January 28, 2016

Who's on the WP Editorial Board?

After two scathing editorials about Bernie maybe it's time we figure exactly who these people are.

So.

Here you go:

Fred Hiatt

Several media commentators have expressed the view that The Post's editorial position under Hiatt has moved towards a neoconservative position on foreign policy issues. Human rights attorney Scott Horton in a blog post for Harper's Magazine, writes that Hiatt has presided over a "clear trend" towards neoconservative columnists.[18] Jamison Foser, a senior fellow at the progressive media watchdog group Media Matters for America, has said that The Post's editorial stance under Hiatt is now neoconservative on foreign affairs and is no longer liberal on many domestic issues.[19] News anchor and political commentator Chris Matthews stated on his program Hardball that The Post is "not the liberal newspaper it was", but has become a "neocon newspaper".[20]

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Hiatt

Jackson Diehl

As an editor and columnist, Diehl advocated the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the Post's early tenor of approval for the war has been attributed to his influence.

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Diehl

Jo-Ann Armao

“Will you ever run for president again? Yes or no,” Curry asked.

“No,” said Clinton, according to the account by the Post’s Anne E. Kornblut.

Part of the excitement of last year’s presidential contest was the possibility of a woman being elected president. I suspect that women like me -- baby boomers approaching 60 -- felt it more keenly; it was something we wished for but never really saw as doable. Clinton -- who has made a career out of confounding expectations (as evidenced by the litany of the positions she has held) -- changed all that. It was easy to imagine her president; if you've any doubt, just ask her enemies.

 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2009/10/no_president_hillary.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Jonathan Capehart

Regularly works with the Center for American Progress, which was founded by Clinton's campaign chairman. Also was a speechwriter for Michael Bloomberg.

Charles Lane

Has a history of trashing Bernie:

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/could-the-billionaire-class-be-more-progressive-than-sanders-says/2016/01/20/09c214e8-bf90-11e5-83d4-42e3bceea902_story.html

Stephen Stromberg

Has a long history of trying to defend Wall St:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/iwapois-stephen-stromberg_n_191813.html

__________


I'd like to congratulate Bernie on not getting those people's praise.

January 28, 2016

Leaked UN report says US/UK definitely committing war crimes in Yemen.

After months and months of Western media silence the UK media is finally waking up. A leaked copy of a UN report on Yemen says exactly what everyone knew for months and months: the West is committing war crimes in Yemen. That includes starving millions of women and children and indiscriminately bombing civilians - there's over 100 cases that are known about in the last few months alone, including bombing TWO children's hospitals.

In addition to this, as has been reported throughout the European and Asian media, the upshot of the campaign in Yemen has been that both al Qaeda and ISIS in Yemen have gotten much stronger. That's right we've managed to help those guys, and commit war crimes.

On the plus side we've also sold the Saudi billions in weapons during this same time period.

UN report: Yemen war abuses require investigation

Experts detail human rights law breaches against Yemeni civilians, including use of starvation as a method of warfare.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/yemen-war-abuses-160127143831060.html

UN report into Saudi-led strikes in Yemen raises questions over UK role

Experts conclude Saudi-led coalition conducted widespread airstrikes against civilian targets in violation of international law

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/27/un-report-into-saudi-led-strikes-in-yemen-raises-questions-over-uk-role

One thing of importance to note, as always, is that Hillary's campaign chairman owns one of the biggest lobbying firms in DC.. Their clients include military weapons manufacturers and Saudi Arabia. One of their jobs is to make sure that the US media doesn't report negative stories about Saudi Arabia.

Huh.

January 26, 2016

Goldman Sachs is in the eye of the campaign storm

"Hillary Clinton, the front-running Democratic candidate, received $675,000 in speaking fees from the firm. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a top challenger for the GOP nomination, borrowed $500,000 from the firm to help finance his Senate campaign and then failed to reveal it on one of his legally mandated disclosure forms."

