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Democrats try out highlighting the Republican ‘Swamp’….Open Thread for August 9, 2018

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The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York just handed the Democrats a present…

The charging of a New York Republican House member that is not too smart…..

I don’t think this as big as the Democrats want it to be…

Not with a Republican President being chased by a Special Prosecutor who is charging all sorts of Republicans of wrong doing….And others accused of crazy stuff everyday…..

But the Democrats ARE gonna try to stretch the Republicans = Crooks thing….

So far it hasn’t matter much…..

And?

Didn’t Donald Trump campaign on draining the swamp?

Rep. Chris Collins’ indictment on insider trading charges has given Democrats new ammunition in their drive to take back the House — highlighting the latest scandal as part of what they call a web of corruption ensnaring President Donald Trump and his allies.

But what was a successful strategy more than a decade ago — Democrats seized both the House and Senate majorities in 2006 by promising to “drain the swamp” — might be a lot harder to pull off in a political landscape that’s light years different.

“It’s become so rampant. You have a corrupt Cabinet, from one Cabinet member after the next. It’s not just Chris Collins,” Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) said in an interview when asked why she thought Democrats’ strategy would still resonate.

“It’s this steady drip, drip, drip, and it’s one scandal on top of the next on top of the next. I think there’s a severe fatigue about this kind of behavior.”

Democrats know they’re operating in a political environment that bears little resemblance to the last time they won the House, upended by a president who has shattered many of the long-embedded political norms by which both parties abided.

What once could doom a politician’s career in an instant now sometimes barely raises an eyebrow. Scandals involving the president, his Cabinet or allies, seem to blow over by the next news cycle, if they pierce the public consciousness at all…..

More…

image…RollCall…

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  2. Kobach lead over Colyer cut in half after vote-tallying error discovered in Kansas GOP primary

      • The Browns beat the Jersy Giants
        Mayfield has a good game
        Barkley rips a good first touch tun
        Giants still don’f Have a good offense

        • Oh and there are reports of some played taking a kneee and others staying the locker room for the anthem….

              • Who Democrats Are Nominating?

                FiveThirtyEight: “Overall, Democratic primary voters in 2018 are jumping at the chance to nominate women and experienced politicians. Being an Obama alum seems to help too. No variable we looked at appeared to seriously harm a candidate’s chances in a primary (except maybe STEM training), although several — military service, race, LGBTQ status and self-funding — don’t appear to help.”

                Politicalwire…

                  • Kansas GOP Gov count Update….

                    Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach leads Gov. Jeff Colyer by 110 votes out of 313,000-plus cast after late mail-in ballots from all 105 counties were added Friday to totals from advance voting and ballots cast at the polls Tuesday. The state’s 105 counties still must review nearly 9,000 provisional ballots and determine how many of them were cast in the Republican primary — and how many will be counted. They have until Aug. 20 to finish that process and certify their local results…..

                    More…

                    (Bold added by me)

  5. James,

    On numerous occasions when discussion turns to 2020,you state that it is your “position” that Trump won’t be President then.Im interested, how do you see him leaving office?

    There are actually only three scenarios for such:
    1.) He dies or is assassinated
    2.)He resigns.
    3.)He is impeached, convicted and removed from office.

    Assuming that not even you would “predict” the first, that leaves 2 or 3.Please explain which it is and how you see such occurring.

    • On your Trump leaving office Jack?

      I’ll go with #2

      As I have stated here a few times

      Between Mueller’s throwdown of the facts, possible midterm after effects and Trump’s own actions ?

      He should be unavailable after Jan. 20 , 2021…..or Sooner

      • With the caveat that anything is possible(only offered because any discussion here often ends ,or degeneartaes, into that overused explanation),

        It is rather odd to me that you believe such,given your frequent(and I should add,correct ) claim that Trumps supporters,ie, 80-90% of Republican voters, will continue to support him no matter what he says or does(did).

        Assuming that Mueller files a report alleging that Trump actively “colluded” with the Russians (which could give rise to acriminal conspiracy charge) ,what would be the result?Of course press reaction would be negative(what’s new?) as would the reaction of the Democrats(what’s new?) and presumptively afew Republicans who likely are already known to be not particularly supportive of Trump.

        Assuming, as you’ve declared that his supporters remain steadfast, a good assumption , why in the world would Trump up and quit?Indeed, if he thought he might face acriminal conspiracy charge that would be the last thing he would want to do.Further,if,as you believe ,he can be indicted while President,that would be another reason he wouldn’t quit.His lawyers certainly would advise against such action ,knowing that they could litigate the right to so indict for years .

