occupydemocrats--2020-07-28--Rep. Swalwell confronts Barr and busts him for enabling Trump’s corruption

They say that “ all ’ s well that ends well ” but things are not ending well for Attorney General William Barr as he gets interrogated by Congressman Eric Swalwell ( D-CA ) .
Representative Swalwell dedicated his portion of the House Judiciary Committee grilling of Barr to focus on Donald Trump ’ s pardon of Roger Stone — his alleged co-conspirator in arranging for the hacked emails from his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinto during the 2016 election campaign — and Barr ’ s role in reducing the original Justice Department sentencing recommendations after Stone was found guilty .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Swalwell to reach the same conclusion that many other Americans have reached : that since Trump ’ s former personal attorney Michael Cohen pled guilty to illegal campaign finance violations in the payoffs to Trump ’ s porn star mistresses , Barr “ has taken the job.
” As the California representative said in a Newsweek op-ed he published yesterday : Once Swalwell had Barr in front of him in a situation in which the AG was forced to answer the congressman ’ s questions , it didn ’ t take him long @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked countless times since the controversial pardon , seen by many as a payback to Stone for refusing to rat on the president .
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops !
It certainly seems like perjury for Barr to claim that he doesn ’ t read the President ’ s tweets , particularly since a good number of them were included in the Mueller report which the Attorney General has examined with a fine-tooth comb .
The most important — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managed to get the attorney to admit to was the fact that in no other case before the entire Justice Department did Barr ever intervene to request a reduced sentencing recommendation except in this one instance involving someone who was convicted of lying and witness tampering to help elect Trump and to protect him from an impeachment conviction once he was elected .
Barr ’ s admission certainly makes his refusal to investigate the circumstances around Trump ’ s pardon of Stone seem to stem from his own culpability in protecting the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nation as a whole and over the letter of the law he ’ s supposed sworn to protect .
Democratic legislators on the House Judiciary Committee are continuing their questioning of Attorney General William Barr today .
Keep checking in with Occupy Democrats for more coverage of the hearing .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

They say that “all’s well that ends well” but things are not ending well for Attorney General William Barr as he gets interrogated by Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
Representative Swalwell dedicated his portion of the House Judiciary Committee grilling of Barr to focus on Donald Trump’s pardon of Roger Stone — his alleged co-conspirator in arranging for the hacked emails from his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinto during the 2016 election campaign — and Barr’s role in reducing the original Justice Department sentencing recommendations after Stone was found guilty.
It did not take long for Congressman Swalwell to reach the same conclusion that many other Americans have reached: that since Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen pled guilty to illegal campaign finance violations in the payoffs to Trump’s porn star mistresses, Barr “has taken the job.”
As the California representative said in a Newsweek op-ed he published yesterday:
“Unfortunately, Bill Barr already had a job — as Attorney General of the United States, our nation’s top law enforcement official,” Swalwell wrote. “And we must not let him do both jobs at once.”
Once Swalwell had Barr in front of him in a situation in which the AG was forced to answer the congressman’s questions, it didn’t take him long to ask a question that has been asked countless times since the controversial pardon, seen by many as a payback to Stone for refusing to rat on the president.
Swalwell: Are you investigating Donald Trump for commuting the sentence of Roger Stone?
Barr: No
Swalwell: Why not?
Barr: Why should I
Swalwell: Well let’s talk about that pic.twitter.com/UEG8rlc8Yd — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) July 28, 2020
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
It certainly seems like perjury for Barr to claim that he doesn’t read the President’s tweets, particularly since a good number of them were included in the Mueller report which the Attorney General has examined with a fine-tooth comb.
Barr to @RepSwalwell: "No, I'm not familiar" with Trump's infamous tweet on Roger Stone (tweet provides evidence of Trump's obstruction of justice). The tweet is IN THE MUELLER REPORT! DOJ focused on it, redacted it, later unredacted it. (hat tip: @emptywheel)#BarrHearing pic.twitter.com/VKQ6lhnziJ — Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) July 28, 2020
The most important — and potentially incriminating — point that the congressman managed to get the attorney to admit to was the fact that in no other case before the entire Justice Department did Barr ever intervene to request a reduced sentencing recommendation except in this one instance involving someone who was convicted of lying and witness tampering to help elect Trump and to protect him from an impeachment conviction once he was elected.
