Kirk Gallaway

Kennedy was disgusted to see that the political appointees who supervised him were hailing Trump as “a marketing genius,” because, Kennedy said they’d told him, “he personally came up with the strategy of blaming the states.” The response was in line with what Kennedy calls the White House mantra: that government doesn’t work, and “that the worst thing we could do was step on the toes of the private sector.” The White House mantra: "that government doesn’t work, and “that the worst thing we could do was step on the toes of the private sector.” Of course if the government under Trump doesn't work, and doesn't mandate private manufacturing of PPE and other resources. It's doomed to failure. Watch the government fail by itself, because the government "can't do anything efficiently". This is the mantra of the deep state, you've been looking for. It's a private,corporate "deep state" that has now largely seized the government under Trump. Of course Trump will foist the blame on the states, to save his neck. If there weren't other instances in the past of the federal government stepping up to the plate in emergency responses, or initiating programs that are popular such as Social Security and Medicare. He could well get away with it. But the states have never had the resources to handle such a pandemic. Once the Federal government abdicated it's responsibility, putting it all on the states is also doomed to failure. But that's all the more fodder for the corporate elites. Not only was the federal government unable to do anything, so were the state governments. Trump can personally shift the blame on to the State governments and not only his base but the corporate elites will both love it. The goal is that future fighting of pandemics will be much more largely privatized, and even more of a scam.

I do take Chris's point, that a Kennedy found every lame excuse, to serve in a Trump administration, and couldn't see what he was getting into is incredibly naive. ****** But it's a good article. This is the crux of it all. Take ineffective efforts to show the government failing at combating the corona virus, so as to propagate the idea that the government can't do anything effective anyway, so why even have a government? Let's get back to Koch Libertarian ideal of as little government and regulation as possible, with government baring no responsibility for any kind of safety net, much less a health care system, much less health care for all. And put up for a starting position, whether government even has the right to tax it's citizens at all. That was also the plan for running the USPS out of existence. To cut their services prior to an election during a pandemic and blame it on the government. And of course the ploy that was swallowed by a number of people here, and is propagated by the Trump cult, that the "Deep State " government's only moment of any kind of efficiency is when they are evil and trying to take away the citizen's rights, and trying to run an anti government, non politician, "leader of the people", President from office.

Steve is not a "bot" It's obviously not True. It's just another cunning way for Wheeler to insult another person here. You've certainly been a victim of this from Wheeler, many times, right?

Try using a dictionary Joe. bot1 /bät/ Filter definitions by topic See definitions in: allcomputingbiology noun noun: bot; plural noun: bots (chiefly in science fiction) a robot. Computing an autonomous program on a network (especially the Internet) that can interact with computer systems or users, especially one designed to respond or behave like a player in an adventure game. Origin

I know what's going on Dave, you try to edit your post and it comes out as another post, but in quotes, leading others to think they already read it. Damn!

Sandy, a central tenet of the Trump right wing wacko conspiracy movement is the idea of an elitist Eugenics movement lead by Gates and Soros and others, and yet the people who swallow this cant even see that it's Trump whose going to take away the ACA, with still no plan to replace, leaving the people most in jeopardy like yourself to be uncertain of their future healthcare, and that's not population control? And consider Trump's deliberate feet dragging on the virus, disproportionately killing off the lower economic strata of Americans. And that's not another example of population control? Some of these hard core Trump supporters just can't make the connection, that this will eventually happen to them.

Yes Steve does interact, and is very good contributor. Isn't that so Trumpian that Wheeler who has no interest in the JFKA, and no meaningful interaction with anyone else, actually asks why Steve's there?

Definitely a war cry for the Dems. The hypocrisy of statements of Graham and Republicans after blocking Obama's pick for 11 months will by in large work against the Republican Senate elections. The idea of Mitch Mc Connell trying to push this through would make the him the lamest lame duck Senate leader ever if the Dems take the Senate. It would mean a majority of justices were appointed by Presidents who didn't win the popular vote. Joe, you can pretty much assume that large group of people wearing masks are the Trump resistance. Virginia isn't right wing anymore and has trended blue for the last 15 years. After the way he buckled from his campaign denunciations of Trump. Is it any wonder that Graham is zero integrity?

