2020 Elections - Trump FIRED

[cradleandshoot]

Pretty sad stuff:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-bolt ... y-giuliani

"The Trump attorney and confidant will often take existing pro-Trump talking points and insults, including those flung around frequently by the president, and turbo-charge them; where President Trump had dialed it up to 11, Giuliani will try to kick it up to a 12. This has been especially true of Joe and Hunter Biden, where Giuliani has taken the “dementia” attack line against the former VP to even darker, more graphic territory than even the president has, and the personal-life issues and past drug addiction of the Biden son, which the Trump lawyer has gleefully promoted in ways that outpace nearly everybody else, if not everybody else, in the upper ranks of Trumpland.

Intelligence veterans view the willingness of a figure like Giuliani—a politician who once enjoyed widespread but undeserved national respect—to spread foreign disinformation to be an unqualified Russian success.

“Russia doesn’t even need to do anything,” one former senior official said. “Trump and Giuliani just did it for them.”

Former officials also consider Giuliani’s openness to disinformation a marked evolution in Russian intrusion into American politics. In 2016, Russian intelligence used cutouts like WikiLeaks to launder hacked Democratic emails into the American information ecosystem. They also used social-media accounts that posed as Americans to spread their messages.

This time, they can rely on one of the president’s closest confidants.

“Rudy is beyond an intelligence service’s wildest dreams,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, who until July 2019 oversaw CIA clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia. “He’s actively spreading disinformation, they’re feeding him this stuff and it works.”

Polymeropoulos believes his former Russian counterparts are “astounded at their success” in finding an audience for disinformation on the American right. “The idea that they have a willing participant in the president’s lawyer is what’s really astounding,” he continued. “The amazing part about it is it’s not done in secret. It’s done openly and brazenly, because the president doesn’t care.”

I guess this is a fight against the Russians that doesn't matter.

Looks like Joe will have to pull HRCs reset button out of moth balls. I can only imagine the hardline double barrel Joe will take against Putin. More sanctions? Vlad most be quaking in his boots at all the bad things double barrel Joe will hit him with.

Umm, you seem to have missed the point by an ocean. OK with you to have the President's lawyer act as a conduit to Russian intelligence efforts to keep the President in the White House? Check? C'mon man.

should be obvious, sadly it isn't to some.

Read my post directly above. In a few months all the whining and b***ing about russia will be water under the bridge. Should you not be looking forward instead of contemplating where you have been? Double barrel Joe keeps telling us he had a plan for everything. That has to include how he is going to deal with Vlad does it not? I have not heard his plan yet. Maybe double barrel Joe is still cobbling it together. Susan Rice is probably chomping at the bit to go face to face with Vlad.

[Peter Brown]

Pretty sad stuff:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-bolt ... y-giuliani

"The Trump attorney and confidant will often take existing pro-Trump talking points and insults, including those flung around frequently by the president, and turbo-charge them; where President Trump had dialed it up to 11, Giuliani will try to kick it up to a 12. This has been especially true of Joe and Hunter Biden, where Giuliani has taken the “dementia” attack line against the former VP to even darker, more graphic territory than even the president has, and the personal-life issues and past drug addiction of the Biden son, which the Trump lawyer has gleefully promoted in ways that outpace nearly everybody else, if not everybody else, in the upper ranks of Trumpland.

Intelligence veterans view the willingness of a figure like Giuliani—a politician who once enjoyed widespread but undeserved national respect—to spread foreign disinformation to be an unqualified Russian success.

“Russia doesn’t even need to do anything,” one former senior official said. “Trump and Giuliani just did it for them.”

Former officials also consider Giuliani’s openness to disinformation a marked evolution in Russian intrusion into American politics. In 2016, Russian intelligence used cutouts like WikiLeaks to launder hacked Democratic emails into the American information ecosystem. They also used social-media accounts that posed as Americans to spread their messages.

This time, they can rely on one of the president’s closest confidants.

“Rudy is beyond an intelligence service’s wildest dreams,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, who until July 2019 oversaw CIA clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia. “He’s actively spreading disinformation, they’re feeding him this stuff and it works.”

Polymeropoulos believes his former Russian counterparts are “astounded at their success” in finding an audience for disinformation on the American right. “The idea that they have a willing participant in the president’s lawyer is what’s really astounding,” he continued. “The amazing part about it is it’s not done in secret. It’s done openly and brazenly, because the president doesn’t care.”

