"There are so many other significant changes proposed in the 370-page bill that, if implemented, they would amount to one of the biggest conservative policy achievements in a generation. "
MAGA, ie the republican party could not possibly be interested in this because they are not in any way conservatives, not anymore than their orange jesus is.
Generative AI and deep fakes will certainly wreck havoc. Thanks Joe for staying on top of this.
Re: border, I sincerely hope Biden and the Dems start going on offense and call Trump and Republicans for open border. Perhaps start parading border patrol agents who support the bill in press conferences.
It's horrifying to me that there are no criminal statutes against sexually explicit deep fake images and videos. It seems to me that if digital media of you exists, it can be turned into porn and disseminated with ease. And unless you have the time and money to pursue a civil suit you just have to put up with it. I can't imagine that this won't have a chilling effect on women in the public eye.
Machine learning requires thousands of images to be able to tell the good from the bad. If you're famous and there are a thousand images online of you, it might work.
It is not "their" voters that are the target. It is the ones who might be "their" voters, or not, depending upon what they learn about what the GOP has become and why.
That's right. To be honest we are speaking to less than 100,000 voters spread across 5 or 6 states who will decide the election. If they are sitting on the fence we need to convince them that Biden is the better and safer choice.
I think we’ve entered the phase where they have taken enough rope to hang themselves, Democrats only need to release the trap door. DO NOT let Republicans change the narrative. Repeat it from now until Election Day that the GOP abandoned their own bill filled with their wants at the behest of one man solely to keep a wound open so they can pour salt into it. They are a true profile in weakness and if Democrats would go for the proverbial “kill” they could use this to turn a lot of people away from the GOP.
If Democrats follow their standard playbook of play nice, I agree. But if they hit the airwaves hard, they can damage Republicans. The question is if they are willing to standby the compromise bill, which looks questionable. If they abandon it too, then it looks like a bunch of people spent months wasting their time.
And not only use it in Biden's campaign but every Senate and House Campaign as well. Also find every House member who voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill but now who claims credit for the improvements brought about by the bill and blast their constituents with side by side ads showing their hypocrisy.
This issue divides Dems though. Most of the party wants a path for citizenship or not to expel the dreamers. I guess it could work in a general to mitigate losses with republicans though. Death in a primary
The Dems are far more likely to get those two issues resolved if they take back the House and keep the Senate (hopefully with a bigger majority) and the way to do that is to hang the GOP with this refusal. They will also have to fend off the kabuki theatre of HR 2 which McCarthy knew would go exactly no where.
I don’t think it’s a question of willingness. They know this is a shitty issue for them. They are and will continue to be viewed as the “open border” party (don’t get me wrong I think this is absolute bs). Once a party gets labeled as something (dems on immigration, guns, crime, etc or republicans on race, abortion, gay marriage, climate) the labels stick. Being out front on the issue will definitely help on the margins but when your party’s approval on the issue is -30 it’s still a great issue for republicans.
To be clear I’m not saying that it wont help at all but there are better issues to go after. Think about it this way, why would republicans say this shit out loud if they thought for a second it would hurt them? Their polls show they can’t lose on this issue.
I could be wrong but it seems like both parties are telling us it is a loser for dems and a winner for republicans
I don’t disagree that labels stick, but right now we are at a transition point where those can be removed and applied elsewhere. MAGA for better or worse has opened a door for perceptions to shift about what each party stands for.
We’ve already seen how they are no longer seen as fiscally responsible. They have their die hards that believe it, but I see that visage slipping away from Republicans too.
I think Republicans are saying all of this because they know that their base - specifically Donald Trump demands it. The calculation they are forgetting is that while their career can and would be ruined by Trump and the base, the average voter does not have the same stick waiting them. At the end of the day, voters hate when politicians waste time and tax dollars, and I think that can solely be hung on Republicans.
God I hope you are right but then why are republicans viewed as+20 on the economy over Biden right now? I mean republicans have shown over multiple presidencies (bush 1 - recession, bush 2 - biggest recession since the Great Depression, trump - recession because of Covid -> it’s sad that the most incompetent president I have to put a caviar on).
I think we can brand maga but changing how dems are branded is almost impossible. That being said dems aren’t going to win on immigration against maga. They want to build a moat with gators and spikes in it.
The fly in the ointment of your argument is the phrase "if they thought for a second it would hurt them." When have they ever thought about the effect of what they say, after not convicting TFG for what he said and did on Jan 6?
Although, and this is really sad, but hasn’t the J6 shit worked? You can’t win a Republican primary without calling the martyrs and saying the election was stolen. God we live in the dumbest time
Biden needs to make a nationwide speech explaining the failure of securing the border that has gone on over many administrations. He needs to acknowledge the reality and own his share of the problem.