        In the scenario above,everything would militate against a resignation.

        As I suspected, this “position” of yours appears to be nothing more than some talking point you have invented without any serious thought to it’s ramifications or even why Trump would be so motivated.

    • As time goes on the likelihood of Trumo resigning seems slimmer and slimmer.
      However I could see him doing so if mounting legal problems in regard to his personal and family fortune reach a crescendo. In that case I could see it happening quite suddenly if it did.

      • My feeling also Scott…..

        But I’ll change the slimmer to more likely from my point of view…

        The load on him increases day by day….

        And he helps the pile grow HIMSELF….

        • What are you”agreeing” with?

          Scott’s position is nowhere near what you expressed a scant four hours before posting this.Then you said that Trump would leave office due to Mueller and the midterms.Scott is saying that if Trump were to leave it would be due to some threat to his personal fortune.

          How would Mueller or the midterms affect that?

          Further, you said that your “position” was that Trump would Not be President in 2020.Scott said that the likelihood of him quitting grows slimmer..

          So it’s now your position that he will still be President in 2020 ?

          Another example of mindless banging at a keyboard.Instead of your juvenile eagerness to “agree,” why don’t you actually think for a change.Perhaps then we could take you seriously.

  6. John Kasich said today that he no longer recognizes the Republican Party.

    Could this be an opening move toward an independent candidacy or a likely quixotic bid to deny Trump renomination in a fight to “save” the Republican Party ?

    Then again, maybe it’s a swan song by a guy who is leaving the party and the the political battles.

    • Or maybe Jack, he’s simply joining the growing chorus of Conservative leaders who are recommending that everyone vote for a Democratic Congress this November to save the Nation.

      • Maybe Kasich should rethink his endorsement in OH-12 since the candidate he backed is from a party he doesn’t recognize anymore.

        • Scott, I have to think that Kasich was thinking about OH-12 when he made that statement. Balderson thanking Trump but not Kasich was clearly a slap at Kasich’s face. No doubt about it.

          But the truth is that Kasich helped create the GOP as it now stands with his support for gerrymandering and making it more difficult to vote in Ohio. Resorting to unethical means to achieve your political objectives has consequences. And Balderson would not have won this district had it not been gerrymandered.

          • This is very true, amazing Balderson did not thank Kasich. Although Kasich was in a tough spot he had to endorse this guy. Must be terrible being the Governor yet not having the respect of your own party. The Ohio GOP is run by Trumpers.

    • What a contrast to two other rivals of Donald Trump in 2016 — Lindsay Graham and Rand Paul.

      Seeing Graham (but only for the brief moment I could stand)* this morning on a TV talk show pursuing the latest (Bruce Ohr) variant on the theme that the Mueller investigation is only just a partisan witch-hunt against Fearless Leader, I realized how cravenly these two (whose integrity on issues like waterboarding I once admired) are now trying to make up with the Fox/Trump base of the GOP.

      Ambition for 2020 or 2024 (or protecting themselves from a primary challenge) is the only possible reason.

      • * Oh, the footnote to my previous post — nothing to do with some automatic refusal to hear extremely right-wing Republican Senators from the Palmetto State: I heard Tim Scott attentively all the way through on the very same morning.

      • Graham saw what happened to Mark Sanford when he crossed the cult here in SC.

        The SC Republican Party is totally Trump and Graham is never in a very strong position here.In 2014, he polled a not impressive 56% against seven nobodies in the Republican primary.

        His days as a semi neverTrumper are over.

      • Graham kinda wants things both ways….

        Some of us remember him working WITH Chuck Schumer on various pieces of legislation back less than?…..3 Years ago?

    • Could be a LOT of ‘Republicans’ moving to reclaim their party back from the Trump supporters by getting read for a 2020 GOP Presidential nomination run….

      I HAVE pointed out why they could very well have a GOOD chance at the nomination….

  7. Corey said Graham is one of his favorite politicians. but it looks like he is willing to screw the country to protect himself (I could easily have made a joke here) even though Graham knows he is wrong.

    • Hanabusa failed to beat the incumbent Gov in the primary last night.

      Also former Congressman Ed Case won the primary for Hanabusa’s seat.

        • If we’re talking about Hillary Clinton winning in 2016?

          Ah?

          She won the popular vote by almost 3 million votes….
          But lost the prize

          • James, If you can’t follow the conversation, it is best not to say anything. Whether it is fair or not, comments like the above do not help your reputation. Hopefully, you just posted your reply in the wrong space.

    • Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) on Saturday completed an improbable political resurrection, months after mishandling a dramatic missile scare that put his career in jeopardy.

