivan on December 1, 2017

What you have a right to expect
by Tom Sullivan


The British burn Washington. Is it something about the color?

You have a right to expect that women and men elected to public office do so without burning the place to the ground. You have a right to expect your representatives to show up and vote their consciences whether or not they expect to win the day. Expect no less of yourself. Get on the phones, faxes and emails this morning and let Congress hear what you think of the tax bill before them.

Be better Americans than too many of them are.

Depression historian Robert S. McElvaine writes that Republicans who have sung from “the Market-is-God hymnal for well over a century” are again “sprinting toward an economic cliff.”

The tax bill vote expected last night hit a couple of snags and has been postponed until today. The Senate convenes again at 10 a.m. EST.

One snag is this:

The Joint Committee on Taxation said Wednesday afternoon that the Senate tax bill would add $1 trillion to federal budget deficits over the next decade, even after accounting for additional economic growth, a major blow to Republicans’ contention that the $1.4 trillion tax overhaul would pay for itself through growth.

The committee found that the Miracle of the Marketplace would only boost growth by 0.8 percent over the next decade and not pay for the tax cuts as Republicans have promised for months.

This morning, Republicans may have some members wavering.

Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, an administration executive with no government experience, promised for months the tax plan would pay for itself, repeatedly saying he had over 100 people at Treasury “working around the clock on running scenarios for us” to prove it. Now, when his colleagues need it, nothing:

Those inside Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy, which Mr. Mnuchin has credited with running the models, say they have been largely shut out of the process and are not working on the type of detailed analysis that he has mentioned. An economist at the Office of Tax Analysis, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to jeopardize his job, said Treasury had not released a “dynamic” analysis showing that the tax plan would be paid for with economic growth because one did not exist.

You have a right to expect better.

Here’s something else you have a right to expect. You have a right to expect the president and his team to obey the rule of law and to uphold the Constitution. Even after a Bush-Cheney administration that invaded Iraq under false pretenses and kidnapped and tortured prisoners in violation of international law.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, another administration executive with no government experience, has done so much damage to the diplomatic corps that he may be forced from office, not for that but over his strained relationship with the president. The New York Times reports that the president has plans to replace Tillerson at State with the more hawkish CIA director Mike Pompeo. Per reports, the president plans to fill the CIA vacancy with first-term Arkansas GOP senator, Tom Cotton, an advocate of torture and domestic surveillance who has suggested jailing reporters.

Finally, after you have contacted your senators and congressperson, read another explosive report by the New York Times on the president’s repeated attempts to quash the Senate investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election:

Republicans played down Mr. Trump’s appeals, describing them as the actions of a political newcomer unfamiliar with what is appropriate presidential conduct.

No, they are the actions of actions of a president with no government experience, a man comfortable with doing both the inappropriate and the illegal with impunity.

We have a right to expect better. But don’t expect to get it unless you demand it.

Resistbot

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Request a copy of For The Win, my county-level election mechanics primer, at tom.bluecentury at gmail.

So much winning

Published by digby on December 1, 2017

So much winningby digby

Wild route to victory:

Trump has always crushed convention and been ready to step on racial, cultural and behavioral taboos, evidenced in his response for instance to Charlottesville riots and willingness to exploit foreign terror attacks to push his immigration policies. In many ways his spurning of political correctness has been key to his appeal. But some close observers of the President say they believe he has become even more unmoored in recent weeks.

“Something is unleashed with him lately,” said New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who wrote about Trump’s return to Birther conspiracy theories in on Wednesday morning.

“I don’t know what is causing it, I don’t know how to describe it,” said Haberman, who is also a CNN contributor.
Whatever is causing it, some of Trump’s fellow Republicans are worried about the detrimental effect of his behavior.
“I think it’s risky,” South Dakota Sen. John Thune told CNN’s Dana Bash on Wednesday.

“In light of what’s going on in the world right now, and things that we’re trying to accomplish, and the threats and the adversaries that we face, I think it’s important that our leader, our commander in chief, set the kind of tone that’s measured,” Thune said.

Sounds right. It’s good they’re noticing. Except:

In some ways, Trump’s latest wild behavior turn gives Republicans yet another problem.

GOP senators will shortly vote on a tax reform bill that if it passes will give Trump a long awaited victory.
But that win will also bolster his prestige and power as President, leaving some to question whether the likes of Flake and Corker are putting principled objections to Trump’s leadership aside for their own political reasons.

Ya think?

They are about to give him all the validation and encouragement he could ever hope for to let his monumental freak flag fly.

I an imagine that some of them might think that passing the tax atrocity will take some of the air out of Steve Bannon’s primary campaign against “the swamp.” But that’s wishful thinking. Bannon doesn’t care about “getting things done” and Trump’s followers don’t make fine distinctions. If they want to appease those people they are going to have to go full Orrin Hatch and say Trump is one of the best presidents he’s ever served under.

No really, he said that. A US Senator said he “serves under” the president.

Good boy Orrin! Here’s a treat:

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Trump is targeting the elderly for his latest scam.

Published by digby on December 1, 2017

Trump is targeting the elderly for his latest scam. by digby

Old people are the easiest marks. They’re often the victims of nefarious cons. Here’s the latest one:

Millions of senior citizens could see tax increases under the Senate version of the GOP’s tax-reform plan, according to an analysis from the AARP.

In an article published Wednesday on the group’s website, the AARP’s vice president and policy director argue that 1 in 5 seniors, about 6.3 million taxpayers, will see either no change or a tax increase in 2019 under the plan passed by the Senate Budget Committee. Of those individuals, 1.2 million people would get a tax hike.

The authors argue that number will jump “more than four times” by 2027 to 5.2 million seniors “as a result of sunsetting the middle-class tax cuts.”

Another issue of concern for older Americans, the AARP says, is the automatic cuts to Medicare and other services under the GOP plan.

“The bottom line is that even today’s 65+ as well as those who turn 65 by 2027 who benefit initially may end up paying higher and ever increasing taxes soon thereafter,” the authors write.

So many of them voted for him because he hates all the people they hate. They just didn’t realize they were among them.

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