riversedge
riversedge's JournalThe Clinton campaign warned you about Russia. But nobody listened to us. Democrats can still fight
The Clinton campaign warned you about Russia. But nobody listened to us.
Democrats can still fight back now. Here's how.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/24/the-clinton-campaign-warned-you-about-russia-but-nobody-listened-to-us/?utm_term=.6df17c8b932a
By Jennifer Palmieri March 24
...............We sought moments for Clinton and Tim Kaine, her running mate, to talk about Russia when we knew they would be on live television and couldn’t be edited. The debates offered the best opportunity, and Clinton took advantage, culminating with her famous line calling Trump Putin’s “puppet ” in the third one. It was tough deciding how much of her time to devote to the issue. We were in a Catch-22: We didn’t want her to talk too much about Russia because it wasn’t what voters were telling us they cared about — and, frankly, it sounded kind of wacky. At the same time, we understood the issue would never rise to the front of voters’ minds if we weren’t driving attention to it. It was already pretty clear they weren’t going to hear much about it in the press....................
.................................In another era, Americans would have been able to count on both Democrats and Republicans in Congress to stand up to this kind of threat. A lot of Democrats like to play the “If we were Republicans” game. I usually hate it; I don’t want to behave like the Republicans do. But it’s useful here. If Clinton had won with the help of the Russians, the Republicans would have impeachment proceedings underway for treason. No doubt. Instead, dealing with Russia falls nearly solely on Democrats’ shoulders.
But Democrats can break out of the Catch-22 of the campaign: If we make plain that what Russia has done is nothing less than an attack on our republic, the public will be with us. And the more we talk about it, the more they’ll be with us. Polls show that voters are now concerned about the Russia story and overwhelmingly support an independent, bipartisan commission to take over this investigation. Members of Congress should use every procedural tool available to force votes on such a commission. Don’t let business continue on Capitol Hill without insisting at every opportunity that our nation should resolve the Russia matter. Filibustering Neil Gorsuch is a good start. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer is right that it would be “unseemly” to move forward with a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court by a president whose campaign is under an active FBI investigation.
Democrats should push for this relentlessly and above all else. They should talk about it in every interview. They should invoke the “big gray cloud ” that Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), the House Intelligence Committee chairman, said hangs over the Trump administration — so often that anchors sigh and roll their eyes when they say it. They should call out the Republicans in Congress who seek to distract from the substance of the Russia investigation by arguing that leaks are the real problem. Democrats should be blunt: These apologists are complicit in helping Russia undermine our democracy. So far, the GOP has seen defending Trump as being in their political interests. But now we’re at a tipping point. If those Republicans feel enough heat for helping Vladimir Putin attack the United States to assist Trump, they will abandon the White House and support
The possibility of collusion between Trump’s allies and Russian intelligence is much more serious than Watergate. It is a constitutional crisis. It represents a violation of our republic’s most sacred trust.
The worst part about our lackluster collective response to Russia’s interference is that it represents exactly what the Russians were hoping to produce: apathy. Their goal, in addition to installing a president sympathetic to their views, was to undermine Americans’ belief in our democracy. For Americans to think that none of this really matters, that it’s all a game. That’s how they truly erode U.S. moral authority and strength over the long term. It’s what they have sought to do to European adversaries for many years, and now they have brought this seed of destruction here.
firedupandreadytogo Retweeted
John Harwood?Verified account @JohnJHarwood 3h3 hours ago
"our campaign manager Robby Mook was mocked for saying emails leak was indication of Russia trying to help Trump"
https://twitter.com/JohnJHarwood/status/845984061646651397
Michael Flynn met with Turkey at Donald Trumps hotel. Guess who else attended? Devin Nunes.
Michael Flynn met with Turkey at Donald Trump’s hotel. Guess who else attended? Devin Nunes.
http://www.palmerreport.com/politics/devin-nunes-michael-flynn-turkey/2054/
By Bill Palmer | March 25, 2017
Earlier this week former Donald Trump campaign adviser James Woolsey publicly revealed that he had attended a meeting between Michael Flynn and the Turkish government which involved discussions so legally dubious that he reported it to the U.S. government. But guess who else tagged along for a meeting between Flynn and the Turkish government? House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who this week inserted himself into the Trump-Russia scandal in bizarre fashion.
