From Kareem today: American media heavyweights tell president: it’s time to quit: The question isn’t about Biden, it’s about whether or not we will continue to pander to people who base their vote on one TV appearance rather than facts and records.
proving that heavyweights can be amazingly lightweight in their thinking. The amazing thing is that those they are pandering to are quite likely not even subscribers and NOT among those contributing to the bottom line by loving all the sensationalism--they are getting their word from their favorite sources telling them about it.
NYT re: trump, has been deaf & blind since 2015, ignoring a trove of early, active 1st hand accounts of all egregious trump instincts, actions & reactions to his work, bad investment skills, gross open flagrant social wanderings w/ Epstein, all revealing his lack of any redeeming human characteristics. It will not matter if they become responsible now, the fix is in....
Joe Biden or any other President does not have anything to do with the military’s own process or procedure of withdrawing troops from a battlefield or a civilian location!DjT set 5,000 Taliban terrorists free;then Generals set up an inadequate perimeter for civilians to leave—not Joe’s job!
the withdrawal actuated by trumps agrerment to withdraw in 4th quarter 2019, having released 5000 Tsliban prisoners without warning onto isis who were helping us w/prison control . trimp set the-date for evacuation, moved out once but this was a present for Bidrn who was aldo left w/Covid and a fractured govt.
Does anyone remember the NYTimes wholeheartedly and continuously beating the drum for Bush’s Iraq war. Their belligerence resulted in deaths. They were forced to apologize publicly. Nothing stops the almighty know-it-alls as they boldly push their bias. So glad I dumped this rag.
Thank you both! This is just common sense for anyone who cherishes democracy and freedom. FWIW, I came up with a list of action items we must do:
We must 1) retain the executive and expand our hold in Congress (expanding the senate and retaking the house). 2) We must eliminate the filibuster so judicial reforms are not blocked. 3) we must pass legislation expanding the court and/or implanting term limits. 4) We must fill the new seats with judges who are not corrupt. 5) a mandatory and strictly enforced code of ethics on Supreme Court must be passed. 6) The expanded Supreme Court must reverse those disastrous and corrupt rulings including both citizens united, along with the “king ruling” ASAP. Failure and faint heartedness are not options.
I agree with you, John. Please tell me how we can expand the Senate because we are literally on a thread there. Don’t forget, Manchin, that SOB, is not running now so that seat could very well go to an R. I mean I won’t miss Manchin, but W. VA.is a tough state where a lot of R’s live and breathe that nice black coal air.
Glenn Elliot is on the Democratic side and Governor Jim Justice on the R side are running against one another. It would be a miracle if Elliot wins. Justice is popular on both sides. He would be the oldest member of the Freshman class of Senators. That state is a wash for us.
I agree. Jim Justice is inexplicably popular in WV with his folksy ways and political savvy. He goes where political winds go. Justice was a Republican. Ran as a Dem for governor. He & DJT won election. He immediately re-joined the GOP. Never changed his spots. He’ll arrive in DC with an open wallet.
He’s an ‘aw-shucks’ mini-trump. His coal companies didn’t pay their taxes in small county KY coal country for years. Those counties eventually had to shut down services. No snow plow crews. They got extra state assistance to keep schools open. Lawsuits were treated as the cost of doing business. Eventually he wanted another KY coal permit. KY leveraged him into a payment plan.
In 2019 Forbes outed him to the world with the headline “Deadbeat Billionaire.” In 2021 Forbes reported:
— Justice, who inherited a coal business from his dad, was revealed in March 2021 to owe $850 million to troubled lender Greensill Capital. News of this previously undisclosed debt led Forbes to remove Justice from its list of billionaires.—
From Queens (NY) to the King of the Sandbox, Trump is most likely a traitor. Biden knows the truth as did William Barr when he did his best to detract attention from the Mueller Report.
During Trump’s childhood, the family lived in Queens and then in Brooklyn Boroughs of New York City. Trump finished college in 1968, and not long afterward joined his father in his local real estate business which then became the Trump Organization. By the late 1980’s to early 1990’s, “two Trump-owned companies filed for bankruptcy: the Trump Taj Mahal in 1991 and the Trump Plaza Hotel in 1992. An unflattering biography of Donald Trump, published in 1993, was titled Lost Tycoon and declared that he has become a “public laughingstock” in the wake of his business failures.” (UVA/The Miller Center “DONALD TRUMP: LIFE BEFORE THE PRESIDENCY, By Benjamin C. Waterhouse) These “failures” eventually included six bankruptcies - a strong signal to Russians that this man needs and craves money.
The Russians didn’t laugh at him and in fact, found him to be an ideal candidate for American Komromat - someone who could be easily cultivated, caught/photographed with his pants down, bribed with money, and used/misused by the KGB. His ties to the Russian mafia go back three decades, but today this relationship likely grew from buying TVs for his many hotel rooms from the Russian mafia to selling TOP SECRET USG documents to the KGB.
“On November 9, 2016, just a few minutes after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, a man named Vyacheslav Nikonov approached a microphone in the Russian State Duma (their equivalent of the US House of Representatives) and made a very unusual statement. ‘Dear friends, respected colleagues!” Nikonov said. “Three minutes ago, Hillary Clinton admitted her defeat in US presidential elections, and a second ago Trump started his speech as an elected president of the United States of America, and I congratulate YOU on this’.” (Journalist Craig Unger talks about Russia, Trump, and “one of the greatest intelligence operations in history.” VOX Politics, by Sean Illing, January 12, 2019.)