      Hawaii Democrats on Saturday renominated Ige, who took 51.3 percent of the vote, according to The Associated Press. His closest rival, Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D), scored 44.5 percent of the vote.

      The results are a turnaround from polling conducted over the past several months that showed Hanabusa building what looked like an insurmountable lead….
      More…

  9. Here’s what Lindsey Graham said to Martha McCallum of Fox News (sitting in for Chris Wallace) this morning, after heavily criticizing Turkish Pres. Taycip Erdogan:

    MACCALLUM: All right.

    When the president left for Helsinki, he talked about all of the meetings that were ahead of him. And at that point he said Putin might be the easiest of all of them.

    GRAHAM: Yes.

    MCCALLUM: That he wanted to find some common ground with the leader of Russia.

    Now, we’ve got a situation where there are sanctions due to the poisoning that happened in the U.K. and Medvedev is saying that he thinks that they’re in economic warfare at this point. So is it fair to say that the president has put the goal of finding common ground with Russia to the back burner at this point?

    GRAHAM: Yes, I think Russian behavior has dominated the relationship here. I don’t mind trying to have a better relationship with Russia. They just need to act better to achieve that goal.

    They did. They’re directly involved in killing the British citizen, the poison that was used in Britain to kill this former Soviet spy — Soviet member who became a spy, came from Russia. They are meddling in the 2018 election. I’m 100 percent certain that they are continuing to meddle in our election. They intend to disrupt the 2018 election.

    So I’ve introduced hard-hitting sanctions. I applaud the administration for hitting Russia based on what they did in Britain. So you’ll never have a better relationship with Putin as long as he behaves the way he does. And I appreciate the president pushing back.

    MACCALLUM: All right.

    I want to ask you before I let you go a non-foreign policy question with regards to Bruce Ohr, who is a Department of Justice official —

    GRAHAM: Yes.

    MCCALLUM: Who worked under Sally Yates and just a few offices down from the head of the Justice Department. He’s becoming a much more central figure in what looks to be the initiation of this Russia investigation. What do you know about that?

    GRAHAM: Well, he was the number four guy at the Department of Justice. His wife worked for Fusion GPS, the firm hired by the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign to get — to find dirt on Trump. They hired Christopher Steele, a former British agent, who went to Russia to gather a dossier that I think is a bunch of political garbage.

    Here’s what I would tell the American people. Both campaigns were investigated by the FBI and the Department of Justice in 2016. When it came to the Clinton campaign, she got a pass. The criminal investigation of the Clinton campaign was a joke. When it came to the Trump campaign, it was corrupt, it was biased and I think unethical. Mr. Ohr should not have had any role in investigating the Trump campaign because his wife worked at Fusion GPS. The two — the FBI agent in charge of the Clinton campaign hated Trump, liked Clinton, and also started the counterintelligence investigation against Trump.

    When it came to Dianne Feinstein, they went to her and said, hey, there’s a Chinese person working on your staff that we think may be tied to the Chinese government. When it came time to — they never did the same for Trump. So these investigations against Trump were corrupt at the core. They gave Clinton a pass. Bruce Ohr was at least unethical.

    We need a special counsel to look at all things Department of Justice and FBI when it came to the Trump investigation, particularly the counterintelligence investigation.

    MACCALLUM: And we’re going to talk more about that in a moment.

    I’ve got one more minute with you so I’m going to circle back to North Korea for a moment because the White House has really never explained the discrepancy between the president’s tweet which says that there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea —

    GRAHAM: Right.

    MCCALLUM: And John Bolton’s assessment that the Singapore agreement really has not yielded any progress at all. You said at one point that the president could potentially receive a Nobel Prize for what he was doing in North Korea. So what do you say now?

    GRAHAM: Well, I think we need to be patient. North Korea is going to do the — going to respond appropriately, or they’ll go back to the same old way of doing business. And I can tell you this, President Trump has no place to kick the can when it comes to North Korea. If he had to, as a last resort, he would use military force to stop their missile programs, their nuclear program. And to the Iranians, watch what’s going on with Iran. Do you want to be next? I appreciate the president withdrawing from the nuclear agreement with Iran and trying to break the ayatollah’s back economically. This is a religious theocracy. This dismembering the Mideast. To North Korea, if you don’t think Trump will turn on you if you try to play him, watch what’s going on in North Korea.

    MACCALLUM: Senator Lindsay Graham, always good to talk to, sir, thank you very much.

    GRAHAM: Excuse me, Iran.