To be clear, these were two different meetings. Woolsey says the Flynn-Turkey meeting he attended, in which the kidnapping of Pennsylvania resident Fethullah Gülen was discussed, took place in the summer of 2016. But after Donald Trump was named the winner of the election, late in the transition team period, Flynn met with the Turkish government yet again. By this time James Woolsey had already resigned two weeks earlier. So instead, Flynn took another Trump transition team member with him, Devin Nunes.
It’s not publicly known what was discussed during the Flynn-Nunes-Turkey meeting on January 18th. But confirmation of the meeting has been hiding in plain sight all along. Earlier today respected political pundit T. R. Ramachandran posted a lengthy tweet storm (link) which included a reference to a previously overlooked article from Turkish news publication Daily Sabah (link). The article reports that “[Turkish] Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with designated U.S. National Security adviser Rt. Gen. Mike Flynn on Wednesday at Trump Hotel in Washington” and goes on to add that “House Intelligence Committee Congressman Devin Nunes, a Republican heavyweight, also attended the breakfast.”
..............................
And perhaps most keenly, why did James Woolsey go running to the media this week to reveal his six-months-ago meeting with Flynn and Turkey? Does he now suspect, as I do, that Flynn has already cut a deal with the FBI against Donald Trump, and that these details are all going to come out soon anyway, and Woolsey wanted to make sure his side of the story was heard first? If so, what will Flynn reveal about the involvement of Devin Nunes with the Turkish government? And will it help us understand why Nunes is suddenly trying and failing to make Trump’s entire scandal go away? .............................
\https://twitter.com/yottapoint/status/845712917764845568
https://twitter.com/DorothyKidd1/status/845965642482241536
Ted Koppel patiently tries to warn Hannity about using his influence responsibly but Hannity won't
'let me finish the sentence please' says Koppel patiently to loud mouth Hannity!
Jordan Uhl?Verified account @JordanUhl
Ted Koppel patiently tries to warn Hannity about using his influence responsibly but Hannity won't shut up
Media Matters
https://twitter.com/JordanUhl/status/846042455183163392
Andrew Millspaugh? @armillspaugh 1h1 hour ago
@JordanUhl It's one of Hannity's tactics: disrupt the flow of the speaker so that their argument seems incoherent.
1 reply 4 retweets 45 likes
Rita Cary? @RitaCary 4m4 minutes ago
@armillspaugh @JordanUhl was nice to see the dignified gravitas of an old-school journalist who does fact-based reporting.
0 replies 1 retweet 5 likes
Jose Ledesma? @HBICrunway 56m56 minutes ago
@JordanUhl KOPPEL: "You have attracted people who are determined that ideology is more important than facts." Straight up to his face 😃
Angry over U.S. healthcare fail, Trump voters spare him blame
Source: reuters
http://s4.reutersmedia.net/resources/r/?m=02&d=20170326&t=2&i=1178079361&w=&fh=&fw=&ll=780&pl=468&sq=&r=LYNXMPED2P0AU
Demonstrators send off white doves from the beach as they protest in support of U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally in Huntington Beach, California, U.S., March 25, 2017. REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon
By Letitia Stein | NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla.
The day after the flaming out of U.S. President Donald Trump's first major legislative initiative, his supporters across America were lashing out - at conservatives, at Democrats, at leaders of his Republican Party in Congress.
Only Trump himself was spared their wrath.
Many voters who elected him appeared largely willing to give him a pass on the collapse of his campaign promise to overhaul the U.S. healthcare system, stressing his short time in office.
"Being a businessman, he'll not take 'no' for an answer," said Tony Nappi, a 71-year-old from Trinity, Florida, one of the many disappointed Republicans on his weekend softball team. "He'll get the job done."
.............................
