Politics Chatboard – Teachers.Net

“Dems flipped two very pro-Trump districts in special elections last night, There was a 28-point swing to Dems in NH. A 31-point swing in OK.”

Sep 13, 2017

Not for the Grand Old Party, anyway...

https://twitter.com/NateSilver538/status/907967540479053829

Nate Silver on Twitter

Twitter | twitter.com

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Democrats have won 6 GOP-held seats in 2017. Republicans have won 0 Democratic seats.

Bob R/CA Some color commentary. That color is blue.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/13/politics/special-elections-oklahoma-new-hampshire/index.html

On Tuesday night, Democrats flipped two Republican-held state legislative seats -- one in Oklahoma, one in New Hampshire -- that Donald Trump carried in the 2016 election.

CNN | cnn.com

Sep 13, 2017

T.E.C. - Iowa Interesting that the public may be giving up on the Republicans, but what is the point! Certainly, in state legislatures, there is a wider variety of thinking, but, as a whole and at the congressional level, the Democrats are no better than the Republicans. Both the Republicans and the DNC Democrats are sold out to the rich.

The lack of an...See More

Sep 16, 2017

Trump Humiliated Jeff Sessions After Mueller Appointment

Finely tuned machine

by Chalky

Sep 14, 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/us/politics/jeff-sessions-trump.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

President Trumpâs dressing down of his attorney general at a meeting in May was the beginning of a tumultuous summer for the two men.

Sep 13, 2017

After Harvey and Irma, Chris Hedges, in the article "The Great Flood", has an interesting question.

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How many times will we rebuild Florida's cities, Houston, coastal New Jersey, New Orleans and other population centers ravaged by storms lethally intensified by global warming? At what point, surveying the devastation and kn...See More

The Great Flood - Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists

Rising sea levels and monster storms will intensify and flood the earth’s coasts as we enter the age of the “long emergency.”

Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists | truthdig.com

"Former national security adviser Susan Rice privately told House investigators that she unmasked the identities of senior Trump officials to understand why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York late last year, multiple sources told CNN.

The New York meeting preceded a separate effort by the UAE to facilitate a back-...See More

Susan Rice did her job

by Chalky

Sep 13, 2017

Exclusive: Rice on unmasking Trump officials

Former national security adviser Susan Rice privately told House investigators that she unmasked the identities of senior Trump officials to understand why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York late last year, multiple sources told

CNN | cnn.com

About Russian and the DNC!

by T.E.C. - Iowa

Aug 28, 2017

This is for those who are still certain that it was the Russians who hack the DNC. The title of the article is, "A New Report Raises Big Questions About Last Year's DNC Hack."

The article quotes the report as follows"

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There was no hack of the Democratic National Committee's system on July 5 last year—not by the ...See More

A New Report Raises Big Questions About Last Year’s DNC Hack

Former NSA experts say it wasn’t a hack at all, but a leak—an inside job by someone with access to the DNC’s system.

The Nation | thenation.com

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Opinion | The Nation is reviewing a story casting doubt on Russian hack of DNC

view previous comments

Bob R/CA Here's a fact for you - the most damaging information (that Russia provably disseminated) was gained not from the DNC servers, but from the Podesta phishing incident.

Here's another fact: the Nation's claim that it couldn't have been Russian hackers, is full of holes:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/08/1...See MoreHere's a fact for you - the most damaging information (that Russia provably disseminated) was gained not from the DNC servers, but from the Podesta phishing incident.

Here's another fact: the Nation's claim that it couldn't have been Russian hackers, is full of holes:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2017/08/15/the-nation-is-reviewing-a-story-casting-doubt-on-russian-hack-of-dnc/?utm_term=.584dc5bd8f02

Here's a third fact - even if the data wasn't gained by a hack, it was still removed from the DNC servers, in a classic espionage style maneuver, and ended up directly in the hands of the Russians.

