It’s getting sad watching people thrash around for explanations for the president’s behavior that don’t involve him being essentially captured by Vladimir Putin. The latest comes from the Washington Post’s editorial board. They begin by advancing the argument that Donald Trump is simply too stupid to understand how NATO is funded which is supposed to explain why he continuously says moronic things about Europe not paying the United States their dues. Perhaps as a private citizen and candidate Trump suffered under the misimpression that NATO countries owe America money, but he was disabused of that notion at some point since he’s become president. If no one else has informed him (and they surely have), the foreign leaders within NATO have let him know in one-on-one conversations. Even Trump’s own words confirm he understands, as he asked European countries to commit to spending four percent of their GDP on defense. That’s a ridiculous request but it shows that he knows what the real bone of contention is, and it isn’t that NATO countries aren’t paying us directly.
Trump attempts to cover for his own NATO-destroying rhetoric by accusing Germany of being too friendly with and dependent on Russia, but that’s ludicrous. Germany has been steadfast in defending Ukraine while the president has rhetorically ceded Crimea to Russia and called for them to be reinstated to the G7.
It’s almost humorous to watch the Post’s editorial board dance around the elephant in the room.
Ms. [Angela] Merkel and other European leaders probably are aware that Mr. Trump’s deep skepticism toward NATO is shared by virtually no one in his own administration or Republicans in Congress; the Senate passed a resolution in support of the alliance by 97 to 2 on Tuesday. The president is also at odds with the American public. According to a 2017 survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 69 percent — including 54 percent of core Trump supporters — say NATO is “essential” to U.S. security.
Perhaps that’s why, despite his outbursts, Mr. Trump did not stand in the way of NATO’s adoption at the summit of new plans to defend against Russia and terrorism. But his hostile rhetoric does its own damage — and it will be compounded if it is followed by an unseemly show of comity with Mr. Putin at their meeting next week.
Why would a president adopt these anti-NATO positions when they do not reflect the consensus of opinion within his own State Department, Defense Department, intelligence services, or his top advisors and congressional members of his own party?
Why would a president who stands accused of conspiring with Russia to win election want to nakedly adopt policies that suit Russia more than his own country and that are opposed by our allies? Why would he want to have a summit with the Russian leader? Why would he want to have a private meeting with no witnesses present with that Russian leader? An innocent man would avoid making himself look so clearly guilty and a guilty one would be more deceptive. Only a captured man would act like this.
And it’s getting silly how far people will go to avoid facing up to that simple fact.
For the same reason a lot of liberal elites can’t admit that the Republican Party as a whole — Trump included — are an existential threat to the Republic. People keep pretending that just because things have worked out before and they were worse that this means they will this time. Because if they admit the truth, that Republicans are going to continue to get more white supremacist and to carry their 40% agenda against 60% of the country through countermajoritian institutions without any semblance of “will of the people”, they would need to treat the Republicans as the suicidal cult that they are.
And that reality is terrifying, because those voters exist and they are there and it won’t stop until elites resist drinking from the well. Let’s see if we can get the media and liberal elites to at least admit that all Republicans are drinking from this well, not just Trump. Ron Johnson is calling for sanctions removed after meeting with Russian government officials. Why? Our media was not present and their stories conflict.
We’ve been waiting on these “liberal elites” since roughly 1980 but somehow, drinking from the well is about all that they do. If we keep on waiting, our main problem is not the elites — it’s ourselves.
Don’t include me in this. I was born in `88, and we are doing what we can. But it is true, elites generations before, conservative and liberal, have failed.
Honest question, is Ron Johnson just not very bright? and, is he the one who defeated Russ Feingold for his seat? I know that if the answer to both questions is yes, we have more indisputable proof that tribalism is the single biggest motivator in swaying people’s votes.
Yes and yes. But it’s not just Johnson. It’s all of them who went on that trip except Kennedy.
He shows no sign whatsoever of intelligence.
Not once, but twice. Sad to say, but it’s some indication that he’s smarter than Feingold.
Throwning “tribalism” around is easy, and really lazy. When we do it, it absolves us of the need to think any more deeply about why we keep getting our asses handed to us in races that we should have won, such as this one. Two important factors to point out:
GOTV is critical for Democrats in all states and the only way to counter the resentment factor. Apologizing for standing up for what is clearly right isn’t going to do it. Convincing non-voters they will be in their corner will do it.
In the historic Hispanic southwestern part of Colorado I am told by Hispanics whose heritage there goes back hundreds of years that the Anglos (beginning with ranchers and miners) dominate the Democratic Party and have made it clear they don’t and won’t represent the interests of the Hispanic community. Hence they don’t vote.
The new chair of the state Democratic party is working to deal with this problem. Obama had good support from Hispanics, so it can be done. Perhaps because he was a minority and they were hopeful he would do a better job of representing their interests. He also ran a far, far better campaign than did Hillary.
Honest if speculative answer: Johnson’s campaign had initially been written off as hopeless. The RNC wasn’t even going to fund it. I think he, like Trump, won via Russian interference, and the Russians either cut a deal with him beforehand or showed him the evidence recently. He is a bought and owned asset at this point, like Trump.