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-trump-supporters-idUSKBN16X005
I am not surprised his hardcore fans do not blame him. not at all
Opposition leader Alexei Navalny detained amid protests across Russia
Source: The Guardian
Crowds gather in major cities to protest against corruption in largest anti-government demonstrations for five years, with over a hundred detained
Alexei Navalny is arrested at a rally in Moscow on Sunday. Photograph: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters
Crowds gather in major cities to protest against corruption in largest anti-government demonstrations for five years, with over a hundred detained
Last modified on Sunday 26 March 2017 10.53 EDT
Police detained over a hundred people in Moscow and dozens in other Russian cities, as some of the biggest protests against the Kremlin in several years were held across the country on Sunday.
Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption campaigner who had called for the protests, was detained in central Moscow.
He was bundled into a police bus, which was unable to drive away for several minutes as crowds set upon it and tried to free him. There were also isolated incidents of protesters clashing with riot police and shouting “Shame!” and “Russia will be free!”
The protests gathered crowds of hundreds or thousands in most big Russian cities, from the far east port of Vladivostok to the European heartland. Police in Moscow estimated that around 7,000 people attended though the real number may have been much higher. The crowds surged down the length of the capital’s main thoroughfare, Tverskaya. Around 500 people were reported to have been detained by police in Moscow alone.........................
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/26/opposition-leader-alexei-navalny-arrested-amid-protests-across-russia
Seems Putin has his own problems at home.
https://twitter.com/maddow/status/845991663336083457
evecurtis Retweeted
Justin Hendrix?Verified account @justinhendrix 4h4 hours ago
Justin Hendrix Retweeted Арсений Веснин
The crowed chants for Boris Nemtsov, the assassinated Russian statesman and politician opposed to the government of Vladimir Putin.
https://twitter.com/justinhendrix/status/845971137951608832
https://twitter.com/justinhendrix/status/845981366680522752
?w=620&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=09cf923a9eb18f857950dda930bf9b76
Protesters in Moscow. Photograph: Alexander Utkin/AFP/Getty Images
A long time ago [2 months] in a galaxy far, far away [the USA] a Putin-LePen-POTUS Axis of Evil woul
It does get scarier each day.
Elliott Lusztig? @ezlusztig 14h14 hours ago
Elliott Lusztig Retweeted Alec Luhn
A long time ago [2 months] in a galaxy far, far away [the USA] a Putin-LePen-POTUS Axis of Evil would have been inconceivable.
https://twitter.com/ezlusztig/status/845773148595326976
https://twitter.com/ASLuhn/status/845260656773386240
Recaps for Today--all important!
Hannah Deason? @Deasonized
Recap Today:
1.Flynn maybe flipped for the FBI.
2.Trump tweets to watch Judge Jeanine call Ryan to resign.
3.Boris Epshteyn resigns from WH.
https://twitter.com/Deasonized/status/845866488955392000
it? @gogetterjanis 5h5 hours ago
@hu911Anonymous @Deasonized @BostonNew I just hope govt reveal 45th BS next week. We can put an end to this nightmare
Rob Saltman #RESIST? @rsalt159
@sweethunni1976 @Deasonized
Sums it up for today
Tomorrow will have a new list
Trump unhappy Jared Kushner took a powder on the ski slopes as health care bill floundered
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/24/politics/jared-kushner-aspen-ski-trip-obamacare/?iid=ob_lockedrail_longstory_pool
Trump unhappy Jared Kushner took a powder on the ski slopes as health care bill floundered
Kate Bennett
By Kate Bennett, CNN
Updated 9:39 PM ET, Fri March 24, 2017
Kushner skiing as health care bill floundered
Story highlights
Aides in Washington toiled all week trying to get the health care reform bill over the finish line
But Jared Kushner, the President's adviser and son-in-law, was out West skiing
Washington (CNN)While the rest of his senior staff scrambled to squeeze votes for President Trump's flailing health care package, one person remained notably absent for most of the week: Jared Kushner.
Along with this wife, Ivanka Trump, another key cog in the president's inner circle, Kushner was on vacation until Thursday, skiing with family in the posh Colorado town of Aspen. Paparazzi caught Jared and Ivanka taking leisurely strolls, enjoying ice cream cones with their three kids and winding their way down the slopes.