Far removed from mid and rural America, “Russian organized crime has been active in New York City's Brighton Beach since the 1970s. The insular community, which is located near Coney Island, has a large Russian immigrant population, and has produced notorious crime bosses such as Evsei Agron, Vyacheslav Ivankov, and Marat Balagula - to name a few.” (Google search)
He married Ivana and made his first trip to Russia in 1987. From that time, Trump was a target for entrapment and enlistment in the KGB/FSB. When Nikonov congratulated the Russian DUMA for Trump’s win of the U.S. presidency, the Russians were celebrating “one of the greatest intelligence and clandestine operations in modern history. The Russian KGB had trapped, skillfully developed, and maneuvered a Russian “asset” into the highest political position in the United States - President Donald Trump.” (Unger)
A New York Times bestselling author - Craig Unger - wrote two books on this subject: House of Trump, House of Putin and American Kompromat. Much of the material and research for From Democracy to Democrazy came from Unger, but were also a written rendition of my 20 years living and working in dictator-led countries - mostly Russia, and directly dealing with such men and women. It took me several years to adjust from living in a free society to living in a mafia-type of controlled environment. Today the head of this completely corrupt society is Vladimir Putin - and no one worldwide dares to cross him.
The American public, TV news commentators, Trumpers, and Maga people - all ignore this crucial danger unfolding in the United States. The 2-year, $32 million dollar Mueller Report was labeled a hoax due to William Barr’s unexplainable actions. His interference needs to be investigated. This report was NOT a hoax but a carefully researched and an impressive attempt to gather all facts and evidence regarding Trump’s relationship to the Russian mafia/KGB. It presents a terrifying depiction of “the pure evil of those who Trump chose to do business with.” (Ibid) It also explains Trump’s treasonous relationship with Russia. The shadow cast by Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and darker by the moment. You and I have little to no influence over Putin, but our collective votes in this upcoming election are the essential, vital, and interpretative movement to save our democracy.
Thank you, guys - you are saying exactly what we discussed over morning coffee. One thought I had is that we can surmise what Pres. Biden and his crew are discussing about his future, but really, I think they are wise to keep the heavy decisions close to their vests for the immediate future. He is not surrounded by flash-in-the-pan advisors, and he himself is a clear and deliberate thinker, all of whom want the best for our country and its standards. The only thing I know for sure right now is I will not vote for Trump, and I will support the dicisions made by the group in the White House now. We have to stay steady and watch carefully that we are not swayed by unpopular opinions that are counter to Democracy. Who would have imagined we are even having this discussion!?
This idea that it is somehow weakness to discuss options absolutely amazes me. Of COURSE he should consider the debate performance and ways to deal with it. The NYT seemed to see their "breaking news" on this as somehow damning. What do you WANT in a president--someone who thinks or someone who chooses not to think about important decisions but "trusts his (considerable) gut?"
In 2016, the NY Times had a front-page "but her emails" just about every day. Nothing about the corrupt tffg, even though it had to know of his shady business dealings for decades.
Now it's doing the same thing to President Biden. His age, the "debate", or anything else it can criticize, are on the front page. There's not a word about his finally getting repair of our long-neglected infrastructure, his expansion of NATO and strengthening of ties to our non-NATO allies, the most robust post-COVID economy in the world, the vastly improved job market, and the record stock market highs, his thoughtful and compassionate appearance at Normandy on D-Day..
tffg lied for an hour-and-a-half on the night of the so-called debate. No discussion of this in the NY Times. The lying felon should be the one to be forced to step down, preferably into a prison cell, not President Biden. tffg is threatening our democracy, has stripped a 50-year right of women to control their own bodies (what man would tolerate being treated this way??), has rigged the not-so-Supreme Court with dishonest religious zealots, yet the Times still treats both men as equivalent candidates. They are not.
Shame, shame, shame on the Times. I've canceled my subscription to it and to the Washington Post for their dereliction of duty to responsible journalism and to the citizens of this democracy.
That's right. The WaPo too. It seems their "Democracy Dies in Darkness" was only a reaction to their nose being out of joint from their reporters being kicked out of the briefing room for asking tough questions. They will have a reasonable article, then three offensive ones. I've come to realize the few reasonable even handed articles are just in there to get the offensive material in front of your face. As we've seen with the NYT people will say "well, but they had this quite good article yesterday" as if that makes up for the garbage stew they're serving on the rest of the plate.
I’ve given up on WaPo returning to actual journalism. I read there was an internal brouhaha over a Bezo suggestion to use articles from other outlets and rewrite them. The now former editor wanted original journalism. WaPo will soon be like the other generic publications. We’ve seen it at the local level. It’s no wonder they are losing their a$$.
This reminds me of the recent Jack Hopkins interview with a woman (sorry I do forget her name but she was engaging) who was explaining how our local air stations have been taken over by just a very few mega-buck media corporations so that people simply do not, cannot, tap into other more reliable sources of information in places all over the country. It is well worth a listen if you can find the time or while you do other tasks (no visual aids for example):
Yes, and almost every criticism leads back to “his age” - Perfect to attack because it cannot be change. So it is the debate; he uses a shorter set of steps to disembark from AF-1; he walks stiffly; his voice is hoarse on and on. They use it to open the door to their “medical” diagnosis.
