Thread 6: Brainwashing by Bannon

I mean literally brainwashing. Please see psychological and sociological theories. I mean literally building a cult - that CANNOT FIND THE TRUTH

It is like the Branch Davidians (mass suicide)

Steve Bannon built this cult for Trump

Rudy Insurance Thread 1/

America's Vampire, the notorious serial butt-dialer and former attorney, Rudy Colludy once threatened the sitting US President with his 'insurance' files. Giuliani clearly thought Trump fears his evidence. Let's explore this 'tremendous' legal gambit

Rudy Insurance Thread 2/

Yesterday, Friday the retired judge who was acting as 'Special Master' finished reviewing files that FBI took from Giuliani raiding his office last April. Near 28,000 files, text messages, emails, pics, videos & sound files were handed to Fed prosecutors

Rudy Insurance Thread 3/

Like when same Special Master finished reviewing the files FBI took from raid of Trump attorney Michael Cohen's office, we can now expect Rudy Giuliani arrest is imminent

We know he'd committed a slew of crimes, he's even been confessing to many of them

Rudy Insurance Thread 4/

Can Rudy escape prison by bargaining with his notorious 'insurance' file? Ah... that is where this gets interesting

A normal criminal could well perhaps manage to do that. Negotiate a deal, and use the evidence in that bargaining. But not Giuliani

Rudy Insurance Thread 5/

The NORMAL criminal negotiates with prosecutors, telling them in a 'proffer' session what kinds of crimes the perp can confess to, & specifically, who else they can implicate as partners in that crime. It only really works if they can give someone 'big'

Second Thread: The incurable SPD

Looking at the coming split of the GOP, next up is the era right up to Trump announcing his run in 2015. What happened in the decades right up to that moment. We get SPD, Sarah Palin's Disease. Alas, there is no cure

I like to joke that the GOP got infected by SPD Sarah Palin's Disease but many have pointed out that no, the GOP became sick well before Sarah. And the root cause is Newt Gingrich.

The first corruption of GOP as a politically viable party came via Newt

When the GOP came off its immense power era (2 terms of Reagan, record-national support, leading to rare 3rd term by one-term Daddy Bush) - then came suddenly the populist Bill Clinton - who stole the Republican thunder and stole the MIDDLE GROUND of politics

Newt Gingrich poisoned the GOP political minds that instead of contesting for the middle of the nation - the GOP should instead fight for the base. Poison the middle, enrage the base, and win that way.

Since Bill Clinton won in 1992, GOP has only once won 50% of the election

That once exception was 2004 - when W Bush got the benefit of the 9/11 terrorist attack good will. He was NOT a popular President. It was a sympathy vote. Apart from that, GOP has not gotten over 50% of popular vote once, since Newt Gingrich's mad political 'strategy'

Ok, it's high time to look at the REAL effects of Brexit. As the Tories implode & Labour sits on its hands, companies are executing contingency plans, shifting jobs & assets, slashing investments, or redomiciling (accounting exercise). Happening NOW, not in a fantasy future. 1/95

Barden Corporation is closing down its Plymouth factory after 51 years, putting 400 jobs at risk, as its parent company Schaeffler shifts production to various sites outside the UK due to Brexit.

8 health providers have warned of medicine shortages in the event of a no-deal Brexit: "we do not believe that the current medicine supply plans will suffice, and we will have widespread shortages if we do not respond urgently."

Pfizer - $100 million on Brexit prep: "Pfizer’s preparations are well advanced to make the changes necessary to meet EU legal requirements after the U.K. is no longer a member state, especially in the regulatory, manufacturing and supply chain areas."

The Government has spent £4.2 billion pounds on Brexit preparations (£2.2 billion in previous Budgets, plus an additional £2 billion in the most recent Budget.)

Trump is a Russian asset, a mob money launderer installed by his mob whoremasters to sow chaos and weaken the US & our allies.

EVERY SINGLE THING HE’S DONE since taking office is to achieve those purposes—that and to enrich himself personally.

[THREAD]

1/ His entire family is part of this. Melania is a fucking crook. Ivanka is a fucking crook. Junior and Gums are fucking crooks. They will all die in prison, except for Kushner, who, if he really *did* trade US intel for money, should be executed for espionage.

2/ Why do you think Trump installs uniquely corrupt & awful people to Cabinet positions? Pruitt, Zinke, Betsy, Rex/Pompeo, Wilbur "Melting Nazi Face" Ross. They are not there to serve us. They are not there to drain the swamp. They are there to BURN THE REPUBLIC DOWN.

3/ Trump steals. He takes taxpayer money—your money and mine—and lines his pockets with it. He exploits his office to make himself richer. This is all he cares about. Why are Republican citizens, you “fiscal conservatives,” not more angry about this? Riddle me THAT, #MAGA.

4/ Matt Whitaker, the human dildo and “acting AG,” was illegally installed to throw a monkey wrench in the Mueller investigation. That’s why they won’t release his financials. He’s fucking bought and sold. He’s going to prison for obstruction.

Pretending that voting for Trump or denying climate change or suggesting the solution to every problem is more guns is a legitimate point of view, worthy of respect is not "how America works." It is how it dies.

People in a free society are entitled to any point of view no matter how obviously wrong or outlandish or destructive provided they do not impose their views on others.

But suggesting that something ignorant or divorced from reality warrants the same kind of treatment in public debate as something based in fact or at least credible is absurd and when done on behalf of a society in public media or academic settings it is self-destructive.

We would not grant media coverage or much bandwidth at all to a group that argued that unicorns exist or that there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet views like denying climate change or basing policy decisions on sweeping, obvious lies, are just as unsound.

Somewhere, somehow, judgments must be made. Some behaviors are wrong and must be condemned. Someone must challenge lies and demand facts. Coddling people who embrace idiocies does not help them no matter how loudly they demand to be coddled.

1/Zach has the history right (again). I doubt the current political leadership read the book where Summers et al explained what they did, unless they look at borrowed copies. Here it is: https://t.co/4gyFiagaj3

2/ But the summary is that Summers, Geithner, Orszag, Emanuel agreed on telling Obama and Biden in December 2008 that about $800b was an adequate stimulus. Would lower unemployment just below 8% by late 2010. Romer thought $2.1T or $1.7T was needed to achieve full employment.

3/ They wouldn't let her make the case in writing for $1.2T because her number could leak. The reasons for $800b were: they wanted the bill passed by February, so they could move on to health care reform and cap and trade; they had no ways to spend more;

4/ spending more might kick off inflation or cause markets to fall for fear of inflation; that might lead to more bank runs; more bank runs might require a second TARP so they couldn't ask Congress for too much for recovery; Pelosi would give them whatever they asked

5/ for but they didn't think they could get the needed 1 or 2 R Senators quickly if they asked for more; they wanted 60 but had only 58 D Senators; popular "moonshots" or signature items in the package would take too long (Biden asked for that);