At this point we have to start asking why the media refuses to acknowledge the obvious. Much of it is captured by the right wing, which has chosen to sell out the country to Putin for tax cuts, but not all. There are still a few center-left figures in the media – why aren’t they saying it?
Who’s signing their paychecks?
Well, when will the elected members of the Dem party start to acknowledge the obvious? To be fair, the way the “conservative” movement sets the media agenda is by actually having one or more of their elected hams go out in front of the microphone and begin blabbering the pre-approved gibber. Then it’s “out there!” and the corporate media has been given approval to begin its nationwide stenographic operations.
Here, as far as I can tell, our elected DC Dems, the leaders of the party, have studiously declined to directly address the elephant in the room vis-a-vis our Manchurian Candidate prez. They are Keepin’ the Powder Dry (again) for the (always around the next bend) upcoming “offensive”. Always stockpiling the ammo, it seems.
Perhaps some super-safe Dem is out there openly calling our Trumper Putin’s Boy, but I’ve missed it. So has the media, apparently….
I think the Dems are afraid of the media. Look how Maxine Waters was treated for urging resistance to Trump. They’ve certainly dropped plenty of hints that Trump is working for the Russian. If they said anything direct the media would either ignore or pillory them. Nothing seems to set the media off more than the Democratics speaking truth (see “deplorables”).
Because most of the media is never honest about the Republicans until after there is nothing to be done about it.
From Jeb!’s Florida voter purges in 2000 to the truth about the Tea Party to the Economically-Anxious-Working-Class-Abandoned-By-Democrats (TM), everyone already knows what happened with Trump/Russia but the media won’t acknowledge the truth until Trump can no longer be President.
It may be longer than that too with The NRA Dark Money Pass Through and Republican 4th of July Moscow Sleep Over. Trump doesn’t look like the only compromised elected conservative.
Until then, expect more “Maybe, Maybe not? Whose to know? If only SOMEONE had the ability to investigate and tell us what is really going on!” equivocating.
Yep, some of the very same stuff that Chris Matthews pulled on his show tonight. Asking his guests what’s driving Trump ‘s foreign policy statements and everyone dancing around the issue and it TRULY irritates the life-out-of-me when he frames these questions like he doesn’t know the answer and his guests struggle to avoid saying the obvious outright. Sheesh!
I know it’s not wise to bank one’s hopes on Mueller and team, but golly gee someone’s gotta save the country from this treasonous fake. Two and half more years in which the normalization of an abnormal President continues unimpeded.
Regardless of what Mueller finds, it will be the 4th Estate controlling the conversation on the meaning of his findings. That will be an editorial decision directed by the people in the corner office.
Since they are already stuffing the charges and guilty pleas to date down the memory hole while giving airtime/column space to Republicans claiming Mueller’s investigation is “illegitimate,” I’m not very hopeful.
Right now, they are signaling that unless there is a tape clearly depicting Putin saying to Trump “Yeah, Let’s Collude!” (In English of course, because if it’s translated, NPR will run endless stories about how professional translators sometimes get it wrong) most will be trying to parse the findings into irrelevance.
Fox will never change, of course, since they are now long since the Trump Propaganda Network. But the rest of the MSM, including WaPo should be utterly ashamed at Trump’s open and obvious treason. And please don’t tell me he is ignorant about foreign affairs. He knows what he wants, which is what is in Russia’s interests. Trump’s base knows nothing about NATO nor would care if they knew.
So, as always, it’s about GOTV for Democrats again and again.
I’m sure you’re aware of this, but a link to the WaMo version of this article is currently at the top of the Politics subreddit over at reddit.com and has like 1300 comments so far. Nice job, you’re getting some awesome and well deserved exposure on this.
I wasn’t aware until you told me. Thanks.
. . . with the WaPo editorial board.
Because nobody’s set up for this.
It’s exactly the same problem as with Hitler (yes, Hitler, that’s Hitler, H-I-T-L-E-R; anyone need to hear it again?) during all those instances of the Reichtag being dissolved in ’38 — the system is being challenged by an internal element that its designers didn’t anticipate, who’s taking advantage of communication systems that didn’t exist before (radio and cinema in the ‘thirties; facebook and twitter today).
So even the people who can see what’s happening just stare at it helplessly (as, for example, Hindenberg did), wondering whose job it is to stop it.
. . . the Founders envisioned performing this function
— which is why, unique among secular institutions “the press” got its own special protective clause in the 1st Amendment —
. . . has no more clue than Hindenburg how to deal with the present crisis . . .
. . . and thus is, for the most part, failing miserably.
No.
Can not admit Trump is captured, as that would require doing something about it. That can not happen because Ryan is likely on Team Russia, Mitch McConnell almost certainly is, and a majority of elected congresscritters are ok with Russian meddling in our politics.
Maybe after some Mueller revelations and a Dem house, not before.
Actually, I am honestly beginning to think that, if it even exists, only the public release of the Pee Tape (with clear, unequivocal footage) would take this guy out of office early.
MAGA America finding out their Fascist Racist Wet Dream President is a submission in the bedroom would break so many conservative male strong man norms that they couldn’t just shrug it off like everything else.