Then he has to explain why the Republicans are right when they call this a crisis, emergency and existential threat to our national security and well being.
Then he has to outline, in detail, all of the Republican policy preferences that were worked into the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate and rejected by House Republicans. WHY?
Then he has to explain that critical support for Israel and Ukraine is undermined at a critical time in their struggles against terrorists and Russian aggression and are an existential threat to them as the border crisis is for us.
Why has Congress failed to act? EITHER because this isn't really a crisis and they are just using this as a political ploy to improve their standing with voters in the next election. They are content with letting the crisis bleed our national security until after the next election, or the election after that just as they have done for the last four administrations.
When I took the oath of office I promised to govern from a bipartisan perspective and indeed almost all of the many accomplishments of our administration have been achieved through bipartisan cooperation putting the needs of the American people first. When people of good will work together in good faith there is no crisis or problem we cannot meet.
He should conclude with some BS about the wisdom of the American people and they being able to "see through" the cynical game being played by SOME Republicans that is failing the nation in our shared anxiety over controlling our borders, letting down our allies and enabling our enemies to prevail.
God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
The traditional press doesn't publish unless they have multiple sources and / or can independently verify its authenticity. Why can't Facebook do the same thing?
Because they have let the comments get out of hand. Now, they say that there's little that they can do.
It is out of hand. On average, 350 million photos are uploaded on Facebook daily, and 1 billion stories are shared every day. About 4.75 billion items are shared by Facebook users each day.
Yes, the GOP turns on its own bill - because Trump told them to do this. The MAGA Republicans' refusal to pass the "border" bill which they demanded be created in the first place is just another example of how far our country has moved toward a dictatorship. I totally agree with Lize Cheney and others who commented on this nonsense. Our country is now HALF WAY to becoming a dictator-led country. Putin has had at least 25 years to enact his revenge on the United States, and Americans have lethargically played their video games and watched TV while this happened. He blames the United States for the downfall of of the USSR and his revengeful grand plan was created in 1997 or before. In the late 1990's, a book surfaced in Russia called The Foundations of Geopolitics in which he outlines his goals as the 2nd President of Russia. Number one on his "wish list" is the internal destruction of the United States. and our democracy. In order to accomplish this goal, he needed a stooge to run for the Presidency and someone who he could easily control. Trump began working with Russians in 1987. By the 1990's he had made many trips to Russia. Every single hotel room in Russia where a foreigner stays has spy devices and cameras to acquire elicit photos. Trump was either caught with his pants down OR enlisted due to channeling black cash into the U.S. for his real estate deals. n 2008, Trump Jr. announced - as if he had won a prize - that the Trump organization had received $100 million from a Russian bank. U.S. banks refused to loan Trump money due to his four bankruptcies. Russian banks - all managed by the KGB/FSB - loan large sums of money to foreigners for two reasons: (1) to launder black cash into a foreign economy - which hurts that country's economy, and (2) to obligate and control an organization or individual. SO, by 2008 or before - Trump and his organization was on the KGB payroll and whala - Putin has his stooge. Step 2 in Putin's revenge - a skill which he acquired during his many spy years in Germany - is the use of mass mind manipulation tools (aka brainwashing) which is defined as "telling lies over and over until it is perceived as the truth." This is an easy task for a man as ignorant as Trump who is a master at lying. Once convinced, an individual may no longer possess independent thought. If the lie contains hatred, which is used daily by Trump, the human brain releases a chemical that enacts violence - just like what we saw on January 6th. Only a week ago, a Pennsylvania man murdered and beheaded his father over an argument about Trump. Jim Jones was a cult leader who amassed a following of about 900 people. He told them all to drink Koolaid laced with poison which they did - and they all died. Hitler converted an entire peaceful nation to blood-thirsty murderers who tortured and killed over 6 million humans. Stalin is estimated to have murdered over 20 million people - mostly in the geographic region of Ukraine. Putin is compared to Stalin which is relative, because Trump openly admires and wishes to emulate Putin. Lo and behold, we find the exact same coercive control techniques (previously used in Germany, China, Austria, Russia, Italy, etc.) used in the United States by Trump to influence his followers. Again - OUR COUNTRY IS HALF WAY TO BECOMING A DICTATORSHIP. Trump's many-sided destructiveness has invaded the minds of millions of Americans and will continue to do so. Mitt Romney commented on the use of fear in Trumpism. In Russia, their Congress is elected every five years. However NO member of the Russian Congress would dare oppose Putin. If they did, they or a member of their family would be killed or imprisoned. (Ivana Trump died after Trump lost the last election from a blunt blow to her head. I doubt this was an accident). The American Republican Congress has operated in this same way. Only ten Republicans voted to impeach Trump despite the strong evidence (recorded phone call) between Trump and Zelensky. Gonzales (R) from Ohio was one of the few. Afterward, he refused to run for re-election and he hired 24-hour armed protection for his family. What more evidence do you need? The MAGA Congressional members are among these brainwashed individuals who will do whatever Trump says - who in turn does whatever Putin says. While Tom Nichols, Anne Applebaum, and Lize Cheney are all surprised - I am not. I spent the majority of my career in Russia and Central Asia. I wrote the book From Democracy to Democrazy to WARN Americans about what is happening in our own country. Elizabeth Graham www.democrazy2020.org
Can we just say it? This is fucking weird. Seriously. A twice impeached president who tormented an insurrection and is being charged with 92 felony counts has somehow turned the entire, and I mean the entire Republican Party into a bunch of betas. I mean, what world is this?
