David Brock On His Once Upon A Time Pal... Kav

[Me.]

“Brett actually makes a cameo appearance in my memoir of my time in the GOP, "Blinded By The Right." I describe him at a party full of zealous young conservatives gathered to watch President Bill Clinton's 1998 State of the Union address — just weeks after the story of his affair with a White House intern had broken. When the TV camera panned to Hillary Clinton, I saw Brett — at the time a key lieutenant of Ken Starr, the independent counsel investigating various Clinton scandals — mouth the word "bitch."...cont...

But there's a lot more to know about Kavanaugh than just his Pavlovian response to Hillary's image. Brett and I were part of a close circle of cold, cynical and ambitious hard-right operatives being groomed by GOP elders for much bigger roles in politics, government and media. And it’s those controversial associations that should give members of the Senate and the American public serious pause...cont

Call it Kavanaugh's cabal: There was his colleague on the Starr investigation, Alex Azar, now the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mark Paoletta is now chief counsel to Vice President Mike Pence; House anti-Clinton gumshoe Barbara Comstock is now a Republican member of Congress. Future Fox News personalities Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson were there with Ann Coulter, now a best-selling author, and internet provocateur Matt Drudge....cont...

Another compatriot was George Conway (now Kellyanne's husband), who led a secretive group of right-wing lawyers — we called them "the elves" — who worked behind the scenes directing the litigation team of Paula Jones, who had sued Clinton for sexual harassment. I knew then that information was flowing quietly from the Jones team via Conway to Starr's office — and also that Conway's go-to man was none other than Brett Kavanaugh.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/i-knew-brett-kavanaugh-during-his-

[Me.]

1. Bit More

It also tells of the collusion between lawyers for Paula Jones and Starr so they could lay a perjury trap for Clinton and more

“But the cabal's godfather was Ted Olson, the then-future solicitor general for George W. Bush and now a sainted figure of the GOP establishment (and of some liberals for his role in legalizing same-sex marriage). Olson had a largely hidden role as a consigliere to the "Arkansas Project" — a multi-million dollar dirt-digging operation on the Clintons, funded by the eccentric right-wing billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife and run through The American Spectator magazine, where I worked at the time.

Both Ted and Brett had what one could only be called an unhealthy obsession with the Clintons — especially Hillary. While Ted was pushing through the Arkansas Project conspiracy theories claiming that Clinton White House lawyer and Hillary friend Vincent Foster was murdered (he committed suicide), Brett was costing taxpayers millions by pedaling the same garbage at Starr's office.

A detailed analysis of Kavanaugh's own notes from the Starr Investigation reveals he was cherry-picking random bits of information from the Starr investigation — as well as the multiple previous investigations — attempting vainly to legitimize wild right-wing conspiracies. For years he chased down each one of them without regard to the emotional cost to Foster’s family and friends, or even common decency.”

[spanone]

2. they should know first-hand about a 'Deep State'

[Me.]

3. Right?

[Awsi Dooger]

4. I've referenced that book countless times

I still have it and probably should brush up on it. But so much of it is seared into memory.

David Brock was instructive toward what to expect just like understanding Trump's devotion to Roy Cohn left no doubt toward how Trump would conduct a campaign and his presidency.

Ross Perot was valuable also, in summary late in the third debate of 1992. I'll never forget that because I had just started wagering on politics seriously in Las Vegas and it was obvious that Republicans were now attacking anyone they viewed as a threat, including family members. I was thrilled that Perot specifically referenced it during the debate. That was the early stage of the Richard Mellon Scaife push and all those ruthless recruits -- including Kavanaugh -- who formed the vast right wing conspiracy and beyond.

This is the quote from Ross Perot: http://debates.org/index.php?page=october-19-1992-debate-transcript

"PEROT: No. They're not correct and if you look at my life, until I got involved in this effort, I was one person. And then after the Republican dirty tricks group got through with me I'm another person, which I consider an absolutely sick operation. And all of you in the press know exactly what I'm talking about.

They investigated every single one of my children. They investigated my wife. They interviewed all of my children's friends from childhood on. They went to extraordinary sick lengths, and I just found it amusing that they would take 2 or 3 cases where I was involved in lawsuits and would engage an investigator -- the lawyers would engage an investigator, which is common. And the only difference between me and any other businessman that has the range of businesses that I have is I haven't had that many lawsuits.

So that's just another one of those little fruit-loopy things they make up to try to, instead of facing issues, to try to redefine a person that's running against them. This goes on night and day. I will do everything I can, if I get up there, to make dirty tricks a thing of the past. One of the 2 groups has raised it to an art form. It's a sick art form.

[murielm99]

6. I did not remember that about Perot.

It seemed the press did not like him. But I am glad he said that. I will keep that quote.

I would never have voted for Perot. But he had better character than any of the repiggies who were running.

[Me.]

9. +1

[UTUSN]

5. K&r

[KY_EnviroGuy]

7. K&R. Sort of ironic, that.

Repugs never admit to being controlled by their very own private, secretive deep state and the general public does not seem to be the least aware of it.

The dozens of billionaire-funded right-wing political think tanks along with dozens of Christian Right organizations and right-wing media corporations (News Corp., Sinclair, etc.) all form a largely hidden cabal of power unequaled in the world.

Yet, to listen to them, one would think these poor repugs are the persecuted, punished anointed ones lost in the wilderness of progressive bureaucracy.

What they are is a bunch of sanctimonious, greedy, psychopathic bastards.......

[melman]

8. Let's not forget it was David Brock

who came up with the infamous phrase “a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty" to smear Anita Hill.