Which brings up a fourth inconvenient truth - no matter what you claim about the DNC hack, Russia was caught dead to rights hacking into election machines, meeting with the Trump team to pilfer the hacked information, and then aggressively used the hacked information to turn the tide of the election toward Trump. By "aggressively" I mean they not only pushed the information through their propaganda network (don't even pretend that's not what Russia has and does), they also augmented it with a veritable mountain of fake news, and expended large sums of cash and human resources building mechanical and human troll armies to push the information into the US political cycle.

It was reported this week that a Russian spy was caught bragging "US spies slept when Russian intelligence stole the presidency of the United States," Vyacheslav Nikonov said on a panel show Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov.

http://www.9news.com.au/world/2017/09/12/13/42/putin-offsider-vyacheslav-nikonov-boasts-rigging-us-election-tv-trump-clinton

The CIA concluded the Putin himself ordered the interference.

Another fact: US spies caught a Russian military-intelligence officer bragging about causing chaos in the upcoming US election six months before the vote, according to a new Time magazine cover story by Massimo Calabresi.

You're the guy who walks through a hurricane zone, and sees one house standing up among 99 destroyed, and concludes "the hurricane was a hoax!" And you're not alone. But at least the other guy evacuates when he hears the hurricane is coming, no matter how much he insists over his shoulder it's a hoax.

Story from the left-leaning publication earned fans on the right.

Washington Post | washingtonpost.com

Sep 13, 2017

T.E.C. - Iowa Gee Bob, you link me too an article that starts with "Opinion." The truth is, there is still no publicly available information that demonstrates that Russia "significantly" impacted the election.

But some points:

I have consistently said that all nations mettle in other nations elections - when they can! We are the stupid ones for...See MoreGee Bob, you link me too an article that starts with "Opinion." The truth is, there is still no publicly available information that demonstrates that Russia "significantly" impacted the election.

But some points:

I have consistently said that all nations mettle in other nations elections - when they can! We are the stupid ones for not securing our elections.

I have consistently said that we have bigger problems with Israel then we could ever have with Russia.

I have consistently said our elections are not sacred or fair as demonstrated by gerrymandering, caging, electronic voting machines, and more.

I have consistently said that American elections mean little to nothing regarding policy. That is, elections don't mean squat as was demonstrated by the study, " Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens" which says:

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Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence. The results provide substantial support for theories of Economic-Elite Domination and for theories of Biased Pluralism, but not for theories of Majoritarian Electoral Democracy or Majoritarian Pluralism.

(End quote)

In the face of this, your and others Russia hysteria is pointless, counter productive, and you are being suckered by the Military Industrial Complex. You are supporting the creation of a New Cold War that will cost trillions.

But more to the point, Trump started his presidency with the idea that we should talk to Russia and work with them when we can. Both the democrats and the republicans wanted none of this, because it gets in the way of the money people extracting money from the US Treasury.

Thus they have demonized Russia, and you have fallen for it hook, line, and sinker. We will have their New Cold War and America will continue to have crappy health care, education, infrastructure, and an economy that makes people poorer and poorer.

PS: Hillary is a criminal as demonstrated by her rigging of the primary - yet you support her. You need to decide that right and wrong is more important than your tribalism.

Sep 13, 2017

Russia used Facebook to organize pro-Trump hate rallies

Russia used Facebook to organize racist rallies to help Trump

Sep 13, 2017

Russian operatives used Facebook to organize political protests in 2016 that pushed the same racist, anti-immigrant message as Donald Trump's political campaign.

In a comment to The Daily Beast, which uncovered the clandestine operation, Facebook confirmed that the events were promoted on the social media juggernaut with paid ads.

...See MoreRussian operatives used Facebook to organize political protests in 2016 that pushed the same racist, anti-immigrant message as Donald Trump's political campaign.

In a comment to The Daily Beast, which uncovered the clandestine operation, Facebook confirmed that the events were promoted on the social media juggernaut with paid ads.

It was recently exposed that Russia-affiliated organizations targeting voters spent thousands to amass a following on the site that would expose potentially millions in key electoral states to their propaganda campaign during the election.

U.S. intelligence agencies have verified that Russia's Vladimir Putin sought to derail Hillary Clinton's campaign and preferred an election outcome where Trump won.

The Facebook events were posted on the account of the phony group "SecureBorders," which was a Russian front. The posting called for a protest in Twin Falls, Idaho, which it described as "a center of refugee resettlement, which led to the huge upsurge of violence towards American citizens."

The posting went on to echo Trump's push to ban Muslims from the United States, proclaiming, "We must stop taking in Muslim refugees! We demand open and thorough investigation of all the cases regarding Muslim refugees! All government officials, who are covering up for these criminals, should be fired!"

The story behind the protest was fake news that was being promoted at the same time by pro-Trump outlets online. These outlets claimed that Syrian refugees in Idaho had "gang-raped a child at knife-point," which was false.

Infowars, the site run by conspiracy theorist and Trump mega-fan Alex Jones, was at the forefront of these claims, which he tried to connect to the yogurt company Chobani, located in Twin Falls. Chobani has become a target of the conservative movement because it hires refugees. Jones was forced to retract his claims after Chobani sued him.

Russia's use of Facebook to target localities for political means echoes similar tactics that the official Trump campaign used. Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, previously said, "We found that Facebook and digital targeting were the most effective ways to reach the audiences."

https://shareblue.com/russia-used-facebook-to-organize-racist-rallies-to-help-trump/

Trump's campaign was built on anti-immigrant rhetoric, and Russian operatives helped organize hateful rallies to promote his message.

| shareblue.com

Bob recently said that a Florida sheriff killed some people by refusing entrance to sex offenders into local shelters (they were however allowed to shelter in a local jail... not behind bars). This sheriff was in Polk county. Any news on how many deaths from those not allowed into Polk county shelters? I hope this sheriff is charged with every sing...See More

Couldn't find a post...

by Tim Finnegan

Sep 11, 2017

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view previous comments

Tim Finnegan Wait... the projections were off? I seem to remember scientists lauding their prediction ability when it came to the eclipse. Why so bad now? And why aren't they owning up to their poor projections?

Sep 12, 2017

Bob R/CA The storm was every bit as bad as they claimed, it wiped out the Caribbean islands and the keys. If they hadn't evacuated an entire state, the death toll would be substantially higher, and as we get emergency teams into these decimated and cut off locations, the toll will climb well higher. You seem to be gloating that this record-breaking deadly h...See More

Sep 13, 2017

Headline: Guy Who Said Ted Cruz's Dad Killed JFK...

White House: Clinton's Memoir Includes 'False and Reckless Attacks'

Sep 12, 2017

Slams Hillary Clinton's Memoir for 'False and Reckless Attacks'

http://time.com/4938413/hillary-clinton-what-happened-sarah-sanders/

The White House has come out swinging against Hillary Clinton's new memoir.

Tim Finnegan Why do you keep bringing up Hill?

Sep 12, 2017

Bob R/CA I'm bringing up your president. They made these pronouncements from the podium of the White House Press Briefing. Read a link before you comment.

Sep 13, 2017

Crooked Donald Doesn't Care...

From Trump hotel lobby to White House, Malaysian prime minister gets VIP treatment

Sep 12, 2017

...about the Emoluments Clause. Neither does the GOP.

Voters will elect representatives who do in 2018. Hope the republic survives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/from-trump-hotel-lobby-to-white-house-malaysian-prime-minister-gets-vip-treatment/2017/09/12/1b296f54-97d1-11e7-87fc-c3f7ee4035c9_story.html

The delegation’s visit comes as lawsuits question whether Trump is benefiting financially from his presidency.

Washington Post | washingtonpost.com

Sep 11, 2017

Hill needs to realize that she doesn't get to make up numbers. One of the claims in her book is that she lost Wisconsin because voter id laws kept 200k from voting.

Fortunately, there is science! Politifact rated this claim mostly false... experts said there is no way to determine how many people didn't vote because of the voter id require...See More

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view previous comments

Tim Finnegan Hill keeps herself there. If it's so classic, why the book and your to states she ignored in her epic loss?

Sep 11, 2017

Bob R/CA Yes, I get tired of Hillary posting about herself here over and over. At least Fox News gets paid by their sponsors for their programming. I guess all you get is a good feeling about furthering the interests of the programming director.

Sep 12, 2017