I offer the following account of betrayal that every Gold Star family member has seared in their memory.
This is the treason that every patriot will take to the ballot box on November 3.
“The CAO’s (Casualty Assistance Officer’s) will arrive at the doorstep of an American family. There will always be two and they will be dressed immaculately in the dress uniform of their service branch. It is their solemn duty to deliver the news that an American soldier, sailor, airman or marine has been killed in action. The body or the remaining parts will be packed in ice and placed in an aluminum casket. The casket will be draped in the flag of the United States of America. It will be carried aboard a military aircraft passed service members standing at attention and saluting their fallen comrade. That plane will land at Dover, Delaware and the family will be there to receive their loved one.
There will be an honor guard that carries the casket to the waiting hearse past service members standing at attention and saluting. From the moment of death the body will have never been unaccompanied. There will be a military funeral. Taps will be played and three volleys of rifle fire will crack the air. The flag will be folded and then presented to a young widow or widower on behalf of a grateful nation. The Russians will pay the bounty for the dead American to an Afghan warlord. The President of the United States knows this but he chooses to do worse than nothing. He rewards the Russians. He fights for their interests. He fights to have them rejoin the G-7. He delights them by withdrawing Americans from Germany. He puts his illiberal cronies in charge of VOA. He doesn’t care about the dead American Soldier. Trump went to West Point and saw the young officers who will soon be targeted for death by Russian money. The cowardly Republican Senators will say nothing. They are too afraid to be tweeted at by Trump. The whole rancid lot of apologists. collaborators and silent weaklings needs to be repudiated by the righteous rage of the American people in November.” Steve Schmidt
SomervilleTom says
Mr. Trump and his ilk will do all in their power to suppress the voice and righteous rage of the American people — now, in November, and afterwards. That power is indeed immense.
The outcome is not at all certain to this observer.
Christopher says
The Lincoln Project has churned out almost an ad a day, but they need to be on TV!
fredrichlariccia says
The president “didn’t hear” the man shout “White Power.”
The president “didn’t see” the brief about Russia.
The president “didn’t know” about Juneteenth.
“Not knowing isn’t an excuse, it’s an indictment.” The Lincoln Project
doubleman says
Don’t fall for this grift!
Schmidt helped put us on a path to Trump (as did others involved in this “project”). Remember, he’s the one that thrust Sarah Palin into the national spotlight, encouraging the GOP’s embrace of the right wing and packaged in celebrity ignorance. Rick Wilson made ads comparing Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden.
Don’t trust these Republicans. They don’t have a problem with any of the policies. They just don’t like the tweeting and the chaos.
If we fall for this and embrace them, we’ll be accepting the idea that removing Trump is a complete solution. It isn’t. The entire party needs to be demolished. Full stop.
SomervilleTom says
Donald Trump is the harvest of GOP pandering to ignorance, racism, sexism, and greed for generations.
I suspect that the primary motivation for this publicity stunt by steadfast Republicans is to get Mr. Trump out of the way now that he has become a liability.
Mr. Pence is a MUCH stronger candidate, and I strongly suspect that replacing Donald Trump with Mike Pence on the November ballot is the real goal of this effort.
doubleman says
Yes. They have few issues with Pence, though I bet they’d prefer another conservative (though not outwardly scary) freak like John Kasich. They want their fascism to seem serious and competent not the racist, sexist, corrupt, greed that it is, and that is so clearly and baldly demonstrated by Trump.
I wonder how much Schmidt is getting paid by MSNBC to be their go to Republican guy that makes liberals feel good.
jconway says
They’ve all gone on record saying that the GOP should be defeated up and down the ballot, they are now cutting ads for Democratic Senate candidates, and they all say any Republican who worked with this president is toxic for the party going forward. It will take a few cycles for them to be comfortable with a cosmopolitan GOP. That outcome is ultimately healthier for politics in America. In the long run building an inclusive GOP requires ensuring Democratic dominance for a good time to come.
Christopher says
How is it you come up with so many scenarios that will never happen?
Biden will not be replaced as the Dem nominee.
