I want to float a theory about Bernie, Chris Mathews and Russiagate.
Chris Mathews' conflating democratic socialism with communism under a dictator demonstrates a rabid hatred of policies that help average Americans. It also demonstrates that he is an idiot, but that is beside the point. Let's assume for second that his radical pants pooping hysteria against a strong public safety net, healthcare and higher education is a fear shared by many of the 1% and their surrogates. Although most aren't as vocal about it as Chris Mathews, I am confident that his blind abhorrence for any program or politician who helps the 99% is common in the DNC and their billionaire donors.
Now let's go back to the 2016 primary. Remember, President Hillary was a sure thing in 2016 and she would certainly be the nominee again in 2020. So Bernie wouldn't have a chance to implement any of his policies for at least 8 years, if ever. But when Trump won that all changed. Even with Hillary and her surrogates lying and cheating their asses off, and utilizing all of her media and deep state connections, she still barely beat Bernie, and ultimately lost to Trump.
It was at that point, when she lost to Trump, that the establishment had to suspect that Bernie would be back. Because they had thrown everything they had at him in 2016 and he damn near won anyway, against all odds. Even though they botched 2016, they learned something important for 2020. They learned that there was a public appetite for Bernie's policies, and that he could possibly win without taking big donor money. They also learned that people weren't buying the policies that the DNC is selling. Which is a huge problem since their big donors won't allow them to sell anything else.
So immediately after their loss to Trump the neo-liberals assembled all of their brightest rocket surgeons to concoct a way to shut down Bernie before he would become a problem in 2020. So how do you smear a guy like Bernie? Regular smears like sex scandals or corruption allegations would not stick to a guy like Bernie. They would have to go after his polices. "Hey! Why not smear his policies as communist?" They reasoned. The problem with that approach in 2016 is that the word communism doesn't really evoke fear like it once did. In order to be successful they would need to incite anti-Russian hysteria. And so Russiagate was hatched. Once they thought about it they realized that they could blame all kinds of shit on the Russians, and at the same time avoid accountability for their own incompetence.
Russiagate :
* Demonizes Russia, lays groundwork for future smears of Bernie's policies as communist.
* Blames Russia for Hillary's loss so she doesn't have to admit that she is a failure.
* Removes need to re-examine neo-liberal policies, which makes billionaire donors happy.
* Fosters cold-war mentality which makes the MIC billionaire donors and deep state happy.
* Provides a scapegoat for election irregularities if DNC is investigated by Trump DOJ.
This is speculation, of course. But Russiagate was pulled out of someone's ass. And I am just trying to cobble together a reasonable theory about whose ass and why. After watching Chris Mathews blubber and pee his pants because he's afraid if Bernie becomes president that Fidel Castro's ghost will take a shit in his mouth while he's sleeping, it makes sense to me that Russiagate may have been inspired by a deep-seated fear of Bernie's policies, and an attempt to smear them before they take root for 2020.
Comments
It seems to me
Russiagate was invented as soon as Herr Drumpf was elected as an effort to oust him for colluding with Russia and cheating her heinous out of the election. When that didn't work, the deep state went back to work and concocted the impeachment move. That failed, too. They are 0-2. Will they try again? Maybe - if they want to ensure he gets a second term and deny Bernie.
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
Definitely possible. And most commonly accepted.
WOW!
I thought I was the only person who came up with that!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
It makes good since,
. Good observation.
"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X
That's an apt description
of what Matthews is doing: "radical pants pooping hysteria". As opposed, say, to moderate pants pooping hysteria.
"When my wife makes Harvard beets they taste like they went to Brooklyn College. "-Henny Youngman
Enough is enough.
In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of
the delegate selectionChis Matthews' "Scare the Bejeezus Out of His Core Boomer Audience' plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling onthe Iowa Democratic PartyMSNBC to immediately begin a recanvass of Chris Matthews' brain.The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?
Hey now, you're not giving MSNBC enough credit.
I'm sure they're well aware of the contents of Chris Matthews' brain. They're paying him big bucks to use it as a part of their propaganda machine.
MSNBC is owned by Comcast. Bernie has said that as POTUS, he will break up the big telecom-media monopolies. He specifically named Comcast.
Comcast boss tells MSNBC boss who tells drama queen Chris Matthews to dial it up, way over the top, against Bernie.
"Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep ... Don't go back to sleep."
~Rumi
"If you want revolution, be it."
~Caitlin Johnstone
"I talk into a microphone for Comcast."
