Sen. Ben Cardin released a report on Wednesday detailing two decades of Putins attacks on...

[NCTraveler]

Our democracy. Five days latter Chelsea Manning announces her run and releases one of the worst political ads I have seen. An ad that my technologically challenged ass could put together in an afternoon. It is a Republican style ad based in fear. The only party she directly mentions is when she levies an attack on Democrats.

JANUARY 10, 2018

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin Releases Report Detailing Two Decades of Putin’s Attacks on Democracy, Calling for Policy Changes to Counter Kremlin Threat Ahead of 2018, 2020 Elections

WASHINGTON – A Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democratic staff report released Wednesday and commissioned by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the Committee’s ranking member, details Russian president Vladimir Putin’s nearly two decades-long assault on democratic institutions, universal values, and the rule of law across Europe and in his own country. The report comes one year after Senator Cardin introduced the Counteracting Russian Hostilities Act of 2017, which served as the basis for the sanctions package signed into law last August, and makes a series of recommendations to adequately bolster U.S. and European defenses and counter the growing Kremlin threat to democratic institutions.

“Putin’s Asymmetrical Assault on Democracy in Russia and Europe: Implications for U.S. National Security,” finds that President Trump’s refusal to publicly acknowledge the threat posed by the Russian government has hampered efforts to mobilize our government, strengthen our institutions, and work with our European allies to counter Putin’s interference in democracies abroad.

Never before in American history has so clear a threat to national security been so clearly ignored by a U.S. president, and without a strong U.S. response, institutions and elections here and throughout Europe will remain vulnerable to the Kremlin’s aggressive and sophisticated malign influence operations.

“As the extent of Russia’s obvious meddling in the 2016 U.S. election continues to be investigated, it is imperative that the American people better understand the true scope and scale of Putin’s pattern of undermining democracy in Russia and across Europe. That is why I commissioned this report shortly after the 2016 election,” Senator Cardin said. “This threat existed long before President Trump took office, and unless he takes action now, it will continue long after his administration. While President Trump stands practically idle, Mr. Putin continues to refine his asymmetric arsenal and look for future opportunities to disrupt governance and erode support for the democratic and international institutions that the United States and Europe have built over the last 70 years.

https://www.cardin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/us-senator-ben-cardin-releases-report-detailing-two-decades-of-putins-attacks-on-democracy-calling-for-policy-changes-to-counter-kremlin-threat-ahead-of-2018-2020-elections

Sticking with my progressive values I will proclaim right here that I will work to get Chelsea exactly one vote. I will continue to fight for her voting rights and think it should not be taken because she is a felon. I hope she gets to vote for herself.

This stinks to high heaven. Cardin comes out strong, as he has historically done for us, and all of the sudden Chelsea has an ad up that could have only taken a day or two to put together.

Then there is this from Glenn Greenwald. He got this out quick.

Centrist Dems Launch Smear Campaign Against Young Trans Woman, All to Keep an Old Straight White Man in Power

https://theintercept.com/2018/01/15/centrist-dems-launch-smear-campaign-against-young-trans-woman-all-to-keep-an-old-straight-white-man-in-power/

This is some really crooked shit.

[Ilsa]

1. I wish she wasn't running.

I don't see her as a political asset with the baggage she brings.

[NCTraveler]

2. It makes no sense.

She isn't an asset in any way and this ad backs that up. What in the world is she running for a Senate seat for. This is true arrogance and not about the greater good. Why not run for city council or something similar?

[tammywammy]

23. When did Senator become an entry level job? n/t

[PatrickforO]

27. As Tammy Whammy says above, US Senate isn't an entry level

office. Usually, you have to pay some dues in local office or even state office prior to that.

I do not consider government the enemy. That is the fruit of decades of right-wing propaganda designed to blind us to the real enemy, which is the top 1/10 of 1% picking our pockets - transferring ever more of our tax money to their own profits instead of using that money to make everyone's life better.

I also have some very mixed feelings about Manning based on what she did. On the one hand, some of that stuff needed to be made public, but I wonder how many of those charged with protecting us were compromised and endangered. Again, very mixed feelings.

[mountain grammy]

31. Exactly what you said, exactly how I fee.

Very mixed feelings, and she was used by Greenwold, el al.. yes, very mixed feelings.

I would hope to see her involved in transgender issues, especially pertaining to the military, at a more local level..but shes gonna do what she's gonna do.

[mcar]

3. And why primary a strong Democrat like Cardin?

Something is strange here.

[Voltaire2]

4. So are the other primary candidates also paid russian agents, or just Manning?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_election_in_Maryland,_2018#Candidates

Ben Cardin, incumbent U.S. Senator
Chelsea Manning, activist and whistleblower
Jerry Segal
Richard Vaughn
Debbie Wilson

[NCTraveler]

5. Where did I say or make such inference?

What a strange reply. Not the first time with you.

[Voltaire2]

6. I've read the various threads on Manning.

Don't act like this is not what has been said.

[NCTraveler]

7. Should I ask again or would it be the same waste of time?

I'm glad you have read various threads.

Where did I say or infer such a thing? If you read my op, which you clearly didn't do, you would see your reply holds zero weight.

Again, not the first time.

Now you are running from your own comment and "blaming" other threads.