Trump will not be replaced as the Republican nominee.
The November election will not be cancelled.
Trump will not remain President after 1/20/21 if he loses.
SomervilleTom says
I remember the moment that LBJ announced he would not run for re-election in 1968. That, too, was one of those “scenarios that will never happen.”
I have seen, heard, and experienced a long and growing list of “scenarios that will never happen”.
I can tell you that every good to excellent software developer that I know spends a great deal of their time writing, testing, and debugging code that handles “scenarios that will never happen.”
It is code, usually written by junior developers that accept as fact those “scenarios that will never happen”, that is responsible for nearly every major system outage I can think of.
If somebody told you in 2014 that a genuine videotape featuring a major party candidate for President bragging about grabbing women by their private parts would be broadcast on all major networks for days or weeks, would that be on or off your list of “scenarios that will never happen”? If somebody told you that said candidate would go on to win the election, would THAT be on or off your list of “scenarios that will never happen”?
I suggest that we are living in a time of absolutely unprecedented chaos, uncertainty, incompetence, and unfathomable corruption.
ANYTHING can happen between now and a year from now. ANYTHING.
Christopher says
The videotape of Trump’s raunchy comments is a political question and it’s never a sure bet what voters will consider. I was one of those cautioning against rooting for Trump to be the Republican nominee on the premise of how obviously awful he was because a major party nominee always has a shot. The items I listed are procedural or even legal requirements and the LBJ example isn’t apt because he withdrew after one primary and there was still plenty of time for others to jump in and accumulate delegates by normal procedures. Neither presumptive nominee will withdraw and Republican delegates are fiercely loyal to Trump. Both parties’ rules require votes as committed on the first ballot. The only way Plan B needs to take effect is if one of them dies; if before the convention then convention becomes an actual nominating body; if after the respective national committee chooses a replacement.
jconway says
I agree it would be unprecedented and would probably screw over the GOP for the fall, but I could also totally see Trump valuing his own ego over the GOP’s electoral prospects. He already has so many times.
Big Jim Conway is 2-0 on his Trump predictions. He hates Trump, but cynically predicted he’d win the GOP nomination and beat Hillary. He also said Trump either would not finish his term or not run for re-election, so there’s still time. I could see Trump being a chicken and bailing out of a re-elect before the convention or if he’s still down by double digits in the fall.
Christopher says
I’m comfortable with the enemy of my enemy is my friend on this one.
jconway says
Schmidt endorsed Obama in 2012, left the GOP, and has gone to great lengths to separate himself from the debacle of Sarah Palin and right wing drift of the party. David Frum, Max Boot, and Jennifer Rubin are all worth reading and also seem unlikely to back a Republican anytime soon. Even Kristol has (justly) accepted his fair share of the blame and seems unlikely to go back to the GOP. George Wills criticism is also succinct and spells out the many ways Trump has violated the constitution.
Just as it was fine to work with Stalin to beat Hitler, it’s fine to work with some Republicans to beat Trump. Wilson in Particular is the kind of hard hitting strategist we need more of on our side. His ad copies go right for the jugular. And over 65+ voters who actually reliably show up the polls are deserting Trump in droves. Many of them former Reagan Democrats or Bush Republicans.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/28/us/politics/trump-approval-older-voters-coronavirus.amp.html
doubleman says
I don’t think that’s true about him endorsing Obama in 2012. He was thrilled by the Romney pick of Paul Ryan as VP.
He left the party in 2018, and got a lot of press and media bookings.
He was hired as the lead strategist for Howard Schultz’s shortlived absurd vanity campaign.
Grifters gonna grift.
Exactly zero Republican votes are needed to defeat Trump. But we’re indulging in this Sorkin-universe fantasy of bipartisanship and believing in good Republicans that is keeping this party from embracing the popular ideas that can help it win and also materially improve peoples lives.
Christopher says
I don’t want to defeat Donald Trump. I want to crush him then salt the earth around his legacy. I want to prove to ourselves and the world once and for all that his fascism, treason, and bigotry are not welcome in our politics by people of any mainstream party.