In 2020 he broke small bone(s) in his foot which did not show up initially. After that is when I noticed his walk had changed. Although there may be other reasons I’ll use it as an example.
I have a plate in my ankle when it shattered over 40 yrs ago. The only way it affects my thinking is that I’m careful on stairs and not keen on using them outdoors in the wind. I don’t run foot races. But I never did. As I remember Bill Clinton was well known for often having a hoarse or raspy voice. I don’t think anyone believed it affected his decision making.
Much of this is culture & political players looking for an opening to impose their wishes. We have a culture that does not value seniors. “Boomers” are viewed as past their expiration date; blamed for all that is wrong in the world & generally in the way of all things good. The Big$$ crowd is very bold. Big donors always want to steer the ship. Dems are known to panic easily, especially where their victory is in question.
Ginning up public pressure this way is dangerous. It affects our interactions on the world stage with allies and enemies. It ratchets up hope for Dem division among maga. It overlooks obstacles legal, political & practical to some of their desires.
This and other letters like this need to be sent to every DEM representative and every talking head not already lost to common sense (IE forget about any on FOX), and a good place to start is the list of those five who have openly called for Biden to step down (only five?) and the eleven who supposedly "expressed doubts" listed in an on-going article by WaPo "which will be updated" but which does not list those who have said Biden is our candidate and we stand by him.
Most of these folks (Dems) are not thinking about the state ballot processes, campaign finance laws or that this is a big topic after the primary delegates were selected. Nor are they thinking about the fact that Biden is only ~halfway through his term.
Interesting that this was known since at least February. Why didn’t all the smart people pay attention and not feed into it? Why litigate it in public and create chaos?
One theory was: “… Democrats planning to get Biden off the ballot all along and simply biding their time until they pull the trigger.”
This isn’t a media “miss”. This is a media feeding frenzy. Why is MSM choosing who the next democratic nominee is? What right have they? We should be incensed. Why are democrats flailing about with all the hand wringing and self flagellation? C’mon people! If Joe thinks he can do it and wants to stay in, I’m all for it. His only other choice is to resign, let Kamala be president and let her run as an incumbent. But that is his choice, not the NYT. And we democrats shouldn’t be falling for MSM and MAGA ploy - which is for profits and our demise. They’ve had Biden in their crosshairs for a long time. And don’t think it will stop if Biden is replaced. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing when they pretend to have our best interests in mind.
Why does NOONE speaK of the point that if Biden got re-elected, he’s got the whole workable system and administration already in place which will be able to deal with our country and world problems efficiently from day one without the total set up a new democrats administration. The need to set up entire new everything for another democrat will really reduce the democratics strength while they do that!
The current administration, btw, already has the Presidents BEST REPLACEMENT already in place — our Vice President, why is this not even being talked about?? She is amazing and set to do so. So let Biden go on and it is the press’ obligation to make all these clear for the people because he will step down if he can’t carry on- as He will be honest and it will pass on to his vice president.
I do not know why no democrat is making this clear!!!
These should be the reasons Biden route beer way of Trump out with the most benefit to the US domestically and abroad!
Let the man prove he’s OK (which he’s been doing!) and let his amazing vice president step in for him when necessary because I’m sure President Biden will step aide as I trust he will recognizes any ability to not work and do so
If all the good Biden has done was spoken of more verses the danger of the alternative be more reported! .:: including speaking more the pre set up easy way out for Biden at the right time - with his VP Kamala …:being what the public was hearing more of - there should then be no reason for a bad night only be why Biden not continue and be supported to do so — what are we thinking!!!! That’s what the New York Times should be supporting &. pushing for
.::in addition to telling the truth about the other side of debate and all the hundreds of lies.or just the other side and the serious nature of many of his past days!
This is unreal: President Biden has a debate marked by his speaking problems and there is a big outcry for him to drop out as a candidate…BUT, Trump is convicted of felonies and sexual assault and no one has demanded or even asked that he be dropped as the candidate of one of our two major political parties.
For anyone concerned about President Biden’s ability to do his job at any time, we have a capable vice president,Kamala Harris.
• It is a tragedy that Republicans themselves are not engaged in deeper soul-searching after Thursday’s debate. Mr. Trump’s own performance ought to be regarded as disqualifying.
BUT BUT BUT
• The Republican Party, however, has been co-opted by Mr. Trump’s ambitions. The burden rests on the Democratic Party to put the interests of the nation above the ambitions of a single man.
I feel like I’ve been screaming this into an abyss all day…why is the bar so high for Joe Biden, yet seemingly so low or nonexistent for the convicted felon?
I have confidence that Joe will do the right thing. If he decides to pull out of the race, he can stand tall, be proud of his transformative leadership, and be able to say that he did some thing Donald Trump would NEVER do…put the country before himself.
Thanks, Steven, I agree with you completely on this. Very disappointed that the NYT calls for Biden to step aside after a bad debate but does not do the same with Trump. While Trump seemed more vigorous, he was also far more dishonest and his debate performance was not stellar either. Not to mention his convictions for financial fraud and sexual assault, plus his past misdeeds. Why isn't the NYT and others calling for Trump to step down? I do not understand the complete asymmetry in this situation.
