W. Niederhut

Hmmmm.... It looks like Ben ducked yet another "Deep State" history question this weekend. I guess it's easier to remain in broadcast/spam mode than to engage in a rational debate about spam.

Gas is selling for $3.03 per gallon in Longmont, Colorado this weekend. Let's Go, Brandon!!! 🤥

Other than LBJ's close, neighborly relationship with J. Edgar Hoover, can anyone think of an instance where FBI chicanery didn't involve assisting a Republican POTUS? (Emphasis on the word chicanery.)

I, too, am a fine upstanding, caring assassination aficionado who just donated $5 to this noble cause. 🤥

Kudos to Profiles in Courage Award winning Republican State Senate Chairman Rusty Bowers for telling the truth about Trump's 2020 False Elector scam in Arizona. Unfortunately, his political party can't handle the truth. Arizona Republican who defied Trump and lost primary: ‘I’d do it again in a heartbeat’ Rusty Bowers, who refused to help overturn Trump election loss, says he has no regrets despite losing bid for state senate seat www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/04/arizona-republican-rusty-bowers-trump-primary

Yes, if Ben ever starts his own conservative talk radio show his theme song should be Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jew Boys singing, "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed." 🤥

Chris, We're not arguing about whether Trump is a bad guy. That's a given. We're arguing about why 25-30% of the U.S. population still hasn't figured that out. For example, in yesterday's Republican primaries, the candidates who are still endorsing Trump's Big Lie about the 2020 election, and denying his January 6 coup attempt, are getting the GOP votes. Conversely, those who have had the integrity and courage to tell the truth about Trump's historic chicanery, like Rusty Bowers of Arizona, are losing elections and getting death threats from the Trump cult.

Interesting that Trump is repeating his lie tonight about ordering troop deployments to the Capitol on January 6th-- right after the big story broke this afternoon about the deleted J6 Pentagon texts. Donald Trump Repeats False Claim He Ordered ’10-20,000 Troops’ on Jan. 6, Despite His Own Defense Secretary Debunking (msn.com) August 2, 2022

Breaking news... Trump's flying monkeys at the Pentagon (Chris Miller and Patel) also illegally deleted their January 6th text messages... Jan. 6 text messages wiped from phones of key Trump Pentagon officials Jan. 6 text messages wiped from phones of key Trump Pentagon officials - CNNPolitics August 2, 2022

I'd be willing to chip in, with other members here, to cover the monthly costs. I'd hate to see the archives here disappear. In addition to the daily discussions, I have often searched these archives to better understand a number of topics.

Steve, Speaking of Marjorie Taylor Greene, she appeared on a balcony with Trump and Tucker Carlson at the failed Saudi-funded LIV golf tournament yesterday, while the tiny crowd chanted, "Let's Go Brandon!" This is the pathetic essence of Trump-ism in 2022. Trump, Tucker Carlson Marjorie Taylor-Greene Viral Photo (mediaite.com) August 1, 2022

Ben wrote, "The fact that 'Phant coverage of Biden is abysmal and a mirror of Donk coverage of Trump..." ??? Wrong. Total false equivalence. The pernicious anti-Biden propaganda on Fox, Newsmax, OAN, et.al., does not "mirror the Donk coverage of Trump." Unlike the right wing propaganda, M$M coverage of Trump's crimes and swindles has mostly been reality-based. Big difference. In reality, there has been a major shift in the nature and quality of right wing media coverage of Democratic politicians during the past quarter century, following Reagan's abrogation of the Fairness Act and the rise of Fox News and right wing hate radio in the U.S. in the 1990s-- Rush Limbaugh, et.al. In Obama's case, the incessant Fox invective was about Obama being "divisive," black, Kenyan, an alleged Muslim, a Marxist, etc. Fox News even edited Obama's Ferguson Speech to omit Obama's explicit condemnation of the violence and looting in Ferguson, Missouri! It was part of a deliberate, multi-year Fox News propaganda campaign to smear Obama and sabotage his progressive Democratic agenda. Trump's political career as the Birther-in-Chief was a direct consequence of the anti-Obama propaganda in the right wing media. After 2012, the Fox smear campaign shifted primarily to Hillary Clinton, the presumptive 2016 Democratic nominee. Fox News was the main promoter of the anti-Hillary Benghazi non-scandal-- in sync with the RNC and GOP Congress. They also ran with Roger Stone's "Clinton Cash" propaganda campaign and, of course, with Email-gate and Giuliani's Weiner Laptop October Surprise. The Fox smear campaign against Democrats shifted to Biden in 2020. The Fox propaganda narrative (including the use of deceptively edited videos) has been that Biden is demented-- in contrast to his impressive debate performances against Trump, his acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention, his Inaugural Address, etc. Fox has also pushed Giuliani's Hunter Biden Laptop October Surprise scam for the past 22 months. The truth is that there is no meaningful equivalence between the concerted smearing of Democratic politicians by the right wing media during the past quarter century and the accurate, often belated, media coverage of Trump's well-documented lies and apparent crimes. Reporting on the Bush/Cheney administration's peccadilloes was also belated, and reality-based. Most of us are old enough to remember when U.S. political news coverage in the U.S. was fundamentally different-- reasonably fair-and-balanced across the political spectrum. Reagan never should have abrogated the Fairness Act. And Rupert Murdoch never should have been permitted to establish his toxic propaganda empire in the United States.