The alternate world of the MAGAbats, who hang upside down from a bar, perceiving everything diametrically opposite to what we, "upright" folk see and understand. And that is why we can not reason with them; for them, their perspective is correct. And it is only 91 felony counts.🥴
"If they did, they or a member of their family would be killed or imprisoned. (Ivana Trump died after Trump lost the last election from a blunt blow to her head. I doubt this was an accident). "
That is an interesting idea. Do you have any direct evidence, or are you just speculating, no offense intended, just asking?
There are so many other significant changes proposed in the 370-page bill that, if implemented, they would amount to one of the biggest conservative policy achievements in a generation.
Naturally, most Republicans opposed it right off the bat."
-----
As Messrs Last, Perticone and Sykes, along with so many others -- both Bulwark family members and those not -- keep pointing out, the Psychiatric Facility Escapee Caucus has a goal of preventing any bipartisan legislation, especially when it comes to fixing our broken southern border, if there is even the slightest whiff that the Dems might get a boost.
Plus, as has also been referred to, after the SCOTUS killed Choice the things that they can use as a cudgel leading up to the November elections are critical in their bag of tricks. Immigration reform is critical, but the bomb throwers will do everything they can to derail the legislation, even if it means continuing their obvious hypocrisy by voting down a bill that includes almost everything they want. (Of course said legislation cannot include any form of aid to Ukraine or the Marigold Malignancy might get angry that any other roadblocks would be put in front of his asshole buddy, Putin, and the Russian desire to spread its hegemony over all the territories that used to comprise the Soviet Union.)
As for "[n]aturally, most Republicans opposed it right off the bat[,]" I pointed out elsewhere that the Repubs *outwardly* oppose the bill but I have to wonder what the vote would be if Congressional votes were cast anonymously. The ultimate reason that the New GOP appears to vote in lockstep is out of fear: the fear of what the Coral Cancer would do to them through his Brownshirts; their violent bent has been simmering for a long time now, and they are just waiting to be released by the Bloviating Butterscotch Buffoon. I'll even wager that had secret balloting been in place in the Senate during the impeachment of the Goldenrod Grotesqueness for 1/6, he'd likely have been convicted.
I keep returning to the same mantra when it comes to the MAGAdroids: The "O" in GOP used to stand for "Old," but now in the New GOP the "O" stands for obstructionist.
Hi John. I am not sure what you are asking me to prove. If it is to prove that Ivana Trump's death was not an accident - no I do not have this proof but will give you some other examples. I spent the majority of my career in dictator-led countries - mostly Russia. In the early 1990s, The Moscow Business Survival Guide wrote to foreigners who wished to do business in Russia: "The most fundamental concepts that have guided your judgement for a lifetime are not even known much less understood here." I spoke Russian and two of my four children attended Moscow Public schools. My oldest daughter Lize had a high IQ and spoke several difficult languages including Russian, Danish, Japanese, and others (8 in total). This was an advantage because over 95% of the Americans (and others) going to Russia worked with translators who all "selectively translated" to better manipulate foreigners. I didn't need a translator so I better understood the circumstances.