Thank you! It was like everyone everywhere was asleep at the switch and giving The NY Times a pass on their blatantly disparate treatment of Biden vs Trump. Keep holding their feet to the fire.
These slips by MSM to hold politicians accountable make the presence of independent journalists vitally important. I wish I could support them more significantly. You are worth more than the pittance I pay to receive your reports.
Thank you, Gentlemen. It is odd that all these yrs as the narrative was being built there were no calls from “inside the house.” In fact, DJT’s campaign didn’t believe their own hype. They sent out debate excuses in advance. NYT has since written about anonymous ‘recent’ concerns including being ‘confused’ in France, bringing to mind the debunked photo & video. They themselves say that in the days since the debate foreign leaders disagree with their narrative.
News coverage for the week of SCOTUS terrible decisions was muted as they turned their eyes to anticipation & drawing conclusions from what is basically a staged made for TV ratings event.
It felt as though the NYT editorial had been waiting for this opportunity & found it in the poor debate performance. A get in front of the parade moment? (I reviewed the CNN transcript. Even after watching the made for TV event, it does not offer grounds for the histrionics of most media or some Dems.) The NYT board did this after faux photo & video of Biden in France made the rounds & after years of denigrating Biden. Are they getting the reaction they expected? Surely they know the dangers of helping elect an anti-democratic authoritarian administration. Are their brains frozen in panic?
I believe these circumstances require taking a deep breath, not panic & division. Good decisions take time. They are not the result of political gamesmanship, coercion, division, chaos or “I told you so.”
None of us know what was behind the muddled responses Biden gave at the debate. Bob Woodward seems convinced there was an incident, perhaps a volatile disagreement, that may have happened just before Biden went on stage. He thinks the media should look into that.
One more time and then I’ll leave this aspect aside. Biden’s been known for eons for his word salads & word choices. It is common knowledge he has a stutter which has been used for snide political commentary. It is a form of aphasia. Many people have forgotten or are not aware of his severe stroke in 1988 followed by 2 brain surgeries and a 6 month recovery. It is also common for strokes to cause various types of aphasia.
Aphasia is NOT related to intelligence. Aphasia has NO impact on a person’s intelligence. Difficulty with words is no more relevant than how many steps he uses to disembark from Air Force -1. Aphasia like stuttering is not always noticeably present. It may be more pronounced when a person is interrupted, rushed or fatigued. Using notes (a prompter) is one suggestion for people who have this issue.
Thank you for your explanation of aphasia. You put into words what many people know about Biden - he has intelligence. I do wish people would take a deep breath, calm down, and make decisions based on facts.
I have a family member with aphasia. His symptoms are much worse and more constant than anything we’ve seen from the president. So is his frustration. I call him most evenings so he has a dedicated time to work on his vocabulary, practice reading & pronouncing words. It’s been several years and his progress is more than anticipated. Now it is about not losing ground. He’s frequently spoken to as either a child or elderly person (LOUD volume, very slowly). He’s learned to censor his irritation but self-censoring also complicates speaking.
I’m not sure we have enough facts to justify drastic decisions. I believe a premature decision could have consequences not being considered. For instance, what would the rest of Biden’s term be like if he withdrew from the ticket? Lots of legislative & foreign leader cooperation?
If Biden withdrew & also left the WH, our VP would become president. Mike Johnson becomes the “next in line” to the president. She can nominate a VP like Gerald Ford did. Would the House confirm as the Dem House (and Senate) did for Ford? That pushes Mike Johnson to 2nd in line again. Plus, while there is no VP there is no tie-breaking vote in the Senate.
These are only a few issues that are not mentioned in the Biden ‘hair on fire’ editorials and advice.
I'm tired of journalistic failure, and isn't it failure when a newspaper or blog stays silent or claims to be neutral when it comes to the vomitous spewing of a GOP cult leader, but screams, in effect, "Off with his head!" when a good incumbent president has a bad debate night? Has Trump's ugly and psychotic tweet on July 4 been pronounced "disastrous" as Biden's debate performance has been?
From Kareem today: American media heavyweights tell president: it’s time to quit: The question isn’t about Biden, it’s about whether or not we will continue to pander to people who base their vote on one TV appearance rather than facts and records.
proving that heavyweights can be amazingly lightweight in their thinking. The amazing thing is that those they are pandering to are quite likely not even subscribers and NOT among those contributing to the bottom line by loving all the sensationalism--they are getting their word from their favorite sources telling them about it.
The New York Times, especially the hyper reactive Editorial Board has from the beginning attacked Joe Biden for age or whatever.
They have mildly criticized Trump on rare occasions .
But this recent out bust has done it for me . I have no faith anymore in the New York Times as a seeker or purveyor of Truth .
I have cancelled my subscription and will not add support of any kind to this institution .
The fact that Trump lies constantly and did through out the debate.
His despicable dangerous comments and attacks ignored or perhaps accepted as normal by the Times.
No call for him to step down based on his hateful chaotic rhetoric.
Trump is obviously energized by his hate .
That’s his core message. Hate .
If that is absolutely not even remarked upon.
But instead , Biden is the problem .
Perhaps the NY Times should admit their preference for Maga rule . As they seem much more comfortable with that.
To be precise: 38 documented lies in the 90 minute debate. Not a word from the NYT
Some have actually counted over 600, if you count the repeats.