SomervilleTom says
Amen.
I want Donald Trump, William Barr, and Rudy Giuliani to be investigated, prosecuted, convicted, and jailed for the long list of felonies each has committed.
jconway says
I actually see a lot of these thinkers evolving in a more progressive direction on race and social policy. Boot in particular wrote a whole book analyzing and apologizing for the Southern strategy, so it’s obvious some of them recognize that their party and the conservative movement is largely to blame for Trump.
A lot of 2018 districts came down to 2012 Romney voters defecting to the Democrats. We are seeing a long term realignment exacerbated by Trump and Covid. College education levels have now joined race as a key predictor of voting behavior. College educated voters have defected from the GOP in droves since Trump came into office, and I don’t see them voting for the likes of Hawkey, Haley, or Cotton down the line. A candidate like Kasich or Bloomberg could never win the GOo primary, so I think moderates will stick with Democrats like Biden until our party stops nominating them.
Failing to effectively court this demographic and black voters effectively doomed the Clinton against Trump and the Sanders campaign against Biden. I want to emphasize the and. Jamelle Boule and Tom Edsall have penned a lot of great columns arguing that the new coalition is woke college educated whites and energized communities of color. So no, I won’t pander to working class white cultural anxiety, but we are stuck with suburbanites in our coalition for awhile. We could reject them as you propose or educate them as BLM and the climate movement has successfully done on economics issues you care about.
Trickle up says
Doubleman: Don’t trust these guys!
Me: My attitude is, let’s them and him fight.
bob-gardner says
In this case Fred’s attitude toward Republicans makes a lot of sense.
bob-gardner says
Imagine how surprised all these Lincoln Republicans will be if Biden is elected and completely ignores them because his administration is so progressive! Because the joke’s on them, not on us.
Right?
fredrichlariccia says
Wrong again, Bob.
fredrichlariccia says
“A leader must calm boiling tensions and divisions. Trump will inflame them tonight. With each vile utterance Trump will further vandalize the Office of the President of the United States. He will desecrate Independence Day with his malignant blustering and divisiveness. Shame. Steve Schmidt
bob-gardner says
So you think Biden will listen carefully to the Republicans and ignore the progressives?
bob-gardner says
Changed my mind on Fred’s comment. I’m used to him being incoherent, but I admire anyone who can reach total incoherence in two words.
Does anyone have a clue about what Fred means?
terrymcginty says
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=z9NJa1b2hFo
SomervilleTom says
Finally! I can’t believe it’s taken this long to name this betrayer what he is. The vital counterpart is to similarly name his counterparts in the GOP and US Senate — people like Mitch McConnell (“Moscow Mitch”), Lindsay Graham, and others.
The GOP has been selling its collective soul to the highest bidder for generations (that pretty much defines the values and principles of the party) and has finally been bought by Vladimir Putin. The question is why so many Americans join the GOP in its betrayal of everything America holds dear.
Christopher says
These ads by Vote Vets and LP are all great, but I hope they are reaching the audience they need to and not just serving as political porn for those of us who already can’t stand Trump. I have yet to see any on TV.
Trickle up says
Christopher, apparently they have a target audience of one.
Christopher says
At the end of the day Trump will still vote himself. It’s fun watching Trump pitch a fit, but that’s not what will decide the election.
terrymcginty says
These ads do not just “have a target audience of one”, they are running in swing states (naturally).
terrymcginty says
Sorry Christopher I was referring to Trickle up’s comment.
terrymcginty says
The above link is to the new Vote Vets “BenedictTrump” ad.
It’ll knock your socks off.
bob-gardner says
A better summary of the “bounty” story is here https://consortiumnews.com/2020/07/05/bountygate-scapegoating-systemic-military-failure-in-afghanistan/
I would compare what Ritter said in 2003 about WMD’s to what each of the “Lincoln Republicans” said.
Who would you believe this time?