    Thank you.

    http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2018/08/12/kellyanne-conway-talks-race-relations-in-america-sens-graham-and-reed-on-space-force-and-sanctions.html

  10. According to CBS News Poll….

    83% of Republicans approve of Trumps handling of race issues in the country.

    • Last night CNN had a program on about the 2008 presidential election. It was out rages to see the crowd crowds and people crying after Obama won. Trump never had and ever will have the same….

      And just two years later a reaction wave kicked in for the right and Republicans. I expect the same against the Republicans, November…..

    • I thought there would be some fine print….

      44% STRONGLY approve ….

      That’s probably the more telling number
      Still way to high
      Race is never going away as an issue in America

      The CNN Special showed how McCain. Handled remarks against Obama
      And how it cost him the Prsisency….

      • I don’t think any remarks by McCain on race “cost”McCain the Presidency.

        The worst recession since the Great Depression was the major factor in McCains defeat in my view.

  11. No the “ telling” number is that,despite the everpresent attempt here to pretend that sizable numbers of Republicans oppose Trump(there is no evidence of such), the Overwhelming number of Republicans are fully supportive of him in just about every area.

    Even in racial issues where anyone without a “cult like” devotion can plainly see the man is clueless and,if anything, indicates ,at worst support of and at best indifference to ,the White Nationalists who regularly boost him and his administration.

    • I’ll go with the 44%
      As discussed here?
      Everyone has their own biases
      The hardcore group is just that i’d Think
      The other 40% or so probably includes some who actually voted for Obama in 2008/2012…

      There you go with your absolutes….

      • That’s funny.

        Another Republican apologia.See these Republicans aren’t “really” for Trumps.Its all them Democrats.You did d see that the poll was among Republicans.

        You get more Idiotic by the hour.

        However,none of this matters.In a few hours someone will come on here and say essentially what Ive said and we will see,

        “I agree”

        • There HAVE been several pieces here with established links that describe the fact that Trump’s COP support is NOT Strong throughout the Grand Ole Parry….

          You do not accept the premise…
          That’s okay
          It’s what YOU THINK…..

          • Another Republican that ain’t supporting Trump….

            Paul Rosenzweig, a lifelong Republican and former aide during the Kenneth Starr investigation into President Clinton, told CNN that he will be voting for a Democrat in a federal election for the first time in his life.

            Said Rosenzweig: “The Republican Party, seems to me, to no longer deserve my support or frankly the support of anybody who thinks that the legislative branch should act as a check and balance against executive authoritarianism.”

            Politicalwire…

            • Once again reading comprehension bedevils James.

              Rosenzweig also denounces the Republican Party.

              James,who suffers from a severe case of Trump syndrome refuses,despite all evidence to the contrary,to believe that Trump totally dominates the Republican Party and has the support of 80-90% of those who identify themselves as Republicans.He at various times has claimed,once again with no evidence whatsoever that Trumps support in the GOP is only around 60%.

              His increasingly absurd attempts to separate Trump and the Republican Party reach their zenith here.He seemingly doesn’t comprehend that Rosensweig is leaving the Republican Party Becauseit has now become the Trump enabling Party.

              • In fact I don’t have to mount any effort….

                They ARE jumping ship EVERYDAY….

                You are the one that overlooks the dwindling numbers…

                Sure Trump has that advertised 70 to 80% numbers…

                But it’s soft…

                And getting softer everyday as I and others point out repeatily

                • Ron G’s guy Hogan is cruising…..

                  A new Gonzales Research poll in Maryland finds Gov. Larry Hogan (R) leading challenger Ben Jealous (D) by 16 points, 52% to 36%….

                  Politicalwire

            • I don’t recall wthe name Paul Rosenzweig. Perhaps James has a better memory than me.

              I will say this. The GOP is increasingly becoming a party that only represents white people that do not have a college education.

  13. Trump effort at misdirection from Omarosa news….

    He orders old Intel chief John Brennan
    Security clearance cancelled….
    Old hands commonly interact with the current staff to review things…

    Trump’s order was dated July 26….

    I doubt that Anyone he attempts to cut out of the system will stop interacting within the community ….

    Twitter….

    Politico

    Trump is reviewing several former gov’t officials and may revoke security clearances from…

    ✅ James Comey
    ✅ Sally Yates
    ✅ Susan Rice
    ✅ Andrew McCabe
    ✅ Peter Strzok
    🚫 John Brennan (former CIA director and critic of Trump; clearance already revoked on August 15, 2018)

    • DNI Coats advises that he was NOT consulted
      About yanking security clearances…
      That is contrary to Amy admin story that the action came from anyplace else but Trump’s people….