Seth Abramson has written it was actually 602 lies in the course of about 40 minutes.
Crickets
NYT re: trump, has been deaf & blind since 2015, ignoring a trove of early, active 1st hand accounts of all egregious trump instincts, actions & reactions to his work, bad investment skills, gross open flagrant social wanderings w/ Epstein, all revealing his lack of any redeeming human characteristics. It will not matter if they become responsible now, the fix is in....
The problem is that this is expected from Trump and the entire media has simply normalized it.
The NYT crucified Biden literally an hour after the withdrawal from Afghanistan began.
Joe Biden or any other President does not have anything to do with the military’s own process or procedure of withdrawing troops from a battlefield or a civilian location!DjT set 5,000 Taliban terrorists free;then Generals set up an inadequate perimeter for civilians to leave—not Joe’s job!
the withdrawal actuated by trumps agrerment to withdraw in 4th quarter 2019, having released 5000 Tsliban prisoners without warning onto isis who were helping us w/prison control . trimp set the-date for evacuation, moved out once but this was a present for Bidrn who was aldo left w/Covid and a fractured govt.
Does anyone remember the NYTimes wholeheartedly and continuously beating the drum for Bush’s Iraq war. Their belligerence resulted in deaths. They were forced to apologize publicly. Nothing stops the almighty know-it-alls as they boldly push their bias. So glad I dumped this rag.
They think their past reputation will sustain them. They're wrong.
Thank you both! This is just common sense for anyone who cherishes democracy and freedom. FWIW, I came up with a list of action items we must do:
We must 1) retain the executive and expand our hold in Congress (expanding the senate and retaking the house). 2) We must eliminate the filibuster so judicial reforms are not blocked. 3) we must pass legislation expanding the court and/or implanting term limits. 4) We must fill the new seats with judges who are not corrupt. 5) a mandatory and strictly enforced code of ethics on Supreme Court must be passed. 6) The expanded Supreme Court must reverse those disastrous and corrupt rulings including both citizens united, along with the “king ruling” ASAP. Failure and faint heartedness are not options.
I agree with you, John. Please tell me how we can expand the Senate because we are literally on a thread there. Don’t forget, Manchin, that SOB, is not running now so that seat could very well go to an R. I mean I won’t miss Manchin, but W. VA.is a tough state where a lot of R’s live and breathe that nice black coal air.
Who's running there now, do you know?
Glenn Elliot is on the Democratic side and Governor Jim Justice on the R side are running against one another. It would be a miracle if Elliot wins. Justice is popular on both sides. He would be the oldest member of the Freshman class of Senators. That state is a wash for us.
I agree. Jim Justice is inexplicably popular in WV with his folksy ways and political savvy. He goes where political winds go. Justice was a Republican. Ran as a Dem for governor. He & DJT won election. He immediately re-joined the GOP. Never changed his spots. He’ll arrive in DC with an open wallet.
He’s an ‘aw-shucks’ mini-trump. His coal companies didn’t pay their taxes in small county KY coal country for years. Those counties eventually had to shut down services. No snow plow crews. They got extra state assistance to keep schools open. Lawsuits were treated as the cost of doing business. Eventually he wanted another KY coal permit. KY leveraged him into a payment plan.
In 2019 Forbes outed him to the world with the headline “Deadbeat Billionaire.” In 2021 Forbes reported:
— Justice, who inherited a coal business from his dad, was revealed in March 2021 to owe $850 million to troubled lender Greensill Capital. News of this previously undisclosed debt led Forbes to remove Justice from its list of billionaires.—
Propublica outed him and his shysterism in 2020.
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-billionaire-governor-whos-been-sued-dozens-of-times-for-millions-in-unpaid-bills
Wow Bravo John G ATA you
Nailed it all kudos, Marsha
From Queens (NY) to the King of the Sandbox, Trump is most likely a traitor. Biden knows the truth as did William Barr when he did his best to detract attention from the Mueller Report.
During Trump’s childhood, the family lived in Queens and then in Brooklyn Boroughs of New York City. Trump finished college in 1968, and not long afterward joined his father in his local real estate business which then became the Trump Organization. By the late 1980’s to early 1990’s, “two Trump-owned companies filed for bankruptcy: the Trump Taj Mahal in 1991 and the Trump Plaza Hotel in 1992. An unflattering biography of Donald Trump, published in 1993, was titled Lost Tycoon and declared that he has become a “public laughingstock” in the wake of his business failures.” (UVA/The Miller Center “DONALD TRUMP: LIFE BEFORE THE PRESIDENCY, By Benjamin C. Waterhouse) These “failures” eventually included six bankruptcies - a strong signal to Russians that this man needs and craves money.
The Russians didn’t laugh at him and in fact, found him to be an ideal candidate for American Komromat - someone who could be easily cultivated, caught/photographed with his pants down, bribed with money, and used/misused by the KGB. His ties to the Russian mafia go back three decades, but today this relationship likely grew from buying TVs for his many hotel rooms from the Russian mafia to selling TOP SECRET USG documents to the KGB.
“On November 9, 2016, just a few minutes after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, a man named Vyacheslav Nikonov approached a microphone in the Russian State Duma (their equivalent of the US House of Representatives) and made a very unusual statement. ‘Dear friends, respected colleagues!” Nikonov said. “Three minutes ago, Hillary Clinton admitted her defeat in US presidential elections, and a second ago Trump started his speech as an elected president of the United States of America, and I congratulate YOU on this’.” (Journalist Craig Unger talks about Russia, Trump, and “one of the greatest intelligence operations in history.” VOX Politics, by Sean Illing, January 12, 2019.)