Meanwhile, back in Washington, Trump was fuming. According to a source close to the president, "[Trump] is upset that his son-in-law and senior adviser was not around during this crucial week." Kushner did appear at the White House on Friday during the last gasps of the Obamacare repeal effort................................
Boris Epshteyn, Trump TV Surrogate, Is Leaving White House Job
Source: nytimes
Boris Epshteyn, an official in the White House press office who had a contentious relationship with television producers and was once a frequent presence on TV himself, is leaving his job, according to three people with knowledge of the move.
The departure was treated with some mystery. Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, would not comment on the reason Mr. Epshteyn, an old friend of President Trump’s son Eric, was expected to depart the post.
A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said only that officials were exploring other opportunities in the administration for Mr. Epshteyn, who at one point was on cable news as many as seven times a day promoting Mr. Trump during the presidential campaign.
Another person briefed on the discussions said that Mr. Epshteyn’s move was still pending, and that both he and the administration sought it. The person maintained that it was not an acrimonious situation..................................................
.........................
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/25/us/politics/boris-epshteyn-white-house-press-official-is-let-go-from-his-job.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share
I read this just happened Sat evening some time, so should be within the 12 hours for LBN.
I think the WH is purging itself of Russian connections.
Robby Mook?Verified account @RobbyMook 6h6 hours ago
WH demotes someone for being a jerk to media? That would be a first. Seems more like a Russia connection issue.
https://twitter.com/RobbyMook/status/845827752129413120
BrooklynDad_Defiant!? @mmpadellan 5h5 hours ago
Cantankerous crony Boris Epshteyn is latest casualty of "president" clump WH. MILLIONS were cheering. #SundayMorning
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/25/us/politics/boris-epshteyn-white-house-press-official-is-let-go-from-his-job.html …
9 replies 111 retweets 179
Nasty Woman? @realityfangirl1 5h5 hours ago
"Boris Epshteyn" is OUT? LOL! Cleaning house of the Russians huh Trump? Too late. We see you.
7 replies 40 retweets 126
https://twitter.com/GirlOnFireSally/status/845844800456839169
Nerdy Democrat? @NerdyTraveler 5h5 hours ago
Who the hell gets fired on a Saturday night?! Boris Epshteyn is out for fake reasons. I smell the fierce stench of #TrumpRussia
........................
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/boris-epshteyn-television-networks-behavior-235787
Boris Epshteyn’s rise to a position of prominence in the Trump White House reveals how the president has rewarded his loyalists. | AP Photo
........................................
https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/845824815252623360
https://twitter.com/RVAwonk/status/845828833160970240
Republicans Land a Punch on Health Care, to Their Own Face
Republicans Land a Punch on Health Care, to Their Own Face
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/us/politics/house-republicans-health-care-paul-ryan.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-2&action=click&contentCollection=Politics®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article&_r=0
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER MARCH 24, 2017
Photo
The Freedom Caucus chairman, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, center, in the Capitol on Friday. Credit J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
WASHINGTON — At the end of the long day, the alliance of conservative ideologues who once shut down the government over President Barack Obama’s health care law could not find the will to repeal it.
Since the Tea Party wave of 2010 that swept House Republicans into power, a raucous, intransigent and loosely aligned group of lawmakers known as the Freedom Caucus — most from heavily Republican districts — has often landed a punch to its own party’s face.
Friday’s defeat of the Republican leadership’s bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act was a return to form, handing an immense defeat to President Trump and embarrassing Speaker Paul D. Ryan in his own House. It also challenged the veracity of their long-held claims that a Republican president was all they needed to get big things accomplished.
The most important question for Republicans now is whether the members of the Freedom Caucus will find themselves newly emboldened in ways that may bring the new president more defeats — or whether Mr. Ryan will do what former Speaker John A. Boehner could not, and find a way to shred their influence for good...............................
https://twitter.com/Impeach_D_Trump/status/845464615773462528
https://twitter.com/ezlusztig/status/845727991388930048
https://twitter.com/ezlusztig/status/845727991388930048
Profile Information
Member since: Wed Aug 15, 2012, 03:24 PMNumber of posts: 70,322