When Putin became President (2000), reporters and media personnel were murdered right and left - anyone who opposed him. It was generally understood that Putin killed his opposition. The book (From Democracy to Democrazy, by Graham) provides a small list of names and their stories. Boris Nemtsov was a Russian opposition leader and once a contender for the presidency. He was shot and killed near the Kremlin on Feb. 27, 2015. Alexei Navalny another opposition leader was first poisoned, then when he survived he was imprisoned. He is sentenced to 19 years in a Siberian prison. Anna Polirkovskaya wrote Putin's People which was an honest rendition of Putin's murders. She mysteriously died young - I believe she was in her 30s. In August 2022, a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine - in a Washington, D.C. west-end neighborhood died. Dan Rappoport made a fortune in Moscow and then moved back to the U.S. He was a healthy, middle-aged wealthy man and his "accident" looked like he committed suicide by throwing himself off his 15th floor balcony. The D.C. police never investigated. During the 1990's, there were many joint ventures (JV) in Russia with Russian-American partners. Consistently and after the Russian had received adequate dollars or operating support - the foreigners were killed. The American was in a deadly car accident, thrown out of windows in the tall Moscow apartment buildings, poisoned, found floating in the Moscow River, gunned down, and while I was in Central Asia - one American woman who was doing a publishing JV was butchered, cut up into pieces, and shoved into a large wooden crate. If the American was lucky - like Chuck Norris - their Russian partner just tore up the JV documents and prevented the American from acquiring a new Russian visa to re-enter Russia. Chuck Norris was the American partner of the Beverly Hills - a casino, night club, and restaurant. His partner was Mayor Yuri Lyushkov of Moscow. My daughter Lize managed this JV. When Lyushkov tore up the JV papers, Lize was threatened. She took the night train to Helsinki and took with her some of the documents and JV records. These documents were kept in a storage unit in Arizona for years, and later in my garage until her death in 2016. I then destroyed them. She was living and working in Japan. The Tokyo police ruled her death a homicide from an unknown substance - probably poison. Poison is commonly used as a lethal weapon by Russians.
I cannot find the quote right now, but in From Democracy to Democrazy, I quoted a senior U.S. defense official. To paraphrase, he said that at one point they believed that the Chinese where the largest hacker into U.S. secrets and technical information. He said however, the Chinese leave a large footprint. They might break a window, go into your home, and steal your valuables - whereby the Russians will pick your lock, steal the last 5 checks in your checkbook and a copy of your signature, and then reset your alarm. You will never know they were in your home.
The untimely death of Ivana Trump is typical of the various forms of "accidents" performed by Putin's killers. Ivana, who was from the Chezk Republic, fully understood how the KGB operates and the various clandestine relationships and deals between Trump and Russians. She also talked too much. Her death was reported as an "accident."
It is difficult for most Americans to fully grasp how Russia operates. The closest comparison is like a mob, but with global outreach. However it is also a cultured and educated society. Russians know more about American life, our history, and our life-styles than Americans do themselves. When I moved to Moscow with my two younger children, I interviewed 3 schools. In each school, the children (ages 10 to 12) would speak to me in excellent English and explain American history or about the creation of the American flag.
I used to say that Russians think 3-dimensional while Americans think 2-dimensional. I lived there long enough to become bi-cultural so much of what I write about comes from that experience.
I hope this helps. If you get a chance, read From Democracy to Democrazy. Thanks and no offense taken. Elizabeth
Biden needs to get out there and hang this on the republicans. He also needs to enlist many many good democratic surrogates to fan out on all of the news shows, even fox, to make this an albatross around the republicans necks. I am becoming very worried that Biden is seemingly AWOL. If he doesn't get his act in gear and start communicating, and soon, then he will be a one term president, which would be disastrous for the country. I keep looking for some kind of life from Biden and his reelection team and it seems like they are sleepwalking into disaster.
At least they failed in the stand alone aid bill and the Mayorkas impeachment. The Republican House is even more dysfunctional than the Republican minority conference in the senate.
I wish Schumer after the compromise deal fails would try to just put together in one Taiwan Israel and Ukraine and vote. Republicans want it coupled with border security now they say wait we don’t need it. So just force them to take one more vote against the aid package just for measure
"There are so many other significant changes proposed in the 370-page bill that, if implemented, they would amount to one of the biggest conservative policy achievements in a generation. "
MAGA, ie the republican party could not possibly be interested in this because they are not in any way conservatives, not anymore than their orange jesus is.
And I just watched a video of one Texas Republican House member saying "The bill is 370 pages and it should be TEN PAGES."
But wait, there's more!
Senator Rick Scott said he was voting against it because "This is an immigration bill, not a border bill."
I can't with these people.
Generative AI and deep fakes will certainly wreck havoc. Thanks Joe for staying on top of this.
Re: border, I sincerely hope Biden and the Dems start going on offense and call Trump and Republicans for open border. Perhaps start parading border patrol agents who support the bill in press conferences.
It's horrifying to me that there are no criminal statutes against sexually explicit deep fake images and videos. It seems to me that if digital media of you exists, it can be turned into porn and disseminated with ease. And unless you have the time and money to pursue a civil suit you just have to put up with it. I can't imagine that this won't have a chilling effect on women in the public eye.