"What do you do?"
h/t Ron Placone
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Russia == Communism ==
Russia == Communism == Socialism only works for old folks. Communist Russia has been gone for a generation. In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union the propaganda machine shifted to Moslem Terrorists. A whole generation has grown up not remotely fussed about socialism. Young voters prefer "socialism" to "capitalism".
So for this to work at all it has to be directed at the 65+ voters. So far they've been supporting Biden, but that may not last much longer. They won't sit out the election. They'll maybe be undecided for a while, but will come home to New Dealer Bernie.
"The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function." -- Albert Bartlett
"A species that is hurtling toward extinction has no business promoting slow incremental change." -- Caitlin Johnstone
I wonder, WD
Judging from my conversations with my 91 year-old mom, she and her friends have transitioned from Biden to Bloomberg, and she refuses to consider Sanders. When I ask her why she is so averse to Sanders she says, "I just don't like him, period, and I can't explain why"! So I just shut up, knowing it would be a waste of breath.
Sadly
The same here and it is very unsettling. If I remember correctly your mother lives in Florida as does my 97 year old mother. I was visiting my mother a week ago and saw how Bloomberg is carpet bombing Florida with tv ads.
My mother is well read and sharp mentally but she gets her news mostly from the Wall Street Journal and television. She never liked Biden, but is now leaning toward Bloomberg because she believes he can beat Trump despite my telling her that Bernie consistently polls as the candidate most likely to beat Trump. My mother believes that Bernie will bankrupt this country with his policies so she refuses to consider him. Propaganda is very powerful especially with older people who do not read or access independent media.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
She'd like to have a man buy the Presidency?
I'd like it better if she supported Buttigieg.
How the hell do you support Bloomberg and still support democracy?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Cognitive Dissonance
aka holding two mutually exclusive beliefs at the same time, aka doublethink.
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Yeah, I know. :-(
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Yeah, but since 60 is the median age of the CNN viewers
and 65 the median age of both Fox and MSNBC viewers, it's kinda OK if it only appeals to the old.
Actually, has the establishment successfully convinced any generation of young people since they convinced half of my generation to become part of the Reagan revolution?
I guess you could talk about Obama...but he managed to convince the millennials (and the rest of us who supported him) by successfully pretending to be something he wasn't--not by changing their beliefs. The only belief the Obama campaign manipulated was the belief that he gave a shit about any of our hopes for change.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
One of my major disappointments with Bernie was when
he signed up for Russia, Russia, Russia. I can't decide if he is dumb or just lacks the balls to do this job.
chuck utzman
TULSI 2020
I am very disappointed about that also. Hypothetically, if
he saw the anti-capitalist smears coming (he's been doing this a long time) maybe he didn't want to do anything to play into that trap.
That's the reason
I have refused to support him monetarily this time.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Me, too.
He had agreed to support Hillary, and he honored his commitment. That was initially my reason for non-support. I might have been convinced to throw money at his campaign, until he started on the Russia Cold War bs.
Russian interference was never proven, and I lived through the Cold War doing nuclear bomb drills. Not only is it endangering the globe, it is a horrible fear to instill in little kids who have to cope with the fear of their family being vaporized.
We have enough global fear over climate change. Do we really need to foist another existential threat on everyone?
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
Maybe?
you could just give 2/3 or 3/4 of a donation, to cover the other things you support Sanders for ; ).
Sorry
but no.
The russia bullshit was propagated by a loser he worked so hard to support.
He knows this but most americans don't. He's in a conundrum. How many tinfoils will he lose if he calls it out? How many clear thinkers will he wins if he does?
Unless he stands up to those that wish him bad, he will never prevail.
I like Bernie.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
I know you like him
I think if the answers to those questions were more clear Sanders might be more forthright. I support being sincere regardless of outcomes in most cases, because I think ultimately it is the basis for genuine understanding. But for Sanders it is critical to 'pick his fights', an approach that seems to apply even more to politics (unfortunately) than relationships.
That's the issue.
He needs to stop picking and fight all the time.
He's in the bully pulpit and he needs to show it.
He has it in him.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
I understand where you're coming from.
But, as long as bullying is the strategy I lose a sense of comfortable.
I won't give him a pass because Russia Gate is
bogus. There is no reason anyone should be parroting the new Cold War propaganda. This only leads to one thing. We have already put mini nukes on submarines. Russia responded by launching a new plane that can carry nukes. This has no happy ending.
