Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

TexasTowelie

(112,182 posts)
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 06:33 AM Sep 2020

Marsha Blackburn is getaway driver for Russian meddling

The U.S. Senate’s Intelligence Committee in mid-August released the fifth and final volume of its bipartisan and hair-raising report on Russian active measures to interfere with the 2016 election. This volume focused on counterintelligence vulnerabilities and threats. It should have been a huge story raising alarms about both President Trump and the forthcoming election, but in an administration featuring near daily violations of ethics and norms, as well as strong evidence of crimes, it was just another day ending in y.

Though U.S. Senator from Tennessee Marsha Blackburn is not mentioned in the volume (a Nashville attorney who formerly worked for her congressional campaign appears several times), actions she took earlier this year assures the Trump campaign is free to repeat its foreign interference playbook this fall. In February, she thrice effectively volunteered to be the getaway driver for campaign misconduct.

Senator Mark Warner moved to pass three election security bills via unanimous consent. Two took slightly different paths, but both would require campaigns to call the FBI if a foreign power contacts them and offers help. Another funded the Election Assistance Commission and would, among other things, require voter-verified paper ballots and ban voting machines from being connected to the internet (thus making results hacking very difficult). One by one, Blackburn objected—falsely bloviating about a federal power grab. Elections, of course, would remain a state function and insisting on minimum standards, especially for campaign reporting of foreign malign contact should be a bipartisan consensus point.

At the same time the third volume of the bipartisan Senate report was hot off the presses, making Blackburn’s move all the more galling. That report raised alarms about our country’s abilities to counter a forthcoming wave of Russian meddling. Further, only the week before Blackburn’s blocking move FBI Director Christopher Wray warned that Russia continued to be engaged in information warfare ahead of this November’s elections.

Read more: https://tennesseelookout.com/2020/09/08/marsha-blackburn-is-getaway-driver-for-russian-meddling/

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Marsha Blackburn is getaway driver for Russian meddling (Original Post) TexasTowelie Sep 2020 OP
She is such a bitch!! Right up there with mcturtle Thekaspervote Sep 2020 #1
Absolutely! SheltieLover Sep 2020 #3
Despicable harpie gademocrat7 Sep 2020 #2
K&R! SheltieLover Sep 2020 #4
Bredesen was a statesman, TN opted for a trouble maker. idziak4ever1234 Sep 2020 #5
I am not aware what the politics are regarding the seeming power to stop bills by that woman Escurumbele Sep 2020 #6
The bills were proposed seeking "unanimous consent" and Babushka Blackburn Tanuki Sep 2020 #9
This is the treason part of the future. jaxexpat Sep 2020 #7
Why does Marsha Blackburn hate democracy? JohnnyRingo Sep 2020 #8

Escurumbele

(3,392 posts)
6. I am not aware what the politics are regarding the seeming power to stop bills by that woman
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 09:22 AM
Sep 2020

It would be great to understand, if it was that she just tipped the balance against the bills that is one thing, but if she alone had the power to stop it then I feel it is a huge problem.

As most people may have realized by now, although the founders had their suspicions, the constitution was crafted assuming that only honorable people would sit in the oval office, but the power that the office has is too broad and can be misused in ways that many of us may not have imagined, so changes must be made to not allow anything like this to happen again.

Not even presidents of corporations within their businesses have the power that the POTUS has on the country, rules must change because next time the corrupt person who sits there may be intelligent.

jaxexpat

(6,828 posts)
7. This is the treason part of the future.
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 09:22 AM
Sep 2020

A future wherein:
1. justice is meted out to those who have prevented any meaningful response to domestic and/or foreign election interference
2. the guilty parties to said treason are publicly identified and prosecuted
3. legislation favored by a majority of the people is passed
a. marijuana decriminalization
b. national abortion rights
c. single payer health care
d. legitimize the tax code to curb income inequities
e. is for etcetera
f. reform the onerous penal codes which contribute to generational, poverty based, criminality

JohnnyRingo

(18,628 posts)
8. Why does Marsha Blackburn hate democracy?
Tue Sep 8, 2020, 12:06 PM
Sep 2020

Is it because republicans want to follow the president's lead and cheat their way into office?

Latest Discussions»Region Forums»Tennessee»Marsha Blackburn is getaw...