Joe, I don't think Mitt,because of his pro life stand. It would have to be a purple Republican and there are not many of those. If Trump lost big however, there could be a few of Republicans, maybe ones that are leaving who may be concerned about how they will look in history. I wouldn't hold my breathe, but a possibility.

No Steve, that's true.They believed hook, line and sinker some of those r absurd premises, they were fed. But also, some of them did question the ridiculous comments that Trump was supposed to be saying, but that was totally ok with them, because Trump just "says what he feels." So having a President whose just a bser' is already a given and perfectly OK with them. But also, they didn't flinch at all at the racist comments and threw a couple out themselves. It started out funny to me, but as it went on. It became increasingly sad.

As usual with sloppy research, Lincoln was 17 years old in 1826. I assume it was 1862. This is said to be partly true in Snopes. What's True Lincoln approved the execution of 39 Dakota men convicted by a military commission of perpetrating massacres during the Dakota War of 1862. What's False The military commission had sentenced 303 Dakota fighters to death, but Lincoln commuted 264 of those sentences despite threats of mob violence and intense pressure to reverse his decision. Wheeler would squeal about Snopes as Trump would. It's always a futile dialog. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lincoln-dakota/

No they can't block it. The only positive thing that can be said right now is that Susan Collins and Lisa Murchowski have said they won't vote for another nominee during the current Trump term. So it's still party line Repubs 51-49.

This is a Trump focus group giving their reactions to mock Trump campaign ads. Yes---- it's worse than you probably ever imagined. For once, Triumph the insult comic dog is actually upstaged by the respondents.

Jeff said:I guess the New Deal is truly dead. I suppose next you see the teacher's unions join BLM to demand an end to social security and the privatization of all public infrastructure. That should create unstoppable momentum across the base and bring in all the young people. Heh heh, That's pretty funny, Jeff! I agree with a lot of what you've said. Though I don't think the reformist Dem base would have done anything different if there had not been a, as you put it, "Russiagate hoax" or not. What could they really do? In the first 2 years, the Republicans controlled everything, gave themselves tax cuts, increased military pending. All they could do was to hunker down for 2018. I think, assuming a relatively smooth transition, my take would be. Whether there's Trump or Biden there's not going to be a continuing "v" shaped recovery. I don't know what the "New Deal" looks like after covid. There's going to be a lot of money spent just to combat the economic displacement that's already happened in the U.S, and Latin America. It looks like Asia is almost fully recovered. I'm not well versed enough to talk the about recovery in Europe. But they are starting from a lower base than the U.S. If it was my guess, if Biden won and the Republicans held the house. I don't think there would be enough relief to keep people from rioting, which the Republicans would blame on Biden, and could adversely affect Biden. But Biden could end up just being a transitional, somewhat sacrificial figure which he's suited for anyway. If nothing changed and Trump got elected and Repubs held the Senate. Trump will just continue talking like America's recovering then completely recovered, while talking up the projected fact that there will be vaccines to combat the pandemic and come down on the social unrest of people who don't have enough means or food to eat, under a banner of law and order, and initialize a police state. The smoothest transition could be a Democratic sweep. Though at best, they can have only a small margin in the Senate and not the 60 needed to get all their agenda. I don't agree with you Jeff, deficit spending is the order of the day, whether it's a Democrats spending stimulus to take care of people who've lost their jobs, local governments and small business or Republicans to save large and small businesses, and we know Trump has no problem at all overspending. It's possible Biden could be the figure that the corporate state, Wall Street (and Fox news) fears that will give in to the 'AOC, Sanders" wing of the party, but will be too old for their more militant factions to have the thought to assassinate. Still it seems for the goals of health care for everyone and re fortifying social security, much less any idea of free education is going to have to take a back seat to just to stave off the displacement and keep the peace. But Biden could initiate a big infrastructure program as FDR did, because it's sorely needed, and gives jobs to people (Democrats) and increases commerce, (Republicans) The deficit spending will not be good for the future generations. There really has to be some draconian taxation such as Sanders proposed tax on figures such as Bezos, Zuckerberg, Gates and the massive windfalls that the stay at home companies have made at the expense of the brick and mortar companies and the little guy and small businesses. That sort of taxation wouldn't effect the ability to have an economic rebound. He's going to raise the corporate tax rates as everyone expects, and abolish the Trump tax cuts to the wealthy, and then probably increase their rates. You'd almost have to bring in some of Elizabeth Warrens wealth tax. The goal for the Democrats would be a perceived repeat Democrat mop up from a previous Republican administration, where the very basic needs of the marginalized are taken care of, and with a long drawn out gradual economic recovery where at least for a while people aren't gaming the system and making money hand over fist.