SomervilleTom says
You’re cherry-picking again. In fairness, surely we should also include Mr. Ritter’s statements in 1998 while he was a UN Weapons inspector, when the New York Times reports (https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/24/magazine/scott-ritter-s-iraq-complex.html)::
If we’re going to look at Mr. Ritter’s 2003 statements about WMDS, shouldn’t we also include what Mr. Ritter said in 1998?
So long as the question is about who we should believe, it seems relevant to mention that Mr. Ritter is also a convicted pedophile (see the above NYTimes link). Scott Ritter was caught red-handed engaging in an sexually graphic exchanges — including webcam images — by a Barrett Township, PA police officer posing as a 15-year-old girl. He was caught in February of 2009 and convicted in 2011.
It turns out that the 2009 incident was not his first (https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Ritter-gets-prison-time-2237126.php):
Mr. Ritter does not strike me as a particularly credible source.
bob-gardner says
This is about as pathological as it gets, Tom. Sometimes your pure hate overshadows even your self-righteous paranoia.
SomervilleTom says
Heh. Just the reaction I expected.
It appears to me that anybody who dares disagree with anything you write is “pathological” to you.
Christopher says
Knock it off with the ad hominems!
bob-gardner says
Ah, Christopher, are you reading the same thread? I linked to an article about Afghanistan, and the response was a totally irrelevant screed about Scott Ritter’s sexual problems. Not to put too fine a point on it, that’s not rational.
And no, Tom, I don’t call everyone who disagrees with me “pathological”. Just you. And I stand by what I said.
SomervilleTom says
Christopher is reading the same thread.
I guess you missed the first quotes of my response, where Mr. Ritter vigorously argued for intervention in Iraq.
I’ll make an offer, though: I’ll promise to forgo any future “irrelevant” comments about people like Scott Ritter if you promise to make no more equally irrelevent mention of Gerry Studds.
bob-gardner says
So that’s what this is about. You’re still in mourning for Gerry Studds’ reputation? https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/08/21/paul-report-substantiates-new-allegations-sexual-misconduct-against-former-teachers/sfVDmp1xM19eWlEtVFK0eK/story.html
Studds was a predator, but that doesn’t make him wrong about Vietnam. Did I ever suggest otherwise?
Ritter was right in the runup to the Iraq War, while a lot of the “Lincoln Republicans” were clamoring for war on the basis of WMD’s.
They are still clamoring for war. I’m perfectly willing, though,to praise them for their sexual propriety, if that will make you happy.
I’m against more war, especially when it is based on weak intelligence that not even the National Security Agency credits. I’m not asking you to pal around with Scott Ritter. I don’t claim that he has always been right about everything.
But Ritter was a lot closer to the truth around 2003 than any of the people pushing this latest war.
SomervilleTom says
Sigh. Whatever, Bob.
SomervilleTom says
Again you just slide past the fact that Scott Ritter was for intervention in Iraq before he was against it.
Was Mr. Ritter “closer to the truth” in 2003 than he was in 1998? Or was he just more in agreement with your own biases?
This thread is about a President who is betraying American values by licking Vladimir Putin’s boots even while Mr. Putin is paying $100,000 for each murdered American soldier.
Your attempt to obscure that is as revolting as the betrayal itself.
bob-gardner says
@”. . . Mr. Putin is paying $100,000 for each murdered American soldier.. . . “
Before that it was Sadam Hussein stockpiles of yellowcake, and before that it was the babies being dumped out of incubators in Kuwait.
When I read a story that seems calculated to push us into war on the basis of emotion, I am skeptical. Even if my skepticism is portrayed as “betrayal” and “revolting”.(Nice job avoiding ad hominem attacks, Tom. I’m sure Christopher appreciates it.)
Whatever Ritter thought about attacking Iraq in 1998, by 2003 he apparently came to the conclusion that the evidence didn’t support an invasion. The ability to consider evidence is what sets Ritter apart from the people who are pushing, or falling for, the bounty story.
Christopher says
Can you clarify for all of us whose side you are on? You seem to both complain when people aren’t progressive enough and are skeptical of accusations against Russia. Whom are you supporting for President (only 2 realistic choices at this point)? As for ad hominems, Tom’s at least usually require provocation, whereas you seem to drag down the discourse with the first comment you make on a given thread!
bob-gardner says
Christopher, that’s kind of a strange criticism. I thought you were just upset with my “dragging down the discourse” or however you phrase it. Now, it seems that your real concern is “what side I’m on”.
Really? You want more opinions from me? I’m sick of reading my opinions myself. People should be grateful when I don’t post my opinion on every topic.
Getting into an argument about who started the ad hominem attacks first seems counterproductive.
SomervilleTom says
@Getting into an argument about who started the ad hominem:
Try this:
Christopher says
I am both trying to discern which side you are on and hope you can tell us in a civil manner.
SomervilleTom says
You toss out gems such as:
and then whine about ad-hominem attacks. Hilarious.
I see no evidence that you’re considering evidence at all. Your commentary reminds me of the shady real-estate lawyers I used to see pitching zoning changes in Billerica — masterful at cherry-picking phrases here and there to construct a case that is completely at odds with anything resembling the truth, facts, or any sort of consistency.
I am revolted by your attempt to deny the plain truth of the Russian bounties and of the eagerness of the Trump administration to ignore them. I was similarly revolted by your earlier attempts to deny Russian involvement in the many cyber attacks that have been underway for years — as I recall, you don’t even admit that the cyber war even exists.
Sergei and Yulia Scripal were poisoned in 2018. Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned by the same nerve agent in 2006 — a nerve agent produced only by Russia. The suspected perpetrators in those attacks have been repeatedly linked to the GRU (the Russian “Main Intelligence Directorate”). The same organization is clearly implicated in the 2016 Russian interference in the US elections and in numerous cyber attacks in the last decade. Published reports link the same organization to the bounties.
Organizations like the NYTimes have reported on the money flowing from GRU-controlled accounts into accounts controlled by Taliban agents.
You, like Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani, apparently would have us believe that all this is a hoax invented by somebody-or-other for some hazy purpose that itself seems to change as that day’s rhetoric demands.
Your commentary strikes me as pure propaganda with a strikingly similar tone to the rubbish pushed by the alt-right and for that matter by the Russian bot network controlled by GRU.
Your strident defense of Scott Ritter weakens, rather bolsters, you argument.
bob-gardner says
I’m busted! I can’t tell you how many times people have compared me to a shady developer at a Billerica Zoning Board meeting. It’s been so bad lately that I am actually glad that I have to wear a mask.
I am always skeptical about what comes out of the intelligence community, even when there seems a consensus, as there was before the Iraq War. But in this case, there doesn’t even seem to be a consensus. The CIA and the NSA seem to disagree. My guess is that one of those two agencies is wrong. Maybe someone can explain how Putin and his cronies benefit from all this. I haven’t seen a compelling reason yet. Ritter’s analysis comes closest.
The rest of your comment is so unhinged that it just makes me want to whine.
jconway says
This whole exchange is so above and beyond what the threat starter was about. I think everyone should do a better job keeping things civil instead of personal, dropping the constant need to revisiting old and irrelevant arguments, and stick to the topic at hand.
Some Democrats welcome Republican help to beat Donald Trump. Some don’t. We get it. Time to move on to other topics.
We got a lot of ballot initiatives and contested races closer to home. A lot of uncertainty about it the reopening and the economic fallout to the state budget. There’s a lot of local conversations getting drowned out by the endless revisiting of the primary and relayed grievances from it. Move on.
bob-gardner says
One thing we can all agree on is that Biden can be influenced. At least that is the excuse endlessly given for supporting him despite his very disappointing positions.
So when a very well organized group of Republicans insinuate themselves into having a lot of influence on Joe Biden, it’s important to point out what this group really stands for. It would be irresponsible to close our eyes and move on.
Being too polite to mention it is a poor use for civility.
SomervilleTom says
I agree with this comment and appreciate its civility.
jconway says
Same. I welcome their money, time, and ad writers to help us defeat Donald Trump, I do not welcome their policy input one iota.