  16. U.S. attorney general issues order to speed up immigrant deportations

    Reuters Staff

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday sought to speed up the deportation of illegal immigrants, telling immigration judges they should only postpone cases in removal proceedings “for good cause shown.”

    Sessions, in an interim order that was criticized by some lawyers, said the “good-cause” standard “limits the discretion of immigration judges and prohibits them from granting continuances for any reason or no reason at all.”

    Unlike the federal judiciary system, U.S. immigration courts fall under the Department of Justice and the attorney general can intervene. Sessions, a Republican former U.S. Senator appointed by President Donald Trump, has been unusually active in this practice compared to his predecessors.

    Sessions has led efforts by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration, including a “zero tolerance” policy that separated immigrant parents from their children while they were in U.S. detention. Trump abandoned the separation policy in June under political pressure.

    Critical in showing “good cause” is whether a person is likely to succeed in efforts to remain in the United States, either by appealing for asylum or receiving some form of visa or work permit, Sessions said on Thursday.

    U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions takes part in a Federal Commission on School Safety meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis
    Stephen Kang, an attorney with the ACLU immigrants rights project, described Sessions’ order as “troubling” and one of a series that “has moved in the direction of restricting due process rights for individuals who are in removal proceedings.”

    Kang said Sessions seemed to portray immigrants seeking more time to prepare their cases as trying to “game the system and avoid deportation.”

    Kang said removal proceedings were complex and people needed time “both to get lawyers to ensure that their due process rights are protected and time just to make sure their cases get a fair hearing.”

    The Justice Department has been struggling to reduce a backlog of deportation cases. An analysis by the Government Accountability Office last year found the number of cases that drag on from one year to the next more than doubled between 2006 and 2015, mainly because fewer cases are completed per year…..

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-sessions/u-s-attorney-general-issues-order-to-speed-up-immigrant-deportations-idUSKBN1L2021

    By the way, JamesB, this is the 88th comment in this Open Thread. Might be time to think about starting a new one.

        • This stuff keeps happening …..

          A black Wisconsin man recorded footage this week of a white woman calling the police on him while he tried to gain access to his own car.

          Corvontae Davis told a local ABC affiliate that the woman called the police on him to report he was breaking into a car as he tried to get change from his own vehicle to pay a parking meter on Tuesday….
          More…

  17. Just saw Steve Forbes enter my building, he looks the same as before, but older. His company rents a floor in the building, so I am sure it was him.

  18. David McReynolds, a pillar of the peace and socialist movements who was twice presidential candidate of the Socialist Party, USA, has died.

  19. David McReynolds, longtime peace activist and agitator, dead at 88

    By ELLEN MOYNIHAN
    The New York Daily News
    AUG 17, 2018 | 5:30 PM

    Longtime peace activist, writer and photographer David McReynolds died Friday after a fall in his New York home. He was 88.

    McReynolds, who was also the first openly gay candidate for president, moved to New York in the mid-1950s. A few years later, he began working with the War Resisters League. His career spanned four decades; he retired in 1999.

    Born in Los Angeles in 1929, he came to the city after graduating from UCLA and dived head-first into politics and activism, his friends said.

    “I hardly know what to say. He was such an important figure in my mind and in my life,” said Bob Fass, host of WBAI’s “Radio Unnamable,” a pioneer of the free-form style. “He was a good friend. … I’m still a little shocked.”

    The two met in the 1960s while organizing a protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which turned ugly when the Chicago Police Department declared open season on the activists. The violence was broadcast live on TV.

    “We went to confront the Democrats,” Fass said. “There were a lot of personalities.”

    McReynolds became involved in politics as a teenager, first with the youth group of the Prohibition Party, then as a Socialist. He ran for Congress in 1958 and 1968, and president in both 1980 and 2000 as a member of the Socialist Party.

    A 2004 bid for senator as a Green Party candidate was also unsuccessful. Despite never holding public office, McReynolds stayed close to politics and never stopped organizing, writing and opining.

    Fass said his friend should be remembered most for his peace-loving beliefs.

    “He was against violence and against war,” Fass said. “He was very important in organizing against it.”

    Last summer, McReynolds posted a lengthy reflection on the process of aging on Facebook.

    “It is about realizing we — those of us in our 80s — will be here for a while, and need to treat ourselves with a bit of discipline. We are needed, not to complain but to resist, to use the wisdom we have gained, often at a steep price, to stand for sanity in our world, and for a sense of compassion in our relationships,” he wrote.

    http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-news-david-mcreynolds-dead-88-story.html#

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