An interesting article in German newspaper about Steve Bannon and the Mercer millions for Breitbart – Koch Bros. – Repubublican candidate Tom Cruz – Trump for president. The Mercers funded the alt-right movement which I have covered in many diaries – his Cambridge Analytica played a crucial role in the Brexit vote and later in 2016 came with Bannon and into the Trump campaign when Clinton was leading by some 19 points in the polls.

Although being accused of pro-Russia propaganda, it has become impossible for me to participate in conversation on the threads due to indiscriminate troll ratings by the Gang of Six to shut down criticism of the Clintonites, the Resistance and the slogan Putin Did It.

With this letter of desperation, the leading Democrats in Congress know that the Russiagate investigation will be buried in a Republican Congress. Similarly, the war crimes of torture, rendition, assassinations have never been brought to a judicial process, living in a nation which let it leaders escape punishment. We’ve seen it with a horrible president Gerald Ford who pardoned “I’m not a crook” Nixon. Many presidents abused their presidential pardons for political purpose: Marc Rich under Clinton as example.

Speaking of the odd role played by certain sections of the FBI in the final days before the election.

More below the fold …
I have been part of the Pond for thirteen years now, from the very start when Booman23 left dKos to initiate his own blog. From the start Martin Longman and front pagers recognized the value of the effect of American foreign policy by accepting bloggers writing from  across the globe. We’ve had many excellent bloggers from Norway, South America, Japan, SE Asia and across the European continent. I’m the last man left standing and have been taking a lot of abuse for over a year. I got my college degree in the mid sixties, so do the arithmetic … I have seen and witnessed decades of change in this world. Grew up in the States and left for Europe because I cared for living without fear of gun violence, having a full coverage National Health services and a more agreeable social-democrat form of government.

Over the years I have remained quite solid in my political views, left of center. Since the 9/11 attacks I’ve seen the western world change for the worse, sliding off into right-wing populist territory. All along I have warned for these populist figures in Europe and forecast the developments in the US during the Obama administration. The War on Terror has become a dominant factor in forming a new foreign policy of empire building. Islamophobia took hold in Europe and the United States as propagated by Israel and its fifth column in many nations. Israel has become a fascist state and its influence in US Congress has become a sad display of unanimity … no criticism is allowed whatsoever.

Obama was courageous in his attempt to create an opening towards Iran which had suffered greatly under severe sanctions initiated by Western powers and their grip on the UN Security Council since the victory of the allies in the second World War. As a result of Obama’s courage and the P5+1 negotiations for a nuclear deal, Israel and its allies in the Sunni Arab world became quite disturbed. Netanyahy in extremis used his political influence with the Israel lobby and his favorites in US Congress to make life for Obama extremely difficult. The nuclear deal passed.

Obama and some cabinet ministers were disgraced by Israeli pundits and Knesset members during those years and there was no advance in peace talks with the Palestinians for their independence (H/T to Don Dorito and esquimaux). Obama made a crucial mistake to fund a political group in Israel in a failed attempt to unseat Netanyahu in the general election of January 2016. As a consequence, Israel became an adversary of the Democrats leading up to the presidential election of November … Clinton suffered from Netanyahu’s revenge on Obama and the nuclear deal.

Just look at the funds from Jewish billionaires pouring into the coffers of Republicans. We’ve blogged about just about all of them: Paul Singer – Robert and Rebeka Mercer – Miriam and Sheldon Adelson – Murdoch empire – and the support of “democrat” Alan Dershowitz.

Israel and Netanyahu made a strong effort to clinch the support of the Christian right of America and recently added the alt-right extremists to his pallet to serve for the greater good of Israel … Israel First is quite recognizable.

Here at the Pond I cannot participate in conversation due to the troll ratings … I will not stoop that low to offer the other cheek. I do my writing as I have done for thirteen years and take pride to be a trusted user here @BooMan. In the last few months I spend more time over @EuroTrib where I do get recognition and appreciation. Europe and America has gone its separate ways in the 21st century, the election of an idiot like Donald Trump is a stamp of disapproval with effect on US diplomacy for the coming years. Best policy is one of containment and not one of appeasement as PM Theresa May attempted shortly after Trump’s election. Hungary’s Orban was one of the first to send his congratulations to the new president elect. Typical of Europe’s problem with the expansion eastward to include the former Soviet states: homophobia, xenophobia, alt-right and deep corruption in government.  

Bannon has run afoul with his key backers, the wealthy Mercer family | DW |

Steve Bannon’s fall from grace apparently culminated on Tuesday, when he announced he would step down as head of the conservative outlet Breitbart.

Bannon’s position has been deeply shaken by his feud with Donald Trump over the statements cited in the new “Fire and Fury” book. According to US media, the spat also created an open rift between the 64-year-old strategist and his powerful financiers, the conservative Mercer family, which had played a key part in Bannon’s rise to power.

Who are the Mercers, the wealthy backers of Breitbart?

According to an in-depth report by Jane Mayer in the New Yorker, Mercer is a Christian conservative, gun enthusiast, a climate change denier, religious, small-government proponent and a man who despises the political establishment as incompetent and corrupt. He has donated over $100 million (€84 million) to various right-wing candidates and think-tanks. Most of that money has gone through the Mercer Family Foundation, run by Robert Mercer’s daughter Rebekah.

The 44-year-old Rebekah Mercer is the middle of Robert Mercer’s three daughters. She is said to share her father’s political convictions and cut an imposing figure even among ultra-rich US conservatives. On behalf of the Mercers, she backed Mitt Romney’s presidential bid in 2012.

What is the Mercers’ stake in right-wing politics?

The family’s influence seems to have grown suddenly in the wake of the so-called Citizens United verdict in 2010, when the US Supreme Court removed nearly all limits on corporations and individuals donating to politicians.

By 2011, the Mercers started attending seminars set up by well-known billionaire conservatives Charles and David Koch, also known as the Koch brothers. The Mercers have fed millions into Koch’s political organization.

…
The Mercers hold a major stake in a company called Cambridge Analytica, which uses digital data to tailor election propaganda to voters. They are also major donors to the Media Research Center, which aims to neutralize “left-wing bias in the news media.”

In addition to Steve Bannon, there is a whole tribe of similar right wing extremists Peter Smith – Chuck Johnson with hacker Weev in the Ukraine – which could have upset the balance of voters in crucial states which fell to the Republicans with minimal marge. I have done my best to uncover some of these practices.

○ Cambridge Analytica used data from Facebook and Politico to help Trump | The Guardian – Oct. 26, 2017 |
○ Mueller ‘requests emails’ from Cambridge Analytica firm linked to 2016 campaign and Brexit | The Independent – Dec. 15, 2017 |

Further reading @BooMan about Cambridge Analytica … here

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