I don't think the party endorsements had much to do with anything outside of a few small states. Biden ended up winning 2600 delegates to Sanders 1000, and doubled Bernie's popular vote total! I do think Klobuchar and Buttigieg dropping out definitely gave Minnesota and Indiana to Biden. But they're small potatoes. California didn't flinch for Sanders. Biden carried the South. Massachusetts goes for Biden over Warren? I think the Northeast just decided to go back to their provincial ways. It was sudden, I didn't like it, but it continued. I think the Democratic electorate just chickened out, and bought the idea of being more sure and going for the moderate who had no "socialist" baggage and defected from Sanders.

Jeff said:The opportunity for a New Deal / progressive platform to reassert itself in light of the dominant corporatist DNC wing thoroughly discrediting itself. So the dominant corporatist DNC wing discrediting itself by doing what? How could that be a more likely "opportunity" as result of a Trump Presidency? To hear you tell it, the corporate wing of the DNC did do that pursuing "Russia gate", and got discredited, but that didn't happen. A lot of myths there Jeff. About the New Deal Progressive Platform, The only thing that will make that happen would be a grass roots movement of the Democratic base. Actually a transformation of the Democratic Party is much more feasible than the Republicans. Trump hasn't transformed the party at all. The Republicans are completely split, and ready to bail should Trump lose. The Republican base has always been corporate. The Trump ''disenfranchised' voter is hardly represented in numbers in Congress at all. Another conspiracy myth, is the power of the DNC. Yes Wasserman Schultz got in the way of Bernie. But HC had a majority of the delegates. The heads of the party apparatus often change after every major election, particularly if they lose. I think there have been a few here perpetuating a myth. The party apparatus is not another "Deep State" Jeff. If a candidate like Bernie got the most delegates by a clear majority. The party would be helpless to oppose it, just like the RNC was with Trump.

Jeff said: Trump’s election opened the biggest hole in the beltway consensus in decades, and yet the opportunity it created was effectively squandered by focussing all energies on a phony conspiracy theory.Not sure such opportunity will appear again. ??? what opportunities are you talking about? Be specific.