I have a hard time believing these folks can't figure out an AI solution to sort out the bad from the good.
Machine learning requires thousands of images to be able to tell the good from the bad. If you're famous and there are a thousand images online of you, it might work.
That was the thought in regards to the elections.
Yes, Biden has called the GOP on its bluff.
But they don't care and neither do their voters.
It is not "their" voters that are the target. It is the ones who might be "their" voters, or not, depending upon what they learn about what the GOP has become and why.
That's right. To be honest we are speaking to less than 100,000 voters spread across 5 or 6 states who will decide the election. If they are sitting on the fence we need to convince them that Biden is the better and safer choice.
I think we’ve entered the phase where they have taken enough rope to hang themselves, Democrats only need to release the trap door. DO NOT let Republicans change the narrative. Repeat it from now until Election Day that the GOP abandoned their own bill filled with their wants at the behest of one man solely to keep a wound open so they can pour salt into it. They are a true profile in weakness and if Democrats would go for the proverbial “kill” they could use this to turn a lot of people away from the GOP.
I agree completely. Tell everyone that the Republicans want open borders .
TRUMP wants open borders for the next 12 months. Tell everyone.
The sad part is (imo) this helps republicans and hurts Joe Biden. Voters don’t care about process they care about results.
If Democrats follow their standard playbook of play nice, I agree. But if they hit the airwaves hard, they can damage Republicans. The question is if they are willing to standby the compromise bill, which looks questionable. If they abandon it too, then it looks like a bunch of people spent months wasting their time.
And not only use it in Biden's campaign but every Senate and House Campaign as well. Also find every House member who voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill but now who claims credit for the improvements brought about by the bill and blast their constituents with side by side ads showing their hypocrisy.
We need to truth bomb the GOP into the stone age.
This issue divides Dems though. Most of the party wants a path for citizenship or not to expel the dreamers. I guess it could work in a general to mitigate losses with republicans though. Death in a primary
The Dems are far more likely to get those two issues resolved if they take back the House and keep the Senate (hopefully with a bigger majority) and the way to do that is to hang the GOP with this refusal. They will also have to fend off the kabuki theatre of HR 2 which McCarthy knew would go exactly no where.
I think into oblivion is better. We had a stone age where the strongest won for a long time.
I don’t think it’s a question of willingness. They know this is a shitty issue for them. They are and will continue to be viewed as the “open border” party (don’t get me wrong I think this is absolute bs). Once a party gets labeled as something (dems on immigration, guns, crime, etc or republicans on race, abortion, gay marriage, climate) the labels stick. Being out front on the issue will definitely help on the margins but when your party’s approval on the issue is -30 it’s still a great issue for republicans.
To be clear I’m not saying that it wont help at all but there are better issues to go after. Think about it this way, why would republicans say this shit out loud if they thought for a second it would hurt them? Their polls show they can’t lose on this issue.
I could be wrong but it seems like both parties are telling us it is a loser for dems and a winner for republicans
I don’t disagree that labels stick, but right now we are at a transition point where those can be removed and applied elsewhere. MAGA for better or worse has opened a door for perceptions to shift about what each party stands for.
We’ve already seen how they are no longer seen as fiscally responsible. They have their die hards that believe it, but I see that visage slipping away from Republicans too.
I think Republicans are saying all of this because they know that their base - specifically Donald Trump demands it. The calculation they are forgetting is that while their career can and would be ruined by Trump and the base, the average voter does not have the same stick waiting them. At the end of the day, voters hate when politicians waste time and tax dollars, and I think that can solely be hung on Republicans.
God I hope you are right but then why are republicans viewed as+20 on the economy over Biden right now? I mean republicans have shown over multiple presidencies (bush 1 - recession, bush 2 - biggest recession since the Great Depression, trump - recession because of Covid -> it’s sad that the most incompetent president I have to put a caviar on).
I think we can brand maga but changing how dems are branded is almost impossible. That being said dems aren’t going to win on immigration against maga. They want to build a moat with gators and spikes in it.
Moat and gators? LOL! They want a Berlin wall in reverse... with soldiers gunning down any one trying to get in!
The fly in the ointment of your argument is the phrase "if they thought for a second it would hurt them." When have they ever thought about the effect of what they say, after not convicting TFG for what he said and did on Jan 6?
Hahaha. Fair.
Although, and this is really sad, but hasn’t the J6 shit worked? You can’t win a Republican primary without calling the martyrs and saying the election was stolen. God we live in the dumbest time
Time to revive an old party name for the new RINO t(RUMP GOP: The Know Nothing Party.
Biden needs to make a nationwide speech explaining the failure of securing the border that has gone on over many administrations. He needs to acknowledge the reality and own his share of the problem.