[Voltaire2]

8. You said:

"This stinks to high heaven. Cardin comes out strong, as he has historically done for us, and all of the sudden Chelsea has an ad up that could have only taken a day or two to put together."

Numerous other threads have proclaimed that the "stink" to which you refer emanates from Moscow.

Even if you do not attribute this to Putin, as many here have, what about the other candidates? Are they also "stinky"? Shouldn't we be attacking them as well?

[NCTraveler]

11. Again, you clearly didn't read my op.

If you had, you would clearly see why the question you pose holds zero validity. Zero. Really poor debating tactic on your part.

[stevenleser]

12. Until that person provides specifics you should refuse to discourse with them

You have provided reasons in your OP why it is suspicious with Manning, and that person didn’t let adress those either with respect to Manning or the other candidates they mentioned.

[stevenleser]

10. Did the others announce shortly after Cardins Report

The OP gave a number of reasons why this is suspected with Manning.

Did you bother to read them and if so why didn’t you address them with your response?

At this point your responses lack substance and appear geared to only be argumentative.

[NCTraveler]

13. They seem to refuse to read the op.

Yet they are responding to it. It's strange to say the least. They are now trying to say it is "other people". Hard to debate that one. lol.

[stevenleser]

14. Agreed and as I posted above you should refuse to debate them

until they actually address your points.

[renegade000]

9. Remember those hastily made Stein ads?

That came out right after Clinton won the nomination?

[Sunlei]

22. Stein spraypainting the bulldozer got fox coverage /wink & pipeline protest nothing.

[DetlefK]

15. There will be no attacks. Because everyone is expecting them.

People are now actively on the lookout for fake social-media profiles, for slanted reporting. For hacking and intelligence-operations.

That operation was essentially a one-trick-pony. Russia can try similar manipulations elsewhere, but never again on such a scale. Because, if there ever again were proof that Russia meddled in an election, that would establish a pattern.

Putin has worked hard to establish through international propaganda a fake reputation where Russia is the diplomatic and peace-loving counter-weight to an irrational and violent US. If that reputation were damaged, Russia's geopolitical strategy of soft power would collapse.

[NCTraveler]

17. "That operation was essentially a one-trick-pony."

You are putting all of it in a very false context. They have been interfering for a long time and have zero reason to stop now. This wasn't their first go-around with us. By any means "one-trick-pony" can be defined, it can't be used to describe Putins interference. A twenty plus year one trick pony?

[L. Coyote]

18. There will be a doubling.

[Squinch]

26. You are in for a bad, bad surprise. Success breeds success. We have a republican

shithole as our president. That is a slam dunk success for Putin. He will double his efforts next time.

And we are doing NOTHING to prevent it.

[Sunlei]

16. Look how badly Turkey was "fucked-up" in only two years, several vicious well planned attacks.

[DetlefK]

19. The coup might even have been a false-flag.

ISIS attacks a group of anti-Erdogan activists in Syria after the turkish government declared the area safe?

ISIS conducts a massive bombing in Istanbul at an anti-Erdogan rally, and turkish law-enforcement never found out who exactly did it?

There is a military coup in Turkey, except they have no plan beyond occupying a TV-station and some roads?

[Sunlei]

21. IMO, Russia backed all that Turkish "trouble" from the murder of russian diplomat in museum, to

coup management, airport/other bombings and funding IS ground fighters. Turkey even had the same stolen email drops from WikiLeaks pushed at their Leaders to create internal troubles.

They "occupied a TV-station" the same exact way Russian state TV got rid of their public TV stations.

[oasis]

20. ImWithBen

[bpj62]

24. Glenn Greenwald

The Intercept had a lengthy article this morning. It did nothing but attack Cardin as a life long politician who got his job through patronage and is nothing by a centrist. I think Greenwald is clearly upset by Cardins assertions. Let the people of Maryland decide this primary.

[NCTraveler]

25. Editing the op to add. Thanks. nt.

[yardwork]

28. The usual suspects. I expect Jill Stein will weigh in next.

In another thread where a DUer claimed that Senator Cardin "has been useless" I asked for specifics on why he needs to be primaried. Crickets.

Some on the left are being led around by the nose and they refuse to see it.

[George II]

29. Still being manipulated by the Russians. What a pity. And Greenwald is scum, too. It is HIS fault...

...along with Assange that Manning went to prison for seven years.

[Cha]

37. Greenwald who rails against identity politics when it comes to race is stoking the hell out of..

Link to tweet

[elmac]

30. the cold war never really ended

it just mutated into a cyber war. The actors include the republican party who have worked at undermining Democracy since the Nixon administration. The fascists are just as much a threat to Democracy as Putin.

[meow2u3]

32. I take Glenn Greenwald with a grain of salt

He has an agenda and it's not a pro-American one. He's known for siding against Americans and with Russians.

[Cha]

33. Greenwald is full of Shite like always.

"Centrist Dems Launch Smear Campaign Against Young Trans Woman, All to Keep an Old Straight White Man in Power"

Mahalo for your OP, NCTraveler

Good on Senator Cardin!

[pnwmom]

34. This is why the Intercept should never be promoted here. Thanks for the example

of why we should never trust that rag, even if we might agree on drug law reform.

[Cha]

35. Greenwald who rails against identity politics when it comes to race is stoking the hell out of..

Link to tweet

Hypocritical Liar

[pnwmom]

36. +1. nt