I guess this is a fight against the Russians that doesn't matter.

Looks like Joe will have to pull HRCs reset button out of moth balls. I can only imagine the hardline double barrel Joe will take against Putin. More sanctions? Vlad most be quaking in his boots at all the bad things double barrel Joe will hit him with.

Umm, you seem to have missed the point by an ocean. OK with you to have the President's lawyer act as a conduit to Russian intelligence efforts to keep the President in the White House? Check? C'mon man.

should be obvious, sadly it isn't to some.

The '80s called, they want their foreign policy back

"Obama zings Romney for calling Russia America's biggest geopolitical threat"

What a zinger!!!

https://www.salon.com/2012/10/23/obama_ ... licy_back/

Obama wants to talk with his slavish Fanlax fanboys...apparently they didn't get the message either.

[MDlaxfan76]

cradle, actual enforcement of Magnitsky Act sanctions would bite Putin and his oligarchs specifically.

So, too, would a renewed US leadership of NATO and a worldwide energy plan that would disembowel Russia from its last primary revenue source.

Imagine for a moment, a Europe chastened by its experience with far right groups fueled by Russia (yes, that's exactly what's been happening since the HRC effort to 'reset') with a renewed commitment by US leadership to NATO...could Europe commit to utilizing fossil fuels from the US as it weans itself off them altogether, again led by the US?

The landscape has changed a lot in the past decade.
Europe has had a taste of what the world looks like with aggressive Russia, peddling right wing kleptocracy and sowing division and racial/ethnic animosity, and a compliant, coupled with a retreating US led by a wannabe right wing kleptocrat....

You are way too optimistic my friend. Putin does not care about sanctions. If you want US leadership of NATO you better hope double barrel Joe is ready to open up the us government treasury. This is funny you are now advocating the very same thing you and some other folks have been attacking Salty for advocating. A strong NATO is a good thing. Not so much when the us is footing the bill and providing the soldiers and heavy equipment needed.

I'm saying that the landscape has dramatically changed, cradle, so there's a quite new opportunity to rally allies to a common perspective and commitment.

The economics of that commitment can be addressed largely through using energy. Salty has long decried the reliance of Europe and specifically Germany on Russian fossil fuel. He's correct on that, but the politics of getting along with the Russians was very different a decade ago versus today, albeit with Trump firmly allied with, or compliant to, Putin, the Europeans have not had a viable alternative. And they've seen the costs of the right wing extremism being promoted by the Russians, the ethnic angers amplified by the Russians.

So, there's a very different landscape ahead, IF, and that's a big IF, the US can regain the confidence of allies. And IF we can get out of the zero sum box we've been in under Trump in thinking about these issues.

And yeah, there's a reason why Putin et al squawk so much about the Magnitsky Act sanctions. When enforced fully, they shut off their rather desperate attempts to own assets outside of Russia (which they know can disappear overnight if still in Russia), and to influence politics outside of Russia with financing.

But they need to be enforced.

[Peter Brown]

cradle, actual enforcement of Magnitsky Act sanctions would bite Putin and his oligarchs specifically.

So, too, would a renewed US leadership of NATO and a worldwide energy plan that would disembowel Russia from its last primary revenue source.

Imagine for a moment, a Europe chastened by its experience with far right groups fueled by Russia (yes, that's exactly what's been happening since the HRC effort to 'reset') with a renewed commitment by US leadership to NATO...could Europe commit to utilizing fossil fuels from the US as it weans itself off them altogether, again led by the US?

The landscape has changed a lot in the past decade.
Europe has had a taste of what the world looks like with aggressive Russia, peddling right wing kleptocracy and sowing division and racial/ethnic animosity, and a compliant, coupled with a retreating US led by a wannabe right wing kleptocrat....

You are way too optimistic my friend. Putin does not care about sanctions. If you want US leadership of NATO you better hope double barrel Joe is ready to open up the us government treasury. This is funny you are now advocating the very same thing you and some other folks have been attacking Salty for advocating. A strong NATO is a good thing. Not so much when the us is footing the bill and providing the soldiers and heavy equipment needed.

I'm saying that the landscape has dramatically changed, cradle, so there's a quite new opportunity to rally allies to a common perspective and commitment.