Far removed from mid and rural America, “Russian organized crime has been active in New York City's Brighton Beach since the 1970s. The insular community, which is located near Coney Island, has a large Russian immigrant population, and has produced notorious crime bosses such as Evsei Agron, Vyacheslav Ivankov, and Marat Balagula - to name a few.” (Google search)
He married Ivana and made his first trip to Russia in 1987. From that time, Trump was a target for entrapment and enlistment in the KGB/FSB. When Nikonov congratulated the Russian DUMA for Trump’s win of the U.S. presidency, the Russians were celebrating “one of the greatest intelligence and clandestine operations in modern history. The Russian KGB had trapped, skillfully developed, and maneuvered a Russian “asset” into the highest political position in the United States - President Donald Trump.” (Unger)
A New York Times bestselling author - Craig Unger - wrote two books on this subject: House of Trump, House of Putin and American Kompromat. Much of the material and research for From Democracy to Democrazy came from Unger, but were also a written rendition of my 20 years living and working in dictator-led countries - mostly Russia, and directly dealing with such men and women. It took me several years to adjust from living in a free society to living in a mafia-type of controlled environment. Today the head of this completely corrupt society is Vladimir Putin - and no one worldwide dares to cross him.
The American public, TV news commentators, Trumpers, and Maga people - all ignore this crucial danger unfolding in the United States. The 2-year, $32 million dollar Mueller Report was labeled a hoax due to William Barr’s unexplainable actions. His interference needs to be investigated. This report was NOT a hoax but a carefully researched and an impressive attempt to gather all facts and evidence regarding Trump’s relationship to the Russian mafia/KGB. It presents a terrifying depiction of “the pure evil of those who Trump chose to do business with.” (Ibid) It also explains Trump’s treasonous relationship with Russia. The shadow cast by Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and darker by the moment. You and I have little to no influence over Putin, but our collective votes in this upcoming election are the essential, vital, and interpretative movement to save our democracy.
Elizabeth Graham
www.democrazy2020.org
Elizabeth thanks for telling the truth about Trump I lived in NYC from
1965-1993 and was aware of how accurately you have reported the truth about failures of Trump😱
Thank you, Marsha
Definitely intriguing.
Thank you, guys - you are saying exactly what we discussed over morning coffee. One thought I had is that we can surmise what Pres. Biden and his crew are discussing about his future, but really, I think they are wise to keep the heavy decisions close to their vests for the immediate future. He is not surrounded by flash-in-the-pan advisors, and he himself is a clear and deliberate thinker, all of whom want the best for our country and its standards. The only thing I know for sure right now is I will not vote for Trump, and I will support the dicisions made by the group in the White House now. We have to stay steady and watch carefully that we are not swayed by unpopular opinions that are counter to Democracy. Who would have imagined we are even having this discussion!?
This idea that it is somehow weakness to discuss options absolutely amazes me. Of COURSE he should consider the debate performance and ways to deal with it. The NYT seemed to see their "breaking news" on this as somehow damning. What do you WANT in a president--someone who thinks or someone who chooses not to think about important decisions but "trusts his (considerable) gut?"
In 2016, the NY Times had a front-page "but her emails" just about every day. Nothing about the corrupt tffg, even though it had to know of his shady business dealings for decades.
Now it's doing the same thing to President Biden. His age, the "debate", or anything else it can criticize, are on the front page. There's not a word about his finally getting repair of our long-neglected infrastructure, his expansion of NATO and strengthening of ties to our non-NATO allies, the most robust post-COVID economy in the world, the vastly improved job market, and the record stock market highs, his thoughtful and compassionate appearance at Normandy on D-Day..
tffg lied for an hour-and-a-half on the night of the so-called debate. No discussion of this in the NY Times. The lying felon should be the one to be forced to step down, preferably into a prison cell, not President Biden. tffg is threatening our democracy, has stripped a 50-year right of women to control their own bodies (what man would tolerate being treated this way??), has rigged the not-so-Supreme Court with dishonest religious zealots, yet the Times still treats both men as equivalent candidates. They are not.
Shame, shame, shame on the Times. I've canceled my subscription to it and to the Washington Post for their dereliction of duty to responsible journalism and to the citizens of this democracy.
That's right. The WaPo too. It seems their "Democracy Dies in Darkness" was only a reaction to their nose being out of joint from their reporters being kicked out of the briefing room for asking tough questions. They will have a reasonable article, then three offensive ones. I've come to realize the few reasonable even handed articles are just in there to get the offensive material in front of your face. As we've seen with the NYT people will say "well, but they had this quite good article yesterday" as if that makes up for the garbage stew they're serving on the rest of the plate.
I’ve given up on WaPo returning to actual journalism. I read there was an internal brouhaha over a Bezo suggestion to use articles from other outlets and rewrite them. The now former editor wanted original journalism. WaPo will soon be like the other generic publications. We’ve seen it at the local level. It’s no wonder they are losing their a$$.