Then he has to explain why the Republicans are right when they call this a crisis, emergency and existential threat to our national security and well being.
Then he has to outline, in detail, all of the Republican policy preferences that were worked into the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate and rejected by House Republicans. WHY?
Then he has to explain that critical support for Israel and Ukraine is undermined at a critical time in their struggles against terrorists and Russian aggression and are an existential threat to them as the border crisis is for us.
Why has Congress failed to act? EITHER because this isn't really a crisis and they are just using this as a political ploy to improve their standing with voters in the next election. They are content with letting the crisis bleed our national security until after the next election, or the election after that just as they have done for the last four administrations.
When I took the oath of office I promised to govern from a bipartisan perspective and indeed almost all of the many accomplishments of our administration have been achieved through bipartisan cooperation putting the needs of the American people first. When people of good will work together in good faith there is no crisis or problem we cannot meet.
He should conclude with some BS about the wisdom of the American people and they being able to "see through" the cynical game being played by SOME Republicans that is failing the nation in our shared anxiety over controlling our borders, letting down our allies and enabling our enemies to prevail.
God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
Re Dean Philips - a do-nothing congressman running to get attention (and money). He's in the wrong party.
It's delicious that Marianne Williamson bested him in the South Carolina primary.
The traditional press doesn't publish unless they have multiple sources and / or can independently verify its authenticity. Why can't Facebook do the same thing?
Because they have let the comments get out of hand. Now, they say that there's little that they can do.
I'm not sure that that is an excuse.
It is out of hand. On average, 350 million photos are uploaded on Facebook daily, and 1 billion stories are shared every day. About 4.75 billion items are shared by Facebook users each day.
Yes, the GOP turns on its own bill - because Trump told them to do this. The MAGA Republicans' refusal to pass the "border" bill which they demanded be created in the first place is just another example of how far our country has moved toward a dictatorship. I totally agree with Lize Cheney and others who commented on this nonsense. Our country is now HALF WAY to becoming a dictator-led country. Putin has had at least 25 years to enact his revenge on the United States, and Americans have lethargically played their video games and watched TV while this happened. He blames the United States for the downfall of of the USSR and his revengeful grand plan was created in 1997 or before. In the late 1990's, a book surfaced in Russia called The Foundations of Geopolitics in which he outlines his goals as the 2nd President of Russia. Number one on his "wish list" is the internal destruction of the United States. and our democracy. In order to accomplish this goal, he needed a stooge to run for the Presidency and someone who he could easily control. Trump began working with Russians in 1987. By the 1990's he had made many trips to Russia. Every single hotel room in Russia where a foreigner stays has spy devices and cameras to acquire elicit photos. Trump was either caught with his pants down OR enlisted due to channeling black cash into the U.S. for his real estate deals. n 2008, Trump Jr. announced - as if he had won a prize - that the Trump organization had received $100 million from a Russian bank. U.S. banks refused to loan Trump money due to his four bankruptcies. Russian banks - all managed by the KGB/FSB - loan large sums of money to foreigners for two reasons: (1) to launder black cash into a foreign economy - which hurts that country's economy, and (2) to obligate and control an organization or individual. SO, by 2008 or before - Trump and his organization was on the KGB payroll and whala - Putin has his stooge. Step 2 in Putin's revenge - a skill which he acquired during his many spy years in Germany - is the use of mass mind manipulation tools (aka brainwashing) which is defined as "telling lies over and over until it is perceived as the truth." This is an easy task for a man as ignorant as Trump who is a master at lying. Once convinced, an individual may no longer possess independent thought. If the lie contains hatred, which is used daily by Trump, the human brain releases a chemical that enacts violence - just like what we saw on January 6th. Only a week ago, a Pennsylvania man murdered and beheaded his father over an argument about Trump. Jim Jones was a cult leader who amassed a following of about 900 people. He told them all to drink Koolaid laced with poison which they did - and they all died. Hitler converted an entire peaceful nation to blood-thirsty murderers who tortured and killed over 6 million humans. Stalin is estimated to have murdered over 20 million people - mostly in the geographic region of Ukraine. Putin is compared to Stalin which is relative, because Trump openly admires and wishes to emulate Putin. Lo and behold, we find the exact same coercive control techniques (previously used in Germany, China, Austria, Russia, Italy, etc.) used in the United States by Trump to influence his followers. Again - OUR COUNTRY IS HALF WAY TO BECOMING A DICTATORSHIP. Trump's many-sided destructiveness has invaded the minds of millions of Americans and will continue to do so. Mitt Romney commented on the use of fear in Trumpism. In Russia, their Congress is elected every five years. However NO member of the Russian Congress would dare oppose Putin. If they did, they or a member of their family would be killed or imprisoned. (Ivana Trump died after Trump lost the last election from a blunt blow to her head. I doubt this was an accident). The American Republican Congress has operated in this same way. Only ten Republicans voted to impeach Trump despite the strong evidence (recorded phone call) between Trump and Zelensky. Gonzales (R) from Ohio was one of the few. Afterward, he refused to run for re-election and he hired 24-hour armed protection for his family. What more evidence do you need? The MAGA Congressional members are among these brainwashed individuals who will do whatever Trump says - who in turn does whatever Putin says. While Tom Nichols, Anne Applebaum, and Lize Cheney are all surprised - I am not. I spent the majority of my career in Russia and Central Asia. I wrote the book From Democracy to Democrazy to WARN Americans about what is happening in our own country. Elizabeth Graham www.democrazy2020.org
Trump was the nail in the coffin but this deal (Ukraine + border) was dead months ago.
