Thursday, March 15, 2018

Who Believes in Russiagate?

All I know about Russiagate is what I read on the intertubes: it's either obviously for real and Trump is treasonous or it's obviously bogus and only the dupiest dupes take it seriously.
   I know it's all terribly obvious...but I basically don't know anything else about it.
   I'm just waitin' around for Mueller to tell me what's what.

[Whoa...turns out that when you post on Russiagate you get some reeeeeeeally crazy spam...]

8 Comments:

Blogger Dark Avenger said...

Trump acts like a guilty suspect. True or false?

10:18 AM  
Blogger Winston Smith said...

You know...I've thought about this a bit. I used to think that the answer was *yes.* But now I think the answer is *yes and no.* Or, rather: yes, he acts like a guilty SOB...but he also acts like a guy who has always been able to make the rules, and who just doesn't have it in him to explain himself to anyone else, nor to apologize, nor to plead his case for innocence. I've had a lot of experience with the latter type of person, incidentally.

OTOH, I'm tempted to say: for certain practical purposes, it may not matter all that much whether he's actually guilty. What might matter, for the purposes of, say, impeachment, is that we can't be sure he's innocent.

Given who I think Trump is, if falsely accused of collusion, I can see him basically saying *FU all. If you think it's true, prove it.* Add the rabid TDS of the #laResistance, the media, academia, etc....and, hell,*I'd* be tempted by that response if innocent.

But anyway, I don't take my hunches about his behavior very seriously.

None of that means that I think we should take a chance on something like this. Giving him the boot is dangerous, as it might set a precedent. But sometimes you've just gotta risk a possible long-term problem if the short-term threat is great enough.

Also, of course, though IANAL, it's hard for me to believe that the obstruction won't get him.

Bottom line:
I'm still just waiting for Mueller's conclusions.

10:40 AM  
Blogger Dark Avenger said...

“On every front, he resists taking punitive measures against Russia, even when mandated to do so by US laws. He goes to great lengths never to criticize Russia. In the exceedingly rare cases in which he does, it is in prepared statements written for him by others. In other words, when it’s not really him. He finds himself spilling highly classified intelligence to top Russian government officials. He seeks out private meetings with Vladimir Putin where no other Americans are present. The latest instance with this chemical weapons assassination attempt in the UK is just the latest example. Some members of the administration have been outspoken. But President Trump has done his very best to keep his criticism to an absolute minimum, always leaving open the possibility that others are involved. It’s just like he does when he’s asked about Russia’s interference in the 2016 campaign.”
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trumps-dangerous-allegiance-threatens-every-one-of-us



10:49 AM  
Blogger Winston Smith said...

Yeah but...Josh Marshall...

10:57 AM  
Blogger Dark Avenger said...

Is the guy who formulated Trumps’ razor:

As I said, I couldn’t believe what my theory was telling me. In a brief moment of megalomania I imagined myself like Einstein, unwilling to accept the full implications of Relativity. I decided to waste some more time on Twitter and then go to bed. But now we have this article out from The New York Times which turns things in a pretty new direction. The main gist of the piece is Trump campaign dysfunction, denying the obvious, doing damage control. But down in the piece is this passage ….

Two people briefed on the process, who insisted on anonymity to discuss such a sensitive issue, said that a contract speechwriter, Matthew Scully, had written an early draft of Ms. Trump’s speech several weeks ago. Ms. Trump then took that speech and made substantial changes to it, according to this person, with help from someone working at the Trump Organization.

Who is Matthew Scully? He’s a career professional speech writer who also happens to have written a well-received book about animal rights Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy (2002). Scully was a speechwriter for President Bush during the 2000 campaign, a White House speechwriter from 2000 to 2004. He wrote the vice presidential speech Sarah Palin ended up giving in 2008. In other words, Scully is one of the small cadre of top GOP speechwriters whose services are routinely called up year after year. Dems have an analogous group.


https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-scythian-slice-of-trump-s-razor


And if anything in his list is inaccurate, that would be more indicative of his trustworthiness than “but Josh Marshall...”

You’re acting like he’s a
Chompsky or Naomi Wolf.

11:19 AM  
Blogger Winston Smith said...

It was mostly a joke...mostly...


Also, I don't buy Trump's razor. I think the guy is stupid...and I think that comes out a *lot*... But I just don't buy that he's *always* *maximally* stupid.

12:28 PM  
Blogger Dark Avenger said...

Oh, when it comes to his finances, I’m sure that’s not true. But his approach to politics and “deal-making” seems to be zero-sum, and it will hurt in the elections in November.

1:39 PM  
Blogger Winston Smith said...

Yeah, it's zero-sum...he's a real zero-sum kind of guy. In fact, maybe that above all else, now that you mention it.

Anyway, we can at least agree: he is extremely stupid.

As for November: I agree...though don't underestimate the Democrats' ability to shoot themselves in the ass.

1:59 PM  

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