"Goldman also has been the second largest contributor through Clinton’s political career, donating $760,740 to her campaigns from 1999, when she began her race for the Senate, through the third quarter of the 2016 election cycle, according to opensecrets.org. The firm has contributed $43,575 to Cruz’s presidential campaign committee.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article56537508.html#storylink=cpy

January 25, 2016

The company we choose to keep.

In 2008, during the Democratic primaries, Obama was attacked from multiple angles for his friendship with Pastor Jeremiah Wright.

One of the people to say that this relationship mattered, that is, it somehow reflected poorly on Obama was then candidate Hillary Clinton:

"You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

Choices someone makes - so the theory goes - tell you something about the person making them.

Now, if you agree with 2008 Hillary about this, then it might tell us something about 2016 Hillary, if you look at who she has chosen to associate with.

Let's start at the top of her campaign, her campaign chairman - John Podesta:

"John David Podesta (born January 8, 1949) is the Chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign.[2]

Podesta previously served as Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton and Counselor to President Barack Obama.[3] He is the former president and now Chair and Counselor of the Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C., and is also a Visiting Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center. He was a co-chairman of the Obama-Biden Transition Project."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Podesta

Very impressive resume, which kind of buries the lede.

"In 1988, he and his brother Tony co-founded Podesta Associates, Inc., a Washington, D.C., "government relations and public affairs" lobbying firm. Now known as the Podesta Group, the firm "has close ties to the Democratic Party and the Obama administration [and] has been retained by some of the biggest corporations in the country, including Wal-Mart, BP and Lockheed Martin.""

They also represent the country of Saudi Arabia.

Hillary moneyman highlights new Saudi connection

"The Saudi contract with the Podesta Group, owned by veteran Washington lobbyist and Clinton campaign bundler Tony Podesta, calls for the firm to provide “public relations” and other services on behalf of the royal court of King Salman.

It included an initial “project fee” payment of $200,000 last month and unspecified further sums over the course of the next year, according to documents recently filed with the Justice Department Foreign Agents Registration Act office.

The retention comes at a time when the Saudis are being condemned by United Nations officials over reports that their bombings against Houthi strongholds in Yemen’s civil war have resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of innocent civilians, including children."

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/hillary-moneyman-highlights-new-saudi-connection-194828485.html

The Podesta Group is one of the biggest Lobbying firms in DC. John Podesta's brother Tony, who is called a "super lobbyist". He is basically an influence peddler. Tony "has repeatedly been named one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists and fundraisers." And of course John, who still co-owns the firm, makes a lot of money off of it's ability to get clients what they want.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Podesta

Again, it's clients include weapons manufacturers, big pharma and Saudi Arabia.

How does a lobbying firm manage to get a co-owner in the White House over and over (and if Hillary is elected, over) again?

It may have something to do with the fact that the Democratic Party gets a lot... wait I mean a LOT... of money from the Podestas:

The reports disclose that Podesta had raised $140,175 for the Clinton campaign through Sept. 30. Two weeks ago, just days after filing its Saudi contract with the Justice Department, Podesta held a Clinton campaign fundraiser at his home that offered fine Italian food cooked by five gourmet chefs, including himself and his brother, the campaign chairman.

The Podesta Group point man on the Saudi account is David Adams, who previously served as assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs in 2011 and 2012, making him Clinton’s chief Capitol Hill lobbyist for her last two years as secretary of state, according to Justice Department filings reviewed by Yahoo News.

That's all very cosy.

Now, if you believe 2008 Hillary, we should be looking at these choices and drawing inferences about her character.

I wonder what 2016 Hillary would say.

January 22, 2016

UPDATE: Sanders now WINNING Drudge poll?!

SANDERS 32.57% (336,757 votes)
TRUMP 31.77% (328,533 votes)
CRUZ 19.95% (206,262 votes)
RUBIO 5.15% (53,237 votes)
PAUL 3.39% (35,012 votes)
CARSON 1.48% (15,350 votes)
KASICH 1.38% (14,292 votes)
FIORINA 1.07% (11,027 votes)
CHRISTIE 1.06% (10,935 votes)
BUSH 0.94% (9,687 votes)
CLINTON 0.93% (9,574 votes)
SANTORUM 0.21% (2,142 votes)
O'MALLEY 0.1% (1,299 votes)

Total Votes: 1,034,107

Neither of the two people predicted to be the nominee in 2015 get even 1% of the vote.

