A bipartisan group of Congressional leaders led by Senator John McCain ( R – AZ ), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, released the following joint statement on December 11 in response to news reports on the CIA’s analysis of Russian interference with the 2016 election :
” For years, foreign adversaries have directed cyberattacks at America’s physical, economic and military infrastructure, while stealing our intellectual property. Now our democratic institutions have been targeted. Recent reports of Russian interference in our elections should alarm every American…”
Like Bob Woodward, I believe in a free press : ” Real reporting is the best obtainable version of the truth.”
One can only hope that a speedy Congressional investigation will restore our confidence in free elections.
Fred Rich LaRiccia
I agree that this investigation is necessary, but will the truth coming out restore our confidence in free elections?
Any result showing interference will be dismissed by Trump, and nearly all elected GOP officials will agree (because they have no shame). But even if we can resolve this issue, we won’t have resolved the GOP’s systematic stripping of voting rights. Every voter ID law or closing off early voting or trying to close polls when people are arriving or lengthening the time before election day that one need be registered is legal election rigging, especially now that parts of the Voting Rights Act are no longer being enforced. There are many things that caused this election to go the wrong way, and losing a few percentage points in many GOP-controlled states was definitely one of them.
This investigation should absolutely happen, though I fear it will turn into a political football and nothing more. But when it comes to confidence in our elections, we are not even close to be able to trust them, in my opinion.
You really don’t trust our elections?
I trust they represent the accounting of those who cast votes. I don’t think that in many places they represent the “will of the people.” In addition to the voter suppression efforts you have things like felon disenfranchisement that is permanent in a number of states. So, I trust them as accounting exercises of those who cast ballots, but I think that in many places the voting systems are broken.
There’s also issues like Crosscheck, which probably had an impact this year, but only Palast is covering.
unless, and until, we return to the principle of ‘one man, one vote’ by abolishing GOP voter suppression violations of the Voting Rights Act especially in critical battleground states AND I am convinced foreign powers have not put their thumb on the scale to corrupt our liberty.
Fred Rich LaRiccia
.
Never thought that was a sentence I’d ever have to type
…and I of course used the Watergate analogy in another diary, but Nixon was qualified, took the job seriously, and must be spinning in his grave over this.
I am over age 35 and born in the US.
Everything else is nothing but custom and expectation
isn’t always the best kind of correct.
…that means you are ELIGIBLE to be President, which includes a good chunk of our population. To be QUALIFIED you must have the skills and experience necessary to be successful though I concede that is subjective and open to debate. As a 38-year old natural born citizen who has lived in the US at least 14 years, 2016 is the first election year for which I am eligible to be President too, but I would not claim that I am qualified.
I’m 5’10”, 168 pounds, 20/20 eyesight with corrective lenses, and just passed my last physical with flying colors. Sure, I’ve never flown a plane, but that’s okay. Most of them have auto-pilot and if that’s not available, I chose a good co-pilot.
You still wanna fly with me at the controls.
Please stop guys. You sound like Northern liberal elitists. This is America, anyone can be President.
PP is exactly right. GHW Bush was the most qualified President our lifetimes. The (arguably) least qualified was Barack Obama — a much better President.
Okay?
I understand why you want to erect artificial barriers to the presidency.
But that is not, was not, never has been the concept.
Not constitutional ones beyond what’s already there, but every job has its qualifications, sometimes referred to as knowledge, skills, and abilities. The presidency is not only no different, but if anything KSAs are MORE important for that than for a lot of other jobs.
…but that does not mean anyone SHOULD be President. I AM a northern liberal elitist, thank you very much! I’m glad we have a system where anyone can theoretically grow up to be POTUS regardless of background, but I also have standards. Why are you concern-trolling this one?
I think we disagree on the definition of that term, so I can’t reply to that.
And yes, it does mean anyone should be President at some point. One man’s qualification is another man’s unreachable standard. You and I could probably agree on three or four qualifications — but they would block to many people, and the Constitution tries to prevent such blocking.
This is not to say Donald J. Trump should be President. He clearly should not. But that’s a different issue. Someone LIKE Trump is acceptable (a business guy who’s been around politics).
I’m glad you have confirmed you believe Trump should not be President; I was starting to wonder because you seemed to be defending his qualifications which is what sounded like concern-trolling. Personally, I would be very hard pressed to consider someone qualified who has never held public office previously and in Trump’s case he not only hasn’t hit the threshold, but seems to actively work against getting there. It’s really simple to me. Eligibility is objective. You either are or are not at least 35, a natural born citizen, and a 14-year resident. Qualified is subjective, but I can’t think of any other President not only less qualified upon taking office, but who worked so hard to show how unqualified he is.
…that electors be given an intelligence briefing on this before they vote next week, though I assume most don’t have the proper clearances for that.
security briefing for Electors on Russian election tampering.
Fred Rich LaRiccia
Is he that worried it will be exposed as smoke and mirrors?
Our President is judicious with information gathered in the course of investigations.
I actually think his biggest weakness might be his supreme reluctance to pull the trigger on anything that might look partisan or ruffle any feathers.
with hacked material to insure Clinton loss.
GOP Senate foreign policy hawks Graham, McCain and Rubio are furious and plan to grill SOS nominee and Putin buddy Tillerson.
Fred Rich LaRiccia