The economics of that commitment can be addressed largely through using energy. Salty has long decried the reliance of Europe and specifically Germany on Russian fossil fuel. He's correct on that, but the politics of getting along with the Russians was very different a decade ago versus today, albeit with Trump firmly allied with, or compliant to, Putin, the Europeans have not had a viable alternative. And they've seen the costs of the right wing extremism being promoted by the Russians, the ethnic angers amplified by the Russians.

So, there's a very different landscape ahead, IF, and that's a big IF, the US can regain the confidence of allies. And IF we can get out of the zero sum box we've been in under Trump in thinking about these issues.

And yeah, there's a reason why Putin et al squawk so much about the Magnitsky Act sanctions. When enforced fully, they shut off their rather desperate attempts to own assets outside of Russia (which they know can disappear overnight if still in Russia), and to influence politics outside of Russia with financing.

But they need to be enforced.

Joe will definitely enforce Magnitsky Act laws!

Joe.jpg (36.06 KiB) Viewed 1396 times

https://news.yahoo.com/no-joe-biden-doe ... 29846.html

[seacoaster]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

[MDlaxfan76]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

Yup, for those who understand his meaning, the gross anti-semitism, it's a loud shout out.
Not a 'dog whistle' it's a bull horn to them.
QAnon love it, the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo, the KKK love it.

And of course the Russians love it.

[seacoaster]

More:

https://www.npr.org/2020/10/17/92450686 ... um=twitter

New tag line: “I helped enable the Russians when all I cared about was electing so-called Republicans.”

[cradleandshoot]

cradle, actual enforcement of Magnitsky Act sanctions would bite Putin and his oligarchs specifically.

So, too, would a renewed US leadership of NATO and a worldwide energy plan that would disembowel Russia from its last primary revenue source.

Imagine for a moment, a Europe chastened by its experience with far right groups fueled by Russia (yes, that's exactly what's been happening since the HRC effort to 'reset') with a renewed commitment by US leadership to NATO...could Europe commit to utilizing fossil fuels from the US as it weans itself off them altogether, again led by the US?

The landscape has changed a lot in the past decade.
Europe has had a taste of what the world looks like with aggressive Russia, peddling right wing kleptocracy and sowing division and racial/ethnic animosity, and a compliant, coupled with a retreating US led by a wannabe right wing kleptocrat....

You are way too optimistic my friend. Putin does not care about sanctions. If you want US leadership of NATO you better hope double barrel Joe is ready to open up the us government treasury. This is funny you are now advocating the very same thing you and some other folks have been attacking Salty for advocating. A strong NATO is a good thing. Not so much when the us is footing the bill and providing the soldiers and heavy equipment needed.

I'm saying that the landscape has dramatically changed, cradle, so there's a quite new opportunity to rally allies to a common perspective and commitment.

The economics of that commitment can be addressed largely through using energy. Salty has long decried the reliance of Europe and specifically Germany on Russian fossil fuel. He's correct on that, but the politics of getting along with the Russians was very different a decade ago versus today, albeit with Trump firmly allied with, or compliant to, Putin, the Europeans have not had a viable alternative. And they've seen the costs of the right wing extremism being promoted by the Russians, the ethnic angers amplified by the Russians.

So, there's a very different landscape ahead, IF, and that's a big IF, the US can regain the confidence of allies. And IF we can get out of the zero sum box we've been in under Trump in thinking about these issues.

And yeah, there's a reason why Putin et al squawk so much about the Magnitsky Act sanctions. When enforced fully, they shut off their rather desperate attempts to own assets outside of Russia (which they know can disappear overnight if still in Russia), and to influence politics outside of Russia with financing.

But they need to be enforced.

I understand very well what you are saying. My reply is really very basic and simple. If you poke the bear the bear will poke back at you. If double barrel Joe wins he now has to smooth out all the acrimony and accusations that Democrats have been throwing at Putin for more than 4 years. The Democrats have spent 4 years dumping on the same plate they may soon have to eat off of. Putin may be a lot of things that you don't like but he is not stupid. If he has to manipulate a bunch of weak kneed Democrats that will be a piece of cake for him. There is the chance double barrel Joe will draw the same line in the sand his boss did. Vlad will laugh in his face. Double barrel Joe is holding nothing more than an empty squirt gun in his hand. Vlad will roll over double barrel Joe like he was a twinkie in his path. Sanctions...they scare the hell out of Vlad.