Barr seems to have issues again while Rep. Swalwell questions him pic.twitter.com/llvD6Lnt3I — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) July 28, 2020
Barr’s admission certainly makes his refusal to investigate the circumstances around Trump’s pardon of Stone seem to stem from his own culpability in protecting the president’s interests over the interests of the nation as a whole and over the letter of the law he’s supposed sworn to protect.
Democratic legislators on the House Judiciary Committee are continuing their questioning of Attorney General William Barr today. Keep checking in with Occupy Democrats for more coverage of the hearing.
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We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-28--Bill Barr squirms after Democrat calls him out for doing Trump’s bidding to his face

On Tuesday , Attorney General William Barr was called before the House of Representatives to face scrutiny for the host of questionably legal and wildly unethical decisions that have recently been made by Barr ’ s Department of Justice .
The Attorney General grew furious when challenged by Rep. Hank Johnson ( D-GA ) , who called out Barr ’ s sycophantic obedience to everything that President Trump demands and the obvious dissolution of the Justice Department ’ s independence from the executive branch .
At issue was the Department of Justice ’ s ridiculous handling of the trial of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who Department of Justice had recommended serve seven to nine years in prison for seven felonies committed in his efforts to obstruct Congress from investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and their connections to the Trump campaign .
But Attorney General Barr personally intervened after the president expressed his displeasure with the sentencing for his loyal friend Roger Stone and reduced the recommended sentence , prompting the unprecedented resignation of all four federal prosecutors working the case .
Barr claims that he wasn ’ t doing Trump bidding when he intervened to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but Rep. Johnson wasn ’ t buying it .
“ General Barr , you ’ re expecting the American people to believe that you did not do what Trump wanted you to do when you changed that sentencing recommendation and lowered it for Roger Stone ?
” asked an incredulous Johnson .
Barr grew upset at that and made the outrageous argument that it wasn ’ t “ fair ” for a 67-year-old man to be sent to prison for 7-9 years — a new standard which we doubt Barr is going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal prison over the age of 65 .
It ’ s high time that Barr was forced to answer for the disgraceful way he has politicized the Department of Justice and abused its power to protect the President ’ s buddies .

On Tuesday, Attorney General William Barr was called before the House of Representatives to face scrutiny for the host of questionably legal and wildly unethical decisions that have recently been made by Barr’s Department of Justice.
The Attorney General grew furious when challenged by Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), who called out Barr’s sycophantic obedience to everything that President Trump demands and the obvious dissolution of the Justice Department’s independence from the executive branch.
At issue was the Department of Justice’s ridiculous handling of the trial of former Trump campaign advisor Roger Stone, who Department of Justice had recommended serve seven to nine years in prison for seven felonies committed in his efforts to obstruct Congress from investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and their connections to the Trump campaign.
But Attorney General Barr personally intervened after the president expressed his displeasure with the sentencing for his loyal friend Roger Stone and reduced the recommended sentence, prompting the unprecedented resignation of all four federal prosecutors working the case.
Barr claims that he wasn’t doing Trump bidding when he intervened to protect the President’s buddy — but Rep. Johnson wasn’t buying it.
Rep. Hank Johnson to Bill Barr: “General Barr, you’re expecting the American people to believe that you did not do what Trump wanted you to do when you changed that sentencing recommendation and lowered it for Roger Stone?” pic.twitter.com/MeZHFqiQAT — Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 28, 2020
“General Barr, you’re expecting the American people to believe that you did not do what Trump wanted you to do when you changed that sentencing recommendation and lowered it for Roger Stone?” asked an incredulous Johnson.
Barr grew upset at that and made the outrageous argument that it wasn’t “fair” for a 67-year-old man to be sent to prison for 7-9 years — a new standard which we doubt Barr is going to apply to the nearly 5,000 inmates in federal prison over the age of 65.
It’s high time that Barr was forced to answer for the disgraceful way he has politicized the Department of Justice and abused its power to protect the President’s buddies.
Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-28--Jim Jordan sends Barr hearing off the rails with wild rant about Obama

As today ’ s House Judiciary Committee hearing set to question Attorney General William Barr began today , it opened with a remarkable diversion of perspectives , a virtual wrestling match of ideologies .
Opening the hearing was the chairman of the committee , Representative Jerry Nadler ( D-NY ) who immediately used his opening statement as a slam down to establish the reasons the House felt the need to call the attorney general in for a reckoning over the abuses of his office that Barr has presided over .
And in the opposing corner on behalf of Barr ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lightweight from Ohio , Congressman Jim Jordan , the man who gave up his career as a sexual-abuse-ignoring college wrestling coach to tackle the libs in Washington DC , eschewing a suit jacket at every opportunity for a tussle .
Nadler ’ s opening statement immediately let the participants know that this was going to be a serious match .
He began with a searing indictment of the Barr Justice Department that took no prisoners .
“ Congress established the Department of Justice to enforce the nation ’ s first civil rights laws @ @ @ @ @ @ @ began .
“ From that moment on , it became the department ’ s responsibility to ensure the right to vote and to stem the tide of systemic racism .
Now , not every attorney general in the intervening 150 years has given full expression to these two goals .
I am certain that every administration has fallen short of those promises in some way overtime.
” “ But today , under your leadership , sir , these two objectives are more at risk than at any time in modern history , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been marked by a persistent war against the department ’ s professional core in an apparent attempt to secure favors for the president .
Others have lost sight of the importance of civil rights laws , but now we see the full force of the federal government brought to bear against citizens demonstrating for the advancement of their own civil rights .
There is no precedent for the Department of Justice to actively seek out conflict with American citizens under such flimsy pretext or for such petty purposes.
” “ We are as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violently on its own people , and although responsibility for the government ’ s failure to protect the health , safety and constitutional rights of the American people belongs squarely to President Trump , he could not have done this alone , ” Nadler pointedly said .
“ He needed help .
After he finished utterly humiliating his first attorney general , he found you .
In your time at the department , you have aided and abetted the worst failing of the president.
” “ This administration has twisted the Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self , capable of serving most Americans only after it has first served those in power , ” Nadler concluded his opening statement .
“ This committee has responsibility to protect Americans from that kind of corruption , Mr. Barr.
” Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops !
The glove was thrown , but before Barr could respond to Nadler ’ s stinging assessment of his tenure , an opening statement from the ranking GOP member of the committee , Representative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the agenda .
It ’ s difficult to describe Jordan ’ s speaking style — which resembles the tone and volume of a Marine drill sergeant intimidating a new recruit for a major infraction of military rules — as anything other than deranged and angry .
Rather than focus on Nadler ’ s stated purpose for the Barr testimony , Jordan immediately attempted to change the focus of the hearings to one of his favorite topics as a self-appointed attack dog for the Trump administration — the same disproved conspiratorial notion that Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” rather than an active collaborator with Russia and other foreign powers to help him with the 2016 election .
You can watch Jordan ’ s bravura performance as an outraged congressman railing against perceived injustices in the video clip below , but be aware that the supposed “ obliteration ” that the GOP Rapid Response Director who posted the clip refers to only takes place in the minds of those who have imbibed of the Trump Kool-Aid to displace the unthinkable reality of the president ’ s treason in their consciousnesses .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter was devastating .
And that was just the prelude to the main event .
The hearing will get even more interesting once the questioning of Attorney General Barr begins .
Check out Occupy Democrats for more coverage of the hearing as the day progresses .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

As today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing set to question Attorney General William Barr began today, it opened with a remarkable diversion of perspectives, a virtual wrestling match of ideologies.
Opening the hearing was the chairman of the committee, Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) who immediately used his opening statement as a slam down to establish the reasons the House felt the need to call the attorney general in for a reckoning over the abuses of his office that Barr has presided over.
And in the opposing corner on behalf of Barr’s Trump-supporting Republican contingent, was the lightweight from Ohio, Congressman Jim Jordan, the man who gave up his career as a sexual-abuse-ignoring college wrestling coach to tackle the libs in Washington DC, eschewing a suit jacket at every opportunity for a tussle.