I've read it now Jeff. What an unfocused bit of writing! But he covers the most sensational stuff, which I'm sure is lure for you. Q anon, Epstein. Even WMD from almost 20 years ago. Of course, about that, You're preaching to the choir Jeff. Despite your desire to keep coming back to "Russiagate" it hasn't made any difference in polling at all, and the impeachment has only effected polling marginally. The covid response is the overriding issue, and the Republicans are trying to elevate law and order. This could have been written 9 months ago. The author seems completely dumbstruck about the pandemic and barely wants to touch it. I think I've see only one reference in the whole piece, Jeff, you would realize that, if your thinking wasn't so Russo centric. Your quotes. It appears to have been intended to weaken or to knock Trump out of office. If so, it backfired completely, presenting a fictional distraction from the far-worse realities of the regime’s violent policies and incipient fascism... What are you talking about Jeff?, we haven't been distracted at all. We've been schooling you for the last 3 years, when you've been the "what me worry" guy about Trump fascism and you've been overwhelmed at the incredible scope of a "deep state" investigation that ignored to dare step into an investigation of Trump's finances which is his most critical link to foreign powers. We warned you of fascism , while you were frightened that the all knowing "American Deep State" would jump over the national boundary and somehow inflame your homeland. In reality, the U.S. government that makes you shake in your boots, can't even shoot straight. Mueller refused to launch an investigation into Trump's finances though he had the power to do so. He didn't bother to push to interview the President, maybe because he was just too much a gentleman and decided not to, after Trump's lawyer, Dowd said Trump would inevitably incriminate himself. Do you know that, Jeff? And of course Comey, bringing up HC's unexamined e-mails a week before the election, obviously damaging her prospects. Does that sound like the hard core anti Trump team was soooo effective Jeff? They clumsily probably ended up giving Trump the election. This is the first mention I've ever seen from you about Trump's fascist tendencies. Now you're going to act like you've been concerned about them all the time? Well better late than never. it has functioned to condition most Democratic-type liberals (and some of the left) to uncritically accept a xenophobic explanation for the rise of an all-American fascism, I was so puzzled by this, and still am. I don't get it Jeff. Are you and the author saying that Trump doesn't appeal to xenophobic fears?? So he calls it "All American fascism", but it's fascism that's not xenophobic? Since you thought it worth quoting, please explain it to me. He doesn't seem very aware of his terms. The article is going back 20 years to the claims of WMD. Can you find anybody here who believed in those claims? Of course we cant know now. But do you think many people here believed them back then, other than say ardent Bush backer, Wheeler? This piece is just a lot of rambling. He doesn't tie things together well. But I thought this was an interesting turn at the end. I'd like to hear your thoughts Jeff. Conspiracy panic nowadays is a go-to for liberals to deny and distract and divert to incremental bullxxxx, and not have to think about systemic irrationality, falsehood, evils and failures, and how most of the unfolding disasters — including Trump himself — are not aberrations or surprises but predictable and systemic.

So Trump tries to book a weekly appearance for the entire show on Fox and Friends and is shut down by Steve Ducey. I got a hand it to Ducey, I thought he'd cave. He was challenged yet a second time by his co host, this Trump child worshipper Brian Kilmead. Woman in the center does perfectly---smiles. I try to get straight clips with no commentary, But I couldn't find one, The first one I like Benjamin Dixon's on air voice and delivery. This second one with James Corden actually contains the full sequence at 5:55.

Teapot Dome, really?. He liked to play cards with his cronies a lot. I would have thought Trump was much more corrupt but maybe he's just more dangerous. You know Harding died in office in 1923 in San Francisco. I had heard a long time ago it was of food poisoning. Now I read he was traveling with pneumonia and died of a brain hemorrhage. It's been thought that the events surrounding his death were a little strange. His wife didn't allow an autopsy. There were no Presidents dying in office until William Henry Harrison, after that a U.S. president died roughly every 20 years in odd years, and never in between. Harrison-----1841, Lincoln------1863 Garfield-----1881 McKinley----1901 Harding-----1923 Roosevelt----1945 Kennedy----1963 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/83939/story-behind-warren-g-hardings-mysterious-death

Noel Cassler, interesting read Dave! As far as all this talk of Woodward and Cohen releasing their books at the same time. That's no surprise. After all, it is election season, but I really think the effect on the election is near zero. I don't think the undecided voters would read either book, but would be more likely to read Woodward. As far as the press coverage, of course they are going to line up with their darling Woodward, rather than a convicted felon. I personally would prefer to read Cohen's book, just to get more stories about Trump from someone who tied his unseemly career to him for many years. But almost nothing he has said before or lately about Trump would surprise me, but there are questions I'd love to ask Cohen. I find Mary Trump just as fascinating about the Trump family, and very insightful, especially in this interview. William, I think you might like it too. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/podcast/dispatch/the-transparency-project-mary-trump/

Equal time:To not recognize both of them are old and make gaffes is a sign of senility itself. and of course for a President to be able to explain himself in detail is paramount.