I wonder if people on this forum are aware of the relentless 24/7 anti-Biden propaganda in the right wing media during the past two years. I mainly hear about it from media watchers. It is at least as pervasive, and destructive, as the anti-Hillary propaganda in the right wing media in the years prior to the fateful 2016 Presidential election. Joe Bauer posted an informative review of Donald Trump's own daily slurs against any perceived adversaries and critics during the past six years, but even those pale in comparison to the steady stream of anti-Biden invective in the modern MAGA-verse-- everything from the "Let's Go Brandon" trope to deep fake videos and incessant slurs about Biden's alleged senility, bicycle accidents, COVID infections, etc. People in the MAGA-verse are actively cheering for Biden to stumble. California Governor Gavin Newsome has correctly pointed out recently that Democrats need to start punching back against the daily RNC/Karl Rove/Rush Limbaugh/Fox News/Trump denigration of progressiv-ism in America. As an example, the Today Show recently released an amusing video in which they accurately re-directed absurd Fox News anti-Biden tropes to Donald Trump. I hope this doesn't offend any expatriate closet Trumplicons on the forum. 🤥

Yes, Kirk, it has been a very slow process, but Ben finally seems to be getting in touch with reality about Trump's January 6th coup plot, and Trump's coup accomplices in the "Deep State." Lately, Ben seems to be preoccupied with doing "research," or at least posting about, the characteristics and motives of the J6 Capitol invaders. The Congressional J6 committee actually did a good job exploring and highlighting the characteristics of the J6 mob in the hearing where they interrogated the young cabinet maker from Ohio who entered the Capitol with the mob on J6, and the former Oath Keeper from Colorado with the facial tattoo. The ex-Oath Keeper described Stewart Rhodes and his associates as an extremist right wing "militia" that, basically, aspired to overthrow the U.S. government. (I hope that guy is in a witness protection program.) The young man from Ohio was a Trump fan-- motivated by Trump's Big Lie and the Trumpaganda in the M$M and on social media-- who came to D.C. with buddies to "Stop the Steal." Hopefully, Ben will eventually take the time to watch that hearing on You Tube.

It's not about Biden, Ben. It's about Trump's "Deep State" appointees -- including Chad Wolf--who were, evidently, co-conspirators in Trump's J6 coup plot. I had raised this question on the forum shortly after the J6 attack on Congress-- i.e., did people in the Trump administration conspire to obstruct security for the Congress, despite having advance intelligence about the anticipated violence? I believe that they did-- Wolf, Murray, Ornato, Wray, Chris Miller, and, evidently, people in the Capitol Police administration.

I'm somewhat surprised that this big story hasn't elicited any comments during the past 24 hours. Curfarri not only failed to inform Congress about the deleted texts, he also mysteriously shut down efforts to recover the deleted DHS text messages from January 6th. He's not a Rosemary Woods. He's a watch dog! (Or is he a lap dog?)

Mark, Your point about the impropriety of criticizing Trump's appearance is well taken. But my hunch is that our schadenfreude today about Trump's appearance at the LIV tournament in Bedminster has mainly to do with the way Trump has always presented an idealized, grandiose image of himself to his cult followers. And the idealization of Trump by his cult followers is a big problem for the U.S., even now. He has done a lot of damage to this country, and he continues to experience widespread support in the GOP. How Donald Trump's Cult Followers Think He Looks How Donald Trump Actually Looks

Now, to get a sense of the inevitable decline in Presidential quality since 1963, check out JFK at Hyannis Port... Pretty impressive form. Head down, weight shifting to the left foot on the follow through.

Since this is a history forum... 🤥 56 Years of Inevitably Goofy Presidential Golf Wear 1st Place: Ronald Reagan 2nd Place: Donald Trump 3rd Place: Gerald "Fore" Ford

LOL, Joe. The McDonald's Trump Mac would probably be a red state marketing bonanza. 🤪 You win the Education Forum Coke spit award for today, (with an honorable mention for the LBJ moon landing thread.)

Well, Pat, perhaps you're correct about the absence of a consensus. My mistake. I just found a 2018 post from Mr. Caddy (on this forum) in which he described his interactions with E. Howard Hunt on the evening of the burglary. He mentioned that Hunt was quite distraught about his Plumber colleagues' being arrested at the Watergate Hotel that night-- hardly the state of mind of a man who had just hatched a "successful" plot to bring down the President. I then re-read Jim Hougan's recent Watergate article at WhoWhatWhy.com in which he describes the question of whether there was a CIA plot to oust Nixon from the White House as "the $64,000 question."

Homeland Security watchdog halted plan to recover Secret Service texts, records show July 29, 2022 No paywall Homeland Security watchdog halted plan to recover Secret Service texts - The Washington Post (archive.ph)

Ben, Why do you keep repeating these same debunked talking points from the right wing media about the January 6th hearings? Your "hearsay" talking point is nonsense, as is your comment about mere "surmisings." The witnesses have all testified under oath about their direct firsthand experiences with Trump and his cabal. What you are repeatedly claiming is just recycled Trumpaganda-- misleading memes from the MAGA-verse about the damning evidence. These were outlined in detail in the Media Matters reference I posted for you yesterday. Watch the J6 hearings on You Tube to learn the facts. You'll learn a lot.

Well, it looks like my questions and response (above) to Pat Speer's Watergate-wasn't-a-CIA-op thesis got leap-frogged today by...oh no... not another Benjamin Cole denial of Russia-gate !! Pat, I thought the forum consensus about Secret Agenda and Watergate -- by such luminaries as James DiEugenio, Shane O'Sullivan, and Joseph McBride-- was that Hunt, McCord, et.al., and the CIA had conspired to put Nixon over a barrel with the bungled Watergate burglary. P.S. Yo, Ben... here's yet another detailed reference for you about the Mueller Report and Russia-gate. Key Findings of the Mueller Report | ACS (acslaw.org) Key Findings of the Mueller Report