The number of people with less than 2% is also pretty telling.

January 22, 2016

Sanders in third in Drudge poll

TRUMP 40.04% (273,715 votes)
CRUZ 25.18% (172,169 votes)
SANDERS 15.23% (104,150 votes)
RUBIO 6.5% (44,435 votes)
PAUL 4.1% (28,016 votes)
CARSON 1.8% (12,330 votes)
KASICH 1.74% (11,869 votes)
CHRISTIE 1.35% (9,259 votes)
FIORINA 1.34% (9,162 votes)
BUSH 1.19% (8,108 votes)
CLINTON 1.14% (7,782 votes)
SANTORUM 0.25% (1,689 votes)
O'MALLEY 0.14% (993 votes)

Total Votes: 683,677

Only 8K people have voted for Bush

January 20, 2016

GOP Strategist: Trump supporters "masturbate to anime"

Ah you can't make this shit up.

While explaining that he believes that Donald Trump's success in the Republican party does not mean that establishment conservatism is dying, GOP strategist Rick Wilson dismissed the "childless single men" who support Trump's presidential bid.

"The fact of the matter is, most of them are childless single men who masturbate to anime. They’re not real political players. These are not people who matter in the overall course of humanity," Wilson said of Trump supporters on MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes."

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rick-wilson-donald-trump-single-men

January 20, 2016

Breaking News! NYTimes says!

Helping your husband discredit his mistresses as part of an cynical political strategy isn't playing well with women!

"But at an Upper East Side dinner party a few months back, Ms. Dunham expressed more conflicted feelings. She told the guests, at the Park Avenue apartment of Richard Plepler, the chief executive of HBO, that she was disturbed by how, in the 1990s, the Clintons and their allies discredited women who said they had had sexual encounters with or been sexually assaulted by former President Bill Clinton.

The conversation, relayed by several people with knowledge of the discussion who would speak about it only anonymously, captures the deeper debate unfolding among liberal-leaning women about how to reconcile Mrs. Clinton’s leadership on women’s issues with her past involvement in her husband’s efforts to fend off accusations of sexual misconduct."

http://nyti.ms/1NjQxs4

January 19, 2016

Bill Clinton undercuts Hillary's CFMA attack.

Asked if the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 was responsible for the financial crisis, Bill said:

"No, because it wasn't a complete deregulation at all. We still have heavy regulations and insurance on bank deposits, requirements on banks for capital and for disclosure. I thought at the time that it might lead to more stable investments and a reduced pressure on Wall Street to produce quarterly profits that were always bigger than the previous quarter.

"But I have really thought about this a lot. I don't see that signing that bill had anything to do with the 2008 crisis. Indeed, one of the things that has helped stabilize the current situation as much as it has is the purchase of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America, which was much smoother than it would have been if I hadn't signed that bill."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122282635048992995

Here's what he said when it was passed.



So which is it Hillary? Is Bill lying to protect his legacy or are you lying to become President? Or it is all just nonsense because of the circumstances?

Seems like those two should sit down and decide which story they're going to go with.

January 17, 2016

Rubio torpedoes his own campaign

Rubio: Law-abiding undocumented immigrants could stay
By ISAAC ARNSDORF
01/17/16 09:05 AM EST

Sen. Marco Rubio says people who immigrated to the U.S. illegally but haven't committed any major crimes could be allowed to stay.
In an interview airing Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," the Florida Republican contender for the presidency said felons shouldn't be allowed to stay, but those who commit lesser crimes could still qualify. He didn't specify if the people allowed to stay would ever be able to become citizens.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/marco-rubio-immigrants-217895#ixzz3xW1fbqsI

Trump must be highfiving himself in the mirror.