I'll bet dollars to donuts that TFG was working behind the green curtain long ago to slow walk any "deal" and then kill when it finally arrived.
Oh most definitely.
Can we just say it? This is fucking weird. Seriously. A twice impeached president who tormented an insurrection and is being charged with 92 felony counts has somehow turned the entire, and I mean the entire Republican Party into a bunch of betas. I mean, what world is this?
The alternate world of the MAGAbats, who hang upside down from a bar, perceiving everything diametrically opposite to what we, "upright" folk see and understand. And that is why we can not reason with them; for them, their perspective is correct. And it is only 91 felony counts.🥴
"If they did, they or a member of their family would be killed or imprisoned. (Ivana Trump died after Trump lost the last election from a blunt blow to her head. I doubt this was an accident). "
That is an interesting idea. Do you have any direct evidence, or are you just speculating, no offense intended, just asking?
Even if true, I seriously doubt the Orange Snake would give damn.
There are so many other significant changes proposed in the 370-page bill that, if implemented, they would amount to one of the biggest conservative policy achievements in a generation.
Naturally, most Republicans opposed it right off the bat."
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As Messrs Last, Perticone and Sykes, along with so many others -- both Bulwark family members and those not -- keep pointing out, the Psychiatric Facility Escapee Caucus has a goal of preventing any bipartisan legislation, especially when it comes to fixing our broken southern border, if there is even the slightest whiff that the Dems might get a boost.
Plus, as has also been referred to, after the SCOTUS killed Choice the things that they can use as a cudgel leading up to the November elections are critical in their bag of tricks. Immigration reform is critical, but the bomb throwers will do everything they can to derail the legislation, even if it means continuing their obvious hypocrisy by voting down a bill that includes almost everything they want. (Of course said legislation cannot include any form of aid to Ukraine or the Marigold Malignancy might get angry that any other roadblocks would be put in front of his asshole buddy, Putin, and the Russian desire to spread its hegemony over all the territories that used to comprise the Soviet Union.)
As for "[n]aturally, most Republicans opposed it right off the bat[,]" I pointed out elsewhere that the Repubs *outwardly* oppose the bill but I have to wonder what the vote would be if Congressional votes were cast anonymously. The ultimate reason that the New GOP appears to vote in lockstep is out of fear: the fear of what the Coral Cancer would do to them through his Brownshirts; their violent bent has been simmering for a long time now, and they are just waiting to be released by the Bloviating Butterscotch Buffoon. I'll even wager that had secret balloting been in place in the Senate during the impeachment of the Goldenrod Grotesqueness for 1/6, he'd likely have been convicted.
I keep returning to the same mantra when it comes to the MAGAdroids: The "O" in GOP used to stand for "Old," but now in the New GOP the "O" stands for obstructionist.
fnord
Hi John. I am not sure what you are asking me to prove. If it is to prove that Ivana Trump's death was not an accident - no I do not have this proof but will give you some other examples. I spent the majority of my career in dictator-led countries - mostly Russia. In the early 1990s, The Moscow Business Survival Guide wrote to foreigners who wished to do business in Russia: "The most fundamental concepts that have guided your judgement for a lifetime are not even known much less understood here." I spoke Russian and two of my four children attended Moscow Public schools. My oldest daughter Lize had a high IQ and spoke several difficult languages including Russian, Danish, Japanese, and others (8 in total). This was an advantage because over 95% of the Americans (and others) going to Russia worked with translators who all "selectively translated" to better manipulate foreigners. I didn't need a translator so I better understood the circumstances.