I hear you snoopy
I agree that Russia Gate is bogus, and the consequences of the farce hold the risk of an unhappy ending. But I don’t think that what Sanders says will have much influence on those who have been ‘educated’. On the other hand, it could put those off who have some appreciation of what Sanders has to offer.
Agree. The consequences of the “Russia Russia Russia” propaganda
— needlessly reigniting the Cold War and the nuclear arms race — are so dire, that knowing it is false yet promoting it anyway is morally derelict.
The German people are collectively pilloried to this day for having gone along with Hitler in exchange for improvements to a desperate domestic economic situation. The elite thought they could always rein things in later if certain beliefs he promoted got out of hand. We all know how that worked out.
Great point about Germany and it's being tied to Hitler
forever. Russia Gate is not just about the new Cold War, but every thing that has come from it. I seriously doubt people would be okay with Assange's persecution if he hadn't been smeared with getting Hillary's emails from Russia. This was the reason he had been smeared for so long including the false allegations of rape. Sweden absolutely made up those accusations against him and for the same reasons.
The censorship of alternative media and so many other issues that have come from blaming Russia for her loss. This is why I'm not giving Bernie a pass for going along with it. He knows that she lost because she was a horrible candidate and because of who she is. He knew that the primary had been rigged and he can see how hard democrats are working again to keep him from winning. The new crap out about Nevada proves it. I'm hoping he will speak out about it. Not for him, but for humanity. Another 4 years of Trump or some centrist president will have dire consequences.
Yes, it starts with “fact-checking” and banning of “hate speech”
and of “Russian attempts to divide us” —
It ends with the same gatekeepers who control mass media being able to block any voice they don’t like from using web broadcasting, publishing, and payment services.
That’s one of many ways the elitist enemies of real freedom and democracy aim to exploit “Russia Russia Russia” hysteria.
It has already happened to Tulsi Gabbard
to a certain extent as the most recent example.
She has been ghosted by the MSM with the exception of Tucker Carlson of Fox. She was not invited to the New Hampshire debate despite being ahead of several candidates who were, including Deval Patrick.
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
And that was 88 years ago, that he came to power,
You might as well pillory the French for Napoleon.
Isn't there a statute of limitations for this shit? If not, there ought to be.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
Seriously?
People should move on and forget the past even if we are seeing repeating now? I strongly disagree. What we have been exposed to for the gawddamn long years has been effective When even people like Ralph Nadar has jumped on the Russia Gate bandwagon and thinks that Trump is an aberration then it shows how effective it has been. I am totally disgusted that Ralph can't see through what this is.
Give me an effing break Ralph!
Ralph Nader is getting long in the tooth,
and ain't what he used to be.
Inner and Outer Space: the Final Frontiers.
This fits in your point
This is a comment in response to an article on how W. Virginia is making pipeline protests illegal. Yeah nothing like going against, "Congress shall make no law...."
By Big B
This is one reason congress is fast tracking right wing judges to the courts. Once people would have been in the streets over the patriot and military commissions act as well as the 2012 because they stripped our rights from us. When people found out Bush was spying on us without warrants too many people just said it's okay cuz they had nothing to hide and it's the governments job to keep us safe. Not really. It's their job to UPHOLD the constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. Those justices being appointed have one thing in mind and it is not to make our lives better. Count on it.
Russia Gate has just gotten us further down that road to the slippery slope and because of who started it (Hillary, Obama and democrats) people have jumped willingly on board the train to all out fascism.
♫ If the right one don’t getcha, then the left one will …
. . . where, dunno about “Right” but “Left” definitely needs to be in quotation marks there . . .
Note: “bully” in the expression “bully pulpit” is an adjective,
not the noun or verb involving the idea of the strong picking on the weak.
</the_kind_of_pedantry_often_associated_with_Asperger's_syndrome>
Perhaps
you don't understand my thought. That's cool.
But being a bully has nothing to do with what Bernie needs to do.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
He's not dumb
Sadly, that leaves the alternative.
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
I think
rather than understanding he may actually understand something you don't understand, you are doing what far too many are doing. You know more about this than the guy that is in the midst of the conflict.
Having been in his position, albeit, in a smaller venue I used the same playbook to very good affect. There were a few times that I was aware it all could blow up in my face, but, what do I know … right ‽
RIP
Hillary...
was pushing the anti Russia narrative all through the Fall of 2016, in one debate explicitly calling Trump 'Putin's puppet'.
The narrative was initially weaponized against Trump. Only later did they try it on Bernie.
The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?