This reminds me of the recent Jack Hopkins interview with a woman (sorry I do forget her name but she was engaging) who was explaining how our local air stations have been taken over by just a very few mega-buck media corporations so that people simply do not, cannot, tap into other more reliable sources of information in places all over the country. It is well worth a listen if you can find the time or while you do other tasks (no visual aids for example):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ghp8pp3g_4
Yes, and almost every criticism leads back to “his age” - Perfect to attack because it cannot be change. So it is the debate; he uses a shorter set of steps to disembark from AF-1; he walks stiffly; his voice is hoarse on and on. They use it to open the door to their “medical” diagnosis.
In 2020 he broke small bone(s) in his foot which did not show up initially. After that is when I noticed his walk had changed. Although there may be other reasons I’ll use it as an example.
I have a plate in my ankle when it shattered over 40 yrs ago. The only way it affects my thinking is that I’m careful on stairs and not keen on using them outdoors in the wind. I don’t run foot races. But I never did. As I remember Bill Clinton was well known for often having a hoarse or raspy voice. I don’t think anyone believed it affected his decision making.
Much of this is culture & political players looking for an opening to impose their wishes. We have a culture that does not value seniors. “Boomers” are viewed as past their expiration date; blamed for all that is wrong in the world & generally in the way of all things good. The Big$$ crowd is very bold. Big donors always want to steer the ship. Dems are known to panic easily, especially where their victory is in question.
Ginning up public pressure this way is dangerous. It affects our interactions on the world stage with allies and enemies. It ratchets up hope for Dem division among maga. It overlooks obstacles legal, political & practical to some of their desires.
This and other letters like this need to be sent to every DEM representative and every talking head not already lost to common sense (IE forget about any on FOX), and a good place to start is the list of those five who have openly called for Biden to step down (only five?) and the eleven who supposedly "expressed doubts" listed in an on-going article by WaPo "which will be updated" but which does not list those who have said Biden is our candidate and we stand by him.
Oh, it gets worse.
I found a TIME article on why Biden walks stiffly - https://time.com/6256442/bidens-physical-healthy-gait-age/
And guess what the GOP was planning months ahead of the debate.
https://newrepublic.com/post/183439/heritage-foundation-plan-swing-states-biden-replacement
Most of these folks (Dems) are not thinking about the state ballot processes, campaign finance laws or that this is a big topic after the primary delegates were selected. Nor are they thinking about the fact that Biden is only ~halfway through his term.
https://newrepublic.com/post/183439/heritage-foundation-plan-swing-states-biden-replacement
Interesting that this was known since at least February. Why didn’t all the smart people pay attention and not feed into it? Why litigate it in public and create chaos?
One theory was: “… Democrats planning to get Biden off the ballot all along and simply biding their time until they pull the trigger.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/09/republicans-joe-biden-nominee-swap-00140209
This isn’t a media “miss”. This is a media feeding frenzy. Why is MSM choosing who the next democratic nominee is? What right have they? We should be incensed. Why are democrats flailing about with all the hand wringing and self flagellation? C’mon people! If Joe thinks he can do it and wants to stay in, I’m all for it. His only other choice is to resign, let Kamala be president and let her run as an incumbent. But that is his choice, not the NYT. And we democrats shouldn’t be falling for MSM and MAGA ploy - which is for profits and our demise. They’ve had Biden in their crosshairs for a long time. And don’t think it will stop if Biden is replaced. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing when they pretend to have our best interests in mind.
Two, three likes if I may.
Why does NOONE speaK of the point that if Biden got re-elected, he’s got the whole workable system and administration already in place which will be able to deal with our country and world problems efficiently from day one without the total set up a new democrats administration. The need to set up entire new everything for another democrat will really reduce the democratics strength while they do that!
The current administration, btw, already has the Presidents BEST REPLACEMENT already in place — our Vice President, why is this not even being talked about?? She is amazing and set to do so. So let Biden go on and it is the press’ obligation to make all these clear for the people because he will step down if he can’t carry on- as He will be honest and it will pass on to his vice president.
I do not know why no democrat is making this clear!!!
These should be the reasons Biden route beer way of Trump out with the most benefit to the US domestically and abroad!
Let the man prove he’s OK (which he’s been doing!) and let his amazing vice president step in for him when necessary because I’m sure President Biden will step aide as I trust he will recognizes any ability to not work and do so
I like your post, but I think something happened there, auto correct maybe? What does “Biden route beer way of Trump” mean?
Wow that was a strange autocorrect.
Thank you for pointing it out.
Lost train of thought but suffice it to say
If all the good Biden has done was spoken of more verses the danger of the alternative be more reported! .:: including speaking more the pre set up easy way out for Biden at the right time - with his VP Kamala …:being what the public was hearing more of - there should then be no reason for a bad night only be why Biden not continue and be supported to do so — what are we thinking!!!! That’s what the New York Times should be supporting &. pushing for
.::in addition to telling the truth about the other side of debate and all the hundreds of lies.or just the other side and the serious nature of many of his past days!
Omg. Wow really was an autocorrect I guess it was certainly not corrected – lol. It seems I was trying to say something like
This is unreal: President Biden has a debate marked by his speaking problems and there is a big outcry for him to drop out as a candidate…BUT, Trump is convicted of felonies and sexual assault and no one has demanded or even asked that he be dropped as the candidate of one of our two major political parties.
For anyone concerned about President Biden’s ability to do his job at any time, we have a capable vice president,Kamala Harris.