I think the answer is no. The reasons for this are complicated and likely go all the way back to the Nixon impeachment, but in a nutshell I think it’s basically accurate to say that the MSM and certain liberal elites piss themselves when conservatives accuse them of unfairness and biased reporting, and will do just about anything to show it’s not true.
The American right wing collectively must be one of the most successful squeaky wheels in history.
. . . bend over (backwards or frontwards, if you catch my drift) trying to avoid the Reality-Denying rightwingnut Liebrul Media accusations, those accusations will never change or stop.
Or, to reprise atrios’ succinctly perfect capturing of this dynamic:
Booman writes:
Leaving aside the distinct possibility that Trump has indeed been “captured” by the Russians…and by “captured” I mean that they have something with which to effectively blackmail him…let’s do a little thought experiment.
Let us imagine a president whose election showed no signs whatsoever of irregularities except that he (or she) offered an entirely new approach to governing the U.S., one that alienated almost the entire political establishment as it now stands (Or would “totters” be more accurate?) and somehow managed to get elected by sheer force of will and personality.
Would that president not “adopt…positions when they do not reflect the consensus of opinion within his own State Department, Defense Department, intelligence services, or his top advisors and congressional members of his own party?”
Of course that would happen. They would represent the status quo against which that president ran!!!
Back to Trump.
Until I see proof of his treason…not surmise, not rumor, not the maunderings of various and sundry pundits, not the guilt of selected underlings (Still largely unproven in a court of law, however likely.)…but solid, court-of-law proof, I will reserve that particular judgement. I think that he is a stupid, evil, meanspirited hustler who wants to bring this country to its knees and then rebuild it with him as the Boss of all Bosses, but I really don’t know if he is under the sway of other Bosses. He’s just playing world politics the same way as he played NYC politics…allying with whatever other criminals that he thinks might be able to help him win.
That is guilt enough for me, and I fervently hope that the Mueller investigation not only proves that guilt but splashes it dramatically over the entire media system.
This Russia thing? So far, it most resembles the #Me Too phenomenon, which itself appears to consist of very little real action in courts of law, lots of action in the headlines and a few really nasty motherfuckers taking a dive. Plus hundreds of others being hurt for acting totally within the common practice of their day. Was that practice “wrong?” I think so, and I personally pretty well refrained from that kind of empty sexuality once I managed to achieve some sort of adulthood. Should Al Franken…who I always thought was some kind of asshole…been forced to resign from the Senate because he was goofing around years ago with a woman who made a living selling her sexuality? Of course not!!! I worked on the Saturday Night Live set for a number of weeks, and it was just like what he was doing in that picture…goofball funny, fueled by lots of cocaine…only no one was outraged.
That Franken “scandal?” Clickbait, nothing more. He should have stood his ground.
“Russiagate?” Clickbait also, at least until proven. Much more profitable clickbait, I should mention. Much more!!!
Trump’s obvious hostility to the U.S. system in general? His incompetence? His awful choice of advisors? His sheer bad taste on every level imaginable? His proven serial disdain for women going back decades!!!??? Make a case for impeachment on some of those things. If Al Franken was forced to resign…#Me Tooed…why is Trump still in office? He should be prey to #Me Tooism a hundred times more than poor little Al!!!
But NOOOoooo…it’s gotta be them pesky Roooskies!!!
And it’s not working.
Not yet, anyway…with only 5 months until the mid-terms and Trump gathering campaign steam.
Sigh…
AG
P.S. By the way…how about #MeTooing Bill Clinton while we’re at it. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.
Why?
I had no intention of posting the above as a standalone. It was meant to suggest other, more potentially effective ways of taking Donald Trump down …more effective than seeking proof of his collusion with Vladimir Putin. But that foolish coward nalbar tried…and failed…to zero it out.
Once again…I will not go gently. That attempt turned the post into an even more visible piece. Great work, nalbar. Thanks. Keep your zeroing mitts off of my comments and let the people who populate this blog make up their own minds. And/or…chime in and explain why you thought that comment merited a zero. I’d be delighted to hear from you in the…flesh…I presume. Or even in the bits and bytes if that’s all you really are.
And…have a nice day.
I am.
Bet on it.
AG
P.S. Many thanks to whomever first rescued it from the zero bin. I really appreciate it, although I had it saved…as I now save all of my comments and replies…in sheer self-defense from the leftiness McCarthyites amongst us.
Trump is Captured by the Russians? Maybe, Maybe Not. Try Other Approaches.
Please comment there.
Thank you…
AG
The results of Trump’s actions being consistently beneficial to Putin are just too numerous to be dismissed as unrelated coincidences borne of his stupidity alone. And Trump’s policy ignorance undercuts his actions as thought out tactics in support of a coherent strategy.
If this were anyone but a Republican president, the circumstances would be enough for the media to blast charges of Treason from every outlet. And all of a sudden “Patriots” would be coming out of the woodwork.
If Mueller ends up uncovering that Trump is indeed a Russian asset and has committed treason can we then indict his 63M voters as accomplices and take away their voting rights?
Asking for a friend…