Definitely part of the plan
I’m pretty sure the leaked emails Wikileaks got have an outline of the RUSSIA plan. Restarting the Cold War was always the goal (or rather oil and pipelines were the actual goal.)
Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.
Ok. Interesting. So the timing wouldn't work then.
Right...
but the thing to remember here is that Russiagate is a multi-headed beast that can be used to further a lot of different agendas. So it's not JUST about Trump or Bernie or McConnell or any other single person.
It's about weaponizing Russiagate against ALL Deep State opponents.
Bernie's just one of many projects.
The current working assumption appears to be that our Shroedinger's Cat system is still alive. But what if we all suspect it's not, and the real problem is we just can't bring ourselves to open the box?
I read that Obama's crew cooked up Russia Russia
in the chance Trump lost but wouldn't accept the results. If he made a stink about losing then Obama would've accused him of working with Russia. This was at the start of this 3 year long crap show so I don't know if I can find the article on it.
Joe posted a link in the EBs that talks about how both parties are in on on the scam because the new Cold War is great business for defense companies and their profits will make their way into congress hands. And is what the space force is about too. Containing Russia and China and making lots of money that will of course have to come from social programs. Yippee.
Lots of luck containing China
They have a stranglehold on our economy. The only thing we produce is weapons and about half of our vehicles. In fact, CHINA produces ROM's for our weapons!
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Yep. We outsourced all of our electronics production. No
national security issues there. {snark}
So Huawei phones are a "National Security problem"
While Chinese electronics in our weapons systems are not a national security problem. That's really down the rabbit hole!
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
Case in point
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/u-charges-four-chinese-military-151822466...
I'm shocked SHOCKED! Only Russia does this, right? /snark
I've seen lots of changes. What doesn't change is people. Same old hairless apes.
A double edged sword
Finally a conspiracy I could actually believe. It's convenient in that it works to take out the incredibly stupid (Trump) as well as the very adroit (Sanders). All that is needed is an even stupider (than Trump) electorate to dominate the electoral process.
So all we need to do is nullify the intelligent constituents and we can all rest easy as we continue to bilk the 99% while enriching our real constituents. So, don't let the secret out or those bastards (intelligent constituents, that is) will queer the deal. Mum's the word.
Serious Denouement: If anyone here thinks anyone other Bernie is up to the task of countering this plan, I think you should rethink your assessment of the situation.
RIP
I'm not sure
if he's up to the task.
I see eight years of trump unless bernie starts fighting harder than he is now.
I still wish he had started a new party after 2016.
Now, I fear, it's too late to start anything meaningful.
Mom is calling and she's not happy.
Peace
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
You are right to be skeptical.
Skepticism is my default position. But, as I have said many times, I have been very effective (using a similar approach, except I am not as nice) and I have no reason to doubt Bernie's abilities. But as in all things of this sort, only time will tell.
RIP
A couple of things about Russiagate --
Am going to quit now, as the wind is blowing so hard outside it might take out the power to my house and modem.
Lurking in the wings is Hillary, like some terrifying bat hanging by her feet in a cavern below the DNC. A bat with theropod instincts. -- Fred Reed https://tinyurl.com/vgvuhcl
That is absolutely what it's about
All day long.
"Obama promised transparency, but Assange is the one who brought it."
I think
you are probably over-thinking this...
Sure, the establishment hates Bernie. And the Steele dossier does seem to have originated with the Hillary campaign. But foreign and US intelligence services appear to have propagated it and engaged in attempts to entrap people in the Trump campaign - Papadapoulos, Carter Page and Gen. Flynn - lying to the FISA court and using the resultant warrants to allow surveillance of thousand of people.
Using powers that were only supposed to be used in cases of terrorist or national security threats against political enemies.
Thing is, there are strong indications that there was a *lot* of that going on under the Obama administration and when Trump unexpectedly won... there were a lot of high-level people looking at the prospect of their blatantly illegal actions being exposed. And they responded by doubling down in attempting to get rid of or neutralize Trump.
One of the nefarious players being none other than Rod Rosenstein (likely the real force directing the (misnamed) "Mueller Investigation").
Former rising MSM star Sharyl Atkisson is suing Rosenstein and other former FBI agents and contractors for illegally spying on her from 2011 - she was excommunicated from mainstream media and gained Obama administration enemy status when she refused to back down from investigative reporting on Fast and Furious and Benghazi.
More here.
Does the establishment want Sanders? Of course not. But the Russia and then Ukraine hysteria is primarily about Deep State CYA - trying to evade responsibility for their illegal conduct.
Politico's coverage.
Nailed it
well done.