They offered a weak excuse.
• It is a tragedy that Republicans themselves are not engaged in deeper soul-searching after Thursday’s debate. Mr. Trump’s own performance ought to be regarded as disqualifying.
BUT BUT BUT
• The Republican Party, however, has been co-opted by Mr. Trump’s ambitions. The burden rests on the Democratic Party to put the interests of the nation above the ambitions of a single man.
I feel like I’ve been screaming this into an abyss all day…why is the bar so high for Joe Biden, yet seemingly so low or nonexistent for the convicted felon?
I have confidence that Joe will do the right thing. If he decides to pull out of the race, he can stand tall, be proud of his transformative leadership, and be able to say that he did some thing Donald Trump would NEVER do…put the country before himself.
Thanks, Steven, I agree with you completely on this. Very disappointed that the NYT calls for Biden to step aside after a bad debate but does not do the same with Trump. While Trump seemed more vigorous, he was also far more dishonest and his debate performance was not stellar either. Not to mention his convictions for financial fraud and sexual assault, plus his past misdeeds. Why isn't the NYT and others calling for Trump to step down? I do not understand the complete asymmetry in this situation.
Thank you! It was like everyone everywhere was asleep at the switch and giving The NY Times a pass on their blatantly disparate treatment of Biden vs Trump. Keep holding their feet to the fire.
These slips by MSM to hold politicians accountable make the presence of independent journalists vitally important. I wish I could support them more significantly. You are worth more than the pittance I pay to receive your reports.
Thank you.
Some people seem to think that reinventing the wheel is a good thing when it’s a silly waste of time and talent. #itsthemediastupid
Thank you, Gentlemen. It is odd that all these yrs as the narrative was being built there were no calls from “inside the house.” In fact, DJT’s campaign didn’t believe their own hype. They sent out debate excuses in advance. NYT has since written about anonymous ‘recent’ concerns including being ‘confused’ in France, bringing to mind the debunked photo & video. They themselves say that in the days since the debate foreign leaders disagree with their narrative.
News coverage for the week of SCOTUS terrible decisions was muted as they turned their eyes to anticipation & drawing conclusions from what is basically a staged made for TV ratings event.
It felt as though the NYT editorial had been waiting for this opportunity & found it in the poor debate performance. A get in front of the parade moment? (I reviewed the CNN transcript. Even after watching the made for TV event, it does not offer grounds for the histrionics of most media or some Dems.) The NYT board did this after faux photo & video of Biden in France made the rounds & after years of denigrating Biden. Are they getting the reaction they expected? Surely they know the dangers of helping elect an anti-democratic authoritarian administration. Are their brains frozen in panic?
I believe these circumstances require taking a deep breath, not panic & division. Good decisions take time. They are not the result of political gamesmanship, coercion, division, chaos or “I told you so.”
None of us know what was behind the muddled responses Biden gave at the debate. Bob Woodward seems convinced there was an incident, perhaps a volatile disagreement, that may have happened just before Biden went on stage. He thinks the media should look into that.
One more time and then I’ll leave this aspect aside. Biden’s been known for eons for his word salads & word choices. It is common knowledge he has a stutter which has been used for snide political commentary. It is a form of aphasia. Many people have forgotten or are not aware of his severe stroke in 1988 followed by 2 brain surgeries and a 6 month recovery. It is also common for strokes to cause various types of aphasia.
Aphasia is NOT related to intelligence. Aphasia has NO impact on a person’s intelligence. Difficulty with words is no more relevant than how many steps he uses to disembark from Air Force -1. Aphasia like stuttering is not always noticeably present. It may be more pronounced when a person is interrupted, rushed or fatigued. Using notes (a prompter) is one suggestion for people who have this issue.
Thank you for your explanation of aphasia. You put into words what many people know about Biden - he has intelligence. I do wish people would take a deep breath, calm down, and make decisions based on facts.
I have a family member with aphasia. His symptoms are much worse and more constant than anything we’ve seen from the president. So is his frustration. I call him most evenings so he has a dedicated time to work on his vocabulary, practice reading & pronouncing words. It’s been several years and his progress is more than anticipated. Now it is about not losing ground. He’s frequently spoken to as either a child or elderly person (LOUD volume, very slowly). He’s learned to censor his irritation but self-censoring also complicates speaking.
I’m not sure we have enough facts to justify drastic decisions. I believe a premature decision could have consequences not being considered. For instance, what would the rest of Biden’s term be like if he withdrew from the ticket? Lots of legislative & foreign leader cooperation?
If Biden withdrew & also left the WH, our VP would become president. Mike Johnson becomes the “next in line” to the president. She can nominate a VP like Gerald Ford did. Would the House confirm as the Dem House (and Senate) did for Ford? That pushes Mike Johnson to 2nd in line again. Plus, while there is no VP there is no tie-breaking vote in the Senate.
These are only a few issues that are not mentioned in the Biden ‘hair on fire’ editorials and advice.
I'm tired of journalistic failure, and isn't it failure when a newspaper or blog stays silent or claims to be neutral when it comes to the vomitous spewing of a GOP cult leader, but screams, in effect, "Off with his head!" when a good incumbent president has a bad debate night? Has Trump's ugly and psychotic tweet on July 4 been pronounced "disastrous" as Biden's debate performance has been?