Nadler’s opening statement immediately let the participants know that this was going to be a serious match.
He began with a searing indictment of the Barr Justice Department that took no prisoners.
“Congress established the Department of Justice to enforce the nation’s first civil rights laws after the Civil War,” Nadler began. “From that moment on, it became the department’s responsibility to ensure the right to vote and to stem the tide of systemic racism. Now, not every attorney general in the intervening 150 years has given full expression to these two goals. I am certain that every administration has fallen short of those promises in some way overtime.” “But today, under your leadership, sir, these two objectives are more at risk than at any time in modern history,” Nadler continued. “Your tenure has been marked by a persistent war against the department’s professional core in an apparent attempt to secure favors for the president. Others have lost sight of the importance of civil rights laws, but now we see the full force of the federal government brought to bear against citizens demonstrating for the advancement of their own civil rights. There is no precedent for the Department of Justice to actively seek out conflict with American citizens under such flimsy pretext or for such petty purposes.” “We are as a nation witnessing the federal government turn violently on its own people, and although responsibility for the government’s failure to protect the health, safety and constitutional rights of the American people belongs squarely to President Trump, he could not have done this alone,” Nadler pointedly said. “He needed help. After he finished utterly humiliating his first attorney general, he found you. In your time at the department, you have aided and abetted the worst failing of the president.” “This administration has twisted the Department of Justice into a shadow of its former self, capable of serving most Americans only after it has first served those in power,” Nadler concluded his opening statement. “This committee has responsibility to protect Americans from that kind of corruption, Mr. Barr.”
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
The glove was thrown, but before Barr could respond to Nadler’s stinging assessment of his tenure, an opening statement from the ranking GOP member of the committee, Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) was on the agenda.
It’s difficult to describe Jordan’s speaking style — which resembles the tone and volume of a Marine drill sergeant intimidating a new recruit for a major infraction of military rules — as anything other than deranged and angry.
Rather than focus on Nadler’s stated purpose for the Barr testimony, Jordan immediately attempted to change the focus of the hearings to one of his favorite topics as a self-appointed attack dog for the Trump administration — the same disproved conspiratorial notion that Trump was a victim of Democratic “spying” rather than an active collaborator with Russia and other foreign powers to help him with the 2016 election.
You can watch Jordan’s bravura performance as an outraged congressman railing against perceived injustices in the video clip below, but be aware that the supposed “obliteration” that the GOP Rapid Response Director who posted the clip refers to only takes place in the minds of those who have imbibed of the Trump Kool-Aid to displace the unthinkable reality of the president’s treason in their consciousnesses.
Stop what you're doing and watch this. Rep. Jim Jordan absolutely obliterates the Obama/Biden administration who spied on @realDonaldTrump's incoming administration. pic.twitter.com/SbPfJ3AImJ — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 28, 2020
The response to Jordan’s screamfest on Twitter was devastating.
People who yell all the time are not confident about what they are saying. @Jim_Jordan — Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) July 28, 2020
The only time Jim Jordan didn’t yell is when wrestlers under his care complained about being sexually assaulted by his boss. He went silent. @Jim_Jordan — NoelCaslerComedy (@CaslerNoel) July 28, 2020
VERY long video by #jimjordan without proper notice to Committee. — Jill Wine-Banks (@JillWineBanks) July 28, 2020
I just lost a bunch of brain cells watching that Jim Jordan presentation. What in the hell was that. — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 28, 2020
Don't believe me? Here was the graphic on screen: "Police Describe Anarchists' Extensive Prep For Violence'. — Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) July 28, 2020
Somehow this clip didn’t make it into Jim Jordan, Bill Barr and the rest of the GOP’s presenation. #BarrHearing https://t.co/xPu3SLNCeB — Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) July 28, 2020
Jim Jordan is ranting like a madman, now presenting a propaganda video painting all protesters as violent, when most aren’t. But at least Jordan wasn’t talking, which was nice. — Scott Dworkin (@funder) July 28, 2020
Calling Jim Jordan a bottom-feeder is an insult to Carp#BarrHearing — John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) July 28, 2020
So @Jim_Jordan & @HouseGOP made a Breitbart propaganda iMovie of people throwing water bottles, traffic cones & toppling Confederate statues to signal BLM/protestors are violent. Meanwhile, people are losing their eyes to rubber bullets & being indiscriminately gassed by Feds. — Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) July 28, 2020
Jim Jordan's video:
When do we get to the part where they set fire to the Reichstag and Bill Barr comes to the rescue? — Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) July 28, 2020
Jim Jordan is strategically deployed to make it impossible for any sane person to sit through a hearing. — Schooley (@Rschooley) July 28, 2020
Is it just me, or does Jim Jordan lie more than Trump? — Chip Franklin (@chipfranklin) July 28, 2020
Today in jim jordan land: no jacket, no mask, no service for our district — Shannon4OH (@ShannonFreshour) July 28, 2020
Jim Jordan came out clowning America. Gym Jordan is a punk who delights in screaming at America. Trump likes that. #BarrHearing pic.twitter.com/IVbiBl3yIw — Eugene (@ReesusP) July 28, 2020
Jim Jordan is going to a special place in hell that has showers and lots of demons. — God (@thegoodgodabove) July 28, 2020
And that was just the prelude to the main event. The hearing will get even more interesting once the questioning of Attorney General Barr begins.