When Putin became President (2000), reporters and media personnel were murdered right and left - anyone who opposed him. It was generally understood that Putin killed his opposition. The book (From Democracy to Democrazy, by Graham) provides a small list of names and their stories. Boris Nemtsov was a Russian opposition leader and once a contender for the presidency. He was shot and killed near the Kremlin on Feb. 27, 2015. Alexei Navalny another opposition leader was first poisoned, then when he survived he was imprisoned. He is sentenced to 19 years in a Siberian prison. Anna Polirkovskaya wrote Putin's People which was an honest rendition of Putin's murders. She mysteriously died young - I believe she was in her 30s. In August 2022, a prominent critic of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine - in a Washington, D.C. west-end neighborhood died. Dan Rappoport made a fortune in Moscow and then moved back to the U.S. He was a healthy, middle-aged wealthy man and his "accident" looked like he committed suicide by throwing himself off his 15th floor balcony. The D.C. police never investigated. During the 1990's, there were many joint ventures (JV) in Russia with Russian-American partners. Consistently and after the Russian had received adequate dollars or operating support - the foreigners were killed. The American was in a deadly car accident, thrown out of windows in the tall Moscow apartment buildings, poisoned, found floating in the Moscow River, gunned down, and while I was in Central Asia - one American woman who was doing a publishing JV was butchered, cut up into pieces, and shoved into a large wooden crate. If the American was lucky - like Chuck Norris - their Russian partner just tore up the JV documents and prevented the American from acquiring a new Russian visa to re-enter Russia. Chuck Norris was the American partner of the Beverly Hills - a casino, night club, and restaurant. His partner was Mayor Yuri Lyushkov of Moscow. My daughter Lize managed this JV. When Lyushkov tore up the JV papers, Lize was threatened. She took the night train to Helsinki and took with her some of the documents and JV records. These documents were kept in a storage unit in Arizona for years, and later in my garage until her death in 2016. I then destroyed them. She was living and working in Japan. The Tokyo police ruled her death a homicide from an unknown substance - probably poison. Poison is commonly used as a lethal weapon by Russians.
I cannot find the quote right now, but in From Democracy to Democrazy, I quoted a senior U.S. defense official. To paraphrase, he said that at one point they believed that the Chinese where the largest hacker into U.S. secrets and technical information. He said however, the Chinese leave a large footprint. They might break a window, go into your home, and steal your valuables - whereby the Russians will pick your lock, steal the last 5 checks in your checkbook and a copy of your signature, and then reset your alarm. You will never know they were in your home.
The untimely death of Ivana Trump is typical of the various forms of "accidents" performed by Putin's killers. Ivana, who was from the Chezk Republic, fully understood how the KGB operates and the various clandestine relationships and deals between Trump and Russians. She also talked too much. Her death was reported as an "accident."
It is difficult for most Americans to fully grasp how Russia operates. The closest comparison is like a mob, but with global outreach. However it is also a cultured and educated society. Russians know more about American life, our history, and our life-styles than Americans do themselves. When I moved to Moscow with my two younger children, I interviewed 3 schools. In each school, the children (ages 10 to 12) would speak to me in excellent English and explain American history or about the creation of the American flag.
I used to say that Russians think 3-dimensional while Americans think 2-dimensional. I lived there long enough to become bi-cultural so much of what I write about comes from that experience.
I hope this helps. If you get a chance, read From Democracy to Democrazy. Thanks and no offense taken. Elizabeth
Congressional Jeopardy
Do Nothing Congress for 200
Clue: "Leave a deep impression of bad faith."
Question: What is "one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done" during the 118th Congress?
I bet you have some hot Congressional tea. And I'm about half convinced that Dean Phillips is an AI bot trying to be a real boy.
Biden needs to get out there and hang this on the republicans. He also needs to enlist many many good democratic surrogates to fan out on all of the news shows, even fox, to make this an albatross around the republicans necks. I am becoming very worried that Biden is seemingly AWOL. If he doesn't get his act in gear and start communicating, and soon, then he will be a one term president, which would be disastrous for the country. I keep looking for some kind of life from Biden and his reelection team and it seems like they are sleepwalking into disaster.
At least they failed in the stand alone aid bill and the Mayorkas impeachment. The Republican House is even more dysfunctional than the Republican minority conference in the senate.
I wish Schumer after the compromise deal fails would try to just put together in one Taiwan Israel and Ukraine and vote. Republicans want it coupled with border security now they say wait we don’t need it. So just force them to take one more vote against the aid package just for measure
Gifted —
HOUSE FAILS TO IMPEACH MAYORGAS
https://wapo.st/48mEGuZ
Yes he can call a session and give a speech. Not sure that makes him look good when they don’t even vote on the bill
Malice, danger, and shamelessness aside, they seem awfully confident that this crazy bet of theirs is going to pay off.