[cradleandshoot]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

Yup, for those who understand his meaning, the gross anti-semitism, it's a loud shout out.
Not a 'dog whistle' it's a bull horn to them.
QAnon love it, the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo, the KKK love it.

And of course the Russians love it.

What the rooskies will love is double barrel Joe running America.

[MDlaxfan76]

cradle, actual enforcement of Magnitsky Act sanctions would bite Putin and his oligarchs specifically.

So, too, would a renewed US leadership of NATO and a worldwide energy plan that would disembowel Russia from its last primary revenue source.

Imagine for a moment, a Europe chastened by its experience with far right groups fueled by Russia (yes, that's exactly what's been happening since the HRC effort to 'reset') with a renewed commitment by US leadership to NATO...could Europe commit to utilizing fossil fuels from the US as it weans itself off them altogether, again led by the US?

The landscape has changed a lot in the past decade.
Europe has had a taste of what the world looks like with aggressive Russia, peddling right wing kleptocracy and sowing division and racial/ethnic animosity, and a compliant, coupled with a retreating US led by a wannabe right wing kleptocrat....

You are way too optimistic my friend. Putin does not care about sanctions. If you want US leadership of NATO you better hope double barrel Joe is ready to open up the us government treasury. This is funny you are now advocating the very same thing you and some other folks have been attacking Salty for advocating. A strong NATO is a good thing. Not so much when the us is footing the bill and providing the soldiers and heavy equipment needed.

I'm saying that the landscape has dramatically changed, cradle, so there's a quite new opportunity to rally allies to a common perspective and commitment.

The economics of that commitment can be addressed largely through using energy. Salty has long decried the reliance of Europe and specifically Germany on Russian fossil fuel. He's correct on that, but the politics of getting along with the Russians was very different a decade ago versus today, albeit with Trump firmly allied with, or compliant to, Putin, the Europeans have not had a viable alternative. And they've seen the costs of the right wing extremism being promoted by the Russians, the ethnic angers amplified by the Russians.

So, there's a very different landscape ahead, IF, and that's a big IF, the US can regain the confidence of allies. And IF we can get out of the zero sum box we've been in under Trump in thinking about these issues.

And yeah, there's a reason why Putin et al squawk so much about the Magnitsky Act sanctions. When enforced fully, they shut off their rather desperate attempts to own assets outside of Russia (which they know can disappear overnight if still in Russia), and to influence politics outside of Russia with financing.

But they need to be enforced.

I understand very well what you are saying. My reply is really very basic and simple. If you poke the bear the bear will poke back at you. If double barrel Joe wins he now has to smooth out all the acrimony and accusations that Democrats have been throwing at Putin for more than 4 years. The Democrats have spent 4 years dumping on the same plate they may soon have to eat off of. Putin may be a lot of things that you don't like but he is not stupid. If he has to manipulate a bunch of weak kneed Democrats that will be a piece of cake for him. There is the chance double barrel Joe will draw the same line in the sand his boss did. Vlad will laugh in his face. Double barrel Joe is holding nothing more than an empty squirt gun in his hand. Vlad will roll over double barrel Joe like he was a twinkie in his path. Sanctions...they scare the hell out of Vlad.

Hmmm, Vlad sure has worked hard to get DJT into the Oval Office, to support the NRA, to support various GOP wing nuts who are willing to sow divisiveness. It's been an enormous, though asymmetric, active measures campaign.

wonder why that Vlad did that?

Yup, the Magnitsky Act.

Remember Trump Tower meeting about "adoptions"??? Yup, Magnitsky Act.
When enforced, it really hurts the oligarchs. And it cuts off funding to all sorts of bad actors around the world.

Listen, I'm not saying that I have great confidence in Biden's capacity to rally allies to really strangle Putin, but I'm saying there's an opportunity to do so, if seized. The landscape has changed a lot.

And the mechanisms for this aren't about military buildup or saber rattling. It's about changing the economic reality for Putin and his kleptocracy, choking off their efforts to meddle in countries all over the world. The good news is that we really need to do the alternative energy path anyway, and it has huge implications for our other strategic challenges.

Of course, we DO have even bigger fish to fry than Russia, our strategic competition with China these next decades. Without our allies in this effort, we will inevitably fail to maintain free democracies in most of the world.