Check out Occupy Democrats for more coverage of the hearing as the day progresses.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-28--Watchdog complaint exposes secret network of companies Trump uses to launder campaign cash

The long list of corrupt activities sanctioned by the Trump team just got a little longer .
HuffPost reports that the Campaign Legal Center , a watchdog organization , filed a complaint today alleging that the Trump campaign is breaking federal election law by using several private companies to covertly divert hundreds of billions of dollars to individuals with close personal relationships with Trump family members .
The Campaign Legal Center requests that the FEC look into the matters with an eye towards immediately ending any improper behavior and levying finds accordingly .
“ The money is being laundered through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That has the effect of keeping the public in the dark as to a big chunk of Trump campaign spending , ” explained Brendan Fischer , an attorney for the Campaign Legal Center .
“ This scheme violated the law and undermines the public ’ s right to know .
What precisely is being hidden is unknown .
We don ’ t know for sure , ” Fischer added .
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops !
The watchdogs allege @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working in tandem with the “ Trump Make America Great Again Committee , ” has been funneling money to companies run by Brad Parscale , the former Trump campaign manager who was demoted last month as well as to American Made Media Consultants , a campaign ad company .
So far , Parscale ’ s companies have been juiced with at least $ 39 million in campaign dollars since 2017 .
Reportedly , one of the reasons Trump fired him as campaigner manager was because he was angry that Parscale was making so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to buy new numerous new houses and luxury items .
AMMC has received at least $ 177.6 million .
Suspiciously , the expenditures include paying out $ 180,000 a year to Donald Trump Jr. ’ s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle as well as to Eric Trump ’ s wife Lara Trump .
Parscale told Huffpost he can make such payments if he chooses to do so .
The Trump campaign is predictably pushing back against the allegations of impropriety and equally predictably , their argument is completely unconvincing .
“ AMMC is a campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buys and related services at fair market value .
AMMC does not earn any commissions or fees , ” claimed Tim Murtaugh , Communications Director for the Trump campaign .
“ It builds efficiencies and saves the campaign money by providing these in-house services that otherwise would be done by outside vendors .
The campaign reports all payments to AMMC as required by the FEC , ” Murtaugh went on .
In their complaint , the Campaign Legal Center explains that the Trump campaign ’ s failure to meticulously itemize its money disbursals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rulings because Parscale is personally involved in the firms being paid .
As such , greater transparency is legally required to ensure that campaign contributions aren ’ t vanishing down an unaccountable financial black hole .
At this point , given what we know about this president and the kind of people he attracts to his team , it would be far more surprising if there weren ’ t a complex system of shadowy companies corruptly laundering money for the benefit of campaign insiders .
Hopefully , Parscale and his cronies are held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meantime , there ’ s a simple way to ensure your money doesn ’ t end up being used to buy Parscale a new boat : don ’ t donate to Trump .
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Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

The long list of corrupt activities sanctioned by the Trump team just got a little longer. HuffPost reports that the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog organization, filