Countdown to Extinction: The 2016 Presidential Election

[Karl Henning]

The Building of the Big Beautiful Wall . . . may it not Begin in the Trump Bedroom?

Newly published nude photographs of Melania Trump, the wife of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, have raised questions about the story of her immigration to the United States and how the Slovenian-born former model gained her legal status here — questions that the Trump campaign is not answering.

Melania Trump has said she came to the country in 1996, but the photos were taken in New York in 1995 ....

[Karl Henning]

A Franklin & Marshall poll released today shows former Secretary of State Clinton 11 points ahead of [El Tupé] in Pennsylvania, with 49 percent of the vote to the Republican's 38 percent.

[drogulus]

     It's probably old news for the reality based among you, but just in case you missed it:

Ally of Trump staffer Paul Manafort: The staff is 'suicidal,' he's mailing it in

     I've spent some time in the last few months embedded in the Russo-Trumpese troll-o-sphere. The Business Insider website operates as a low-functioning business/economics aggregator/advertorialist, and the low function part shows up in its unmoderated comments on its articles, some of which are for real articles, with many "10 best cities for poor people with fearsome insect life and 103 degree heat", that kind of thing. There are also insanely popular hoodies that are now available!

     Anyway, the presence of a distinctively Russian troll operation has been increasingly evident. I note that counter trolls fling the accusation and, interestingly, it's rarely denied. The vile content of the megatrolls that use multiple identities, and the incompetence, obvious copy/pasting and inability to form proper sentences of the bot-like provide clues, but it's the combination of praise for Putin and Trump, and how they are kept separate that also sends a signal. The countertrolls seem freelance (there are more actual people with distinct voices among the anti-Trumps, some of whom make it clear they really dislike Hillary). But here's something I've noticed, neither the megatrolls who are the most vicious and the bot-like lesser ones will praise Putin and Trump in the same comment. Given how undisclined the group is about how lies, bullshit, rumors are intermingled with the truth this does stand out. Trump is wonderful here, Putin is wonderful there, but somehow they'd rather not be seen as wonderful together. OK, I could be wrong but it's a "tell".

     Anyway Pt. II, BI is now starting to cover the story, though not yet acknowledging its own involvement. I sent them an email on the subject of how the trolls have "crowded out" normal discussion a few days ago. I've no reason to think this has influenced the decision to publish this article, therefore I claim credit:

It looks like Russia hired internet trolls to pose as pro-Trump Americans

     

[Ken B]

Speaking of Russia.

https://youtu.be/mCMyHJJrdDw

I don't know if he's right about Putin, but he's surely right about the need and value of debate and discussion on this. I think Todd has brought this stuff up a few times.

[Rinaldo]

Speaking of Russia.

https://youtu.be/mCMyHJJrdDw

I don't know if he's right about Putin, but he's surely right about the need and value of debate and discussion on this. I think Todd has brought this stuff up a few times.

Cohen has sadly become a Putin apologist, at least since he fell for a lot of the Russian propaganda during the Ukrainian revolution 2014. Of course debate and discussion is needed! But he's completely twisting the narrative that legitimately questions Trump's Russian ties and he brushes off important points with stuff like 'everybody hacks everybody'. 'Reckless branding'? 'No evidence' of Putin's agenda against the Baltic states? Give me a break.

[drogulus]

     I'm certain that Trump is not an agent for Putin. His admiration for Putin is entirely personal, because it's all personal with him. Second, Trump's value for Putin has nothing to do with how they feel about each other. If people allow themselves to believe the admiration is mutual, that should elicit a few smiles in the Kremlin.

     Cohen is concerned about relations between nuclear powers in exactly the way he was before Putin began a cyberwar against the U.S. election process. I suggest that the breakup of NATO is where the focus should be. I think it's not a declaration of war to frustrate Putin on this point. He shouldn't get such an extravagant gift because he has bombs. That's not how deterrence has worked in the past. Is it different because something something Trump, or something something Hillary?

     

Cohen has sadly become a Putin apologist, at least since he fell for a lot of the Russian propaganda during the Ukrainian revolution 2014. Of course debate and discussion is needed! But he's completely twisting the narrative that legitimately questions Trump's Russian ties and he brushes off important points with stuff like 'everybody hacks everybody'. 'Reckless branding'? 'No evidence' of Putin's agenda against the Baltic states? Give me a break.

     Cohen has been an advocate of asymmetric nuclear blackmail for a very long time. Something unrelated to Carter, Reagan, a Bush, Clinton, Shrub, Obama, Trump, HildeBeast means whoever runs the Kremlin gets what they want or mass death, suicide by neocon. I thinks not.
     

[(poco) Sforzando]

A Franklin & Marshall poll released today shows former Secretary of State Clinton 11 points ahead of [El Tupé] in Pennsylvania, with 49 percent of the vote to the Republican's 38 percent.

Trump is so much fun. He's behind in OHIO and FLORIDA, so today he spent the day in MAINE, and now this evening he's at a fund raiser on LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK.* Tomorrow he's off to WISCONSIN, at an event the state's three top Republicans including the governor won't be attending.

If this be method yet there's madness in it.

---------------
* Which Sforzando did not attend.

[Ken B]

Cohen has sadly become a Putin apologist, at least since he fell for a lot of the Russian propaganda during the Ukrainian revolution 2014. Of course debate and discussion is needed! But he's completely twisting the narrative that legitimately questions Trump's Russian ties and he brushes off important points with stuff like 'everybody hacks everybody'. 'Reckless branding'? 'No evidence' of Putin's agenda against the Baltic states? Give me a break.

Yeah, that's my impression of Cohen too.  But I think he has a point about groupthink having replaced debate.
I am not so het up about "ties". It's the evident admiration for Putin. Another example of his bad judgment.

[Karl Henning]

---------------
* Which Sforzando did not attend.

No use asking if you got a hat, then?...

[Karl Henning]

Charles's laser:

Why did Trump do it? It wasn't a mistake. It was a revelation. It's that he can't help himself. His governing rule in life is to strike back when attacked, disrespected or even slighted. To understand Trump, you have to grasp the General Theory: He judges every action, every pronouncement, every person by a single criterion — whether or not it/he is "nice" to Trump.

[Madiel]

Indeed, Trump's personal affairs appear to bear that out. He either smooth talks people or threatens to sue them.

[(poco) Sforzando]

No use asking if you got a hat, then?...

Brian saved me one.

[Karl Henning]

Brian saved me one.

That young man's generosity of spirit is yuuuuuuge.

[Karl Henning]

It's too much to hope that his stop (or one of his stops) on the Island was . . . Babylon?

[(poco) Sforzando]

It's too much to hope that his stop (or one of his stops) on the Island was . . . Babylon?

Not sure why you bring Babylon (a town on the South Shore) up, but his fundraiser was in Nissequoque, a town on the North Shore east of Babylon and close to Stony Brook University. I read that he arrived by helicopter.

[Florestan]

Most Americans do have it pretty good in the grand scheme of things. But it's hard to keep that in perspective, to not be resentful, when you're surrounded by people who are richer than you.

How much richer than you can be your neighbors, I wonder? I doubt that low middle class citizens live in the same neighborhood as the upper class.

[Karl Henning]

Not sure why you bring Babylon (a town on the South Shore) up, but his fundraiser was in Nissequoque, a town on the North Shore east of Babylon and close to Stony Brook University. I read that he arrived by helicopter.

Just the Biblical association of the name with dissipation and destruction;  that is all.

[Karl Henning]

How much richer than you can be your neighbors, I wonder? I doubt that low middle class citizens live in the same neighborhood as the upper class.

And that is generally the tale of US communities.  Nobody lives in any town, where they cannot afford to live.  Or, barely afford to live.

[North Star]

And that is generally the tale of US communities.  Nobody lives in any town, where they cannot afford to live.  Or, barely afford to live.

And a great many don't live where they can afford not to live, I'm sure.

[Harry]

We in Western Europe look with amazement, that Trump got as far as he is now. Sure we have these idiots too in the Netherlands, but they never grow into anything else as the size of a midget!
For us it's pure amusement.