[MDlaxfan76]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

Yup, for those who understand his meaning, the gross anti-semitism, it's a loud shout out.
Not a 'dog whistle' it's a bull horn to them.
QAnon love it, the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo, the KKK love it.

And of course the Russians love it.

What the rooskies will love is double barrel Joe running America.

Wonder why they're not trying to help him win...

[Peter Brown]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

Yup, for those who understand his meaning, the gross anti-semitism, it's a loud shout out.
Not a 'dog whistle' it's a bull horn to them.
QAnon love it, the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo, the KKK love it.

And of course the Russians love it.

This guy posts the most painfully dumb posts here, and that’s a challenge but he’s always up for it.

Here’s the easiest bet in town: if Biden wins, MD will stop bleating mindlessly about all of his perceived hate groups within 24 hours. Anyone take the opposite?

[RedFromMI]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

Yup, for those who understand his meaning, the gross anti-semitism, it's a loud shout out.
Not a 'dog whistle' it's a bull horn to them.
QAnon love it, the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo, the KKK love it.

And of course the Russians love it.

What the rooskies will love is double barrel Joe running America.

Wonder why they're not trying to help him win...

I think the answer is obvious - Trump is much more pliable than Biden. No matter what cradle suggests...

[cradleandshoot]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

Yup, for those who understand his meaning, the gross anti-semitism, it's a loud shout out.
Not a 'dog whistle' it's a bull horn to them.
QAnon love it, the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo, the KKK love it.

And of course the Russians love it.

What the rooskies will love is double barrel Joe running America.

Wonder why they're not trying to help him win...

Maybe they are. The Republicans will whine for the next 4 years that Vlad help double barrel Joe steal the election. Vlad could want a new playmate in the sandbox. One knows he can kick sand in his face and he will have to run home crying to Kammy.

[a fan]

The Source:

https://mobile.twitter.com/NoahShachtma ... 4477324288

“Sure, the U.S. Treasury Department may have declared one of his former associates—Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach, who worked with Giuliani on his hunt for dirt on the Bidens—to be an “active Russian agent.” But that’s some Deep State talk, he added. “The chance that Derkach is a Russian spy is no better than 50/50.”

“My guess is that George Soros is behind this counter-offensive… because he wants to create a socialist country,” Giuliani baselessly alleged. “He’d like to see us collapse and see us taken over by the international... whatever.” Giuliani said that Derkach’s eventual sanctioning was the result of “an intelligence ploy to try to create problems for Trump—because Derkach could probably bury Obama.”

“...the international...whatever.” This only catches the attention of the “already deplorable.” He’s a disgrace.

Yup, for those who understand his meaning, the gross anti-semitism, it's a loud shout out.
Not a 'dog whistle' it's a bull horn to them.
QAnon love it, the Proud Boys, the Boogaloo, the KKK love it.

And of course the Russians love it.

What the rooskies will love is double barrel Joe running America.

Wonder why they're not trying to help him win...

I think the answer is obvious - Trump is much more pliable than Biden. No matter what cradle suggests...

As is Giuliani. And Kush and the rest of the Trump family.

[cradleandshoot]

by
cradle, actual enforcement of Magnitsky Act sanctions would bite Putin and his oligarchs specifically.

So, too, would a renewed US leadership of NATO and a worldwide energy plan that would disembowel Russia from its last primary revenue source.

Imagine for a moment, a Europe chastened by its experience with far right groups fueled by Russia (yes, that's exactly what's been happening since the HRC effort to 'reset') with a renewed commitment by US leadership to NATO...could Europe commit to utilizing fossil fuels from the US as it weans itself off them altogether, again led by the US?

The landscape has changed a lot in the past decade.
Europe has had a taste of what the world looks like with aggressive Russia, peddling right wing kleptocracy and sowing division and racial/ethnic animosity, and a compliant, coupled with a retreating US led by a wannabe right wing kleptocrat....

You are way too optimistic my friend. Putin does not care about sanctions. If you want US leadership of NATO you better hope double barrel Joe is ready to open up the us government treasury. This is funny you are now advocating the very same thing you and some other folks have been attacking Salty for advocating. A strong NATO is a good thing. Not so much when the us is footing the bill and providing the soldiers and heavy equipment needed.

I'm saying that the landscape has dramatically changed, cradle, so there's a quite new opportunity to rally allies to a common perspective and commitment.

The economics of that commitment can be addressed largely through using energy. Salty has long decried the reliance of Europe and specifically Germany on Russian fossil fuel. He's correct on that, but the politics of getting along with the Russians was very different a decade ago versus today, albeit with Trump firmly allied with, or compliant to, Putin, the Europeans have not had a viable alternative. And they've seen the costs of the right wing extremism being promoted by the Russians, the ethnic angers amplified by the Russians.

So, there's a very different landscape ahead, IF, and that's a big IF, the US can regain the confidence of allies. And IF we can get out of the zero sum box we've been in under Trump in thinking about these issues.

And yeah, there's a reason why Putin et al squawk so much about the Magnitsky Act sanctions. When enforced fully, they shut off their rather desperate attempts to own assets outside of Russia (which they know can disappear overnight if still in Russia), and to influence politics outside of Russia with financing.

But they need to be enforced.

I understand very well what you are saying. My reply is really very basic and simple. If you poke the bear the bear will poke back at you. If double barrel Joe wins he now has to smooth out all the acrimony and accusations that Democrats have been throwing at Putin for more than 4 years. The Democrats have spent 4 years dumping on the same plate they may soon have to eat off of. Putin may be a lot of things that you don't like but he is not stupid. If he has to manipulate a bunch of weak kneed Democrats that will be a piece of cake for him. There is the chance double barrel Joe will draw the same line in the sand his boss did. Vlad will laugh in his face. Double barrel Joe is holding nothing more than an empty squirt gun in his hand. Vlad will roll over double barrel Joe like he was a twinkie in his path. Sanctions...they scare the hell out of Vlad.

Hmmm, Vlad sure has worked hard to get DJT into the Oval Office, to support the NRA, to support various GOP wing nuts who are willing to sow divisiveness. It's been an enormous, though asymmetric, active measures campaign.

wonder why that Vlad did that?

Yup, the Magnitsky Act.

Remember Trump Tower meeting about "adoptions"??? Yup, Magnitsky Act.
When enforced, it really hurts the oligarchs. And it cuts off funding to all sorts of bad actors around the world.

Listen, I'm not saying that I have great confidence in Biden's capacity to rally allies to really strangle Putin, but I'm saying there's an opportunity to do so, if seized. The landscape has changed a lot.

And the mechanisms for this aren't about military buildup or saber rattling. It's about changing the economic reality for Putin and his kleptocracy, choking off their efforts to meddle in countries all over the world. The good news is that we really need to do the alternative energy path anyway, and it has huge implications for our other strategic challenges.

Of course, we DO have even bigger fish to fry than Russia, our strategic competition with China these next decades. Without our allies in this effort, we will inevitably fail to maintain free democracies in most of the world.

So your advocating this would be an ideal time to poke the bear? Hey that would not be my first option. I suppose double barrel Joe could send Hunter over to work out a deal. That is providing Hunter can remember where he left his laptop. I know that you and double barrel Joe are pretty close. He tell you what his plan for dealing with Vlad is? Give me a hint. Does it involve gold bars and C130 aircraft?

[seacoaster]

Just checking: it’s OK for one “side” to claim the the US Marshal Service is on its side, right? That’s normal in a republic?

https://mobile.twitter.com/atrupar/stat ... 6421427200

[Typical Lax Dad]

Just checking: it’s OK for one “side” to claim the the US Marshal Service is on its side, right? That’s normal in a republic?

https://mobile.twitter.com/atrupar/stat ... 6421427200

Pinochet made that statement a ton of times. It’s perfectly normal.

[seacoaster]

Just checking: it’s OK for one “side” to claim the the US Marshal Service is on its side, right? That’s normal in a republic?

https://mobile.twitter.com/atrupar/stat ... 6421427200

Pinochet made that statement a ton of times. It’s perfectly normal.

So Trump sort of owns the Marshals? OK.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Just checking: it’s OK for one “side” to claim the the US Marshal Service is on its side, right? That’s normal in a republic?

https://mobile.twitter.com/atrupar/stat ... 6421427200

Pinochet made that statement a ton of times. It’s perfectly normal.

So Trump sort of owns the Marshals? OK.

I can’t believe how far we have fallen. If you had told someone 8 years ago this is what we would be witnessing they would have thought you were insane. Most people I know just want someone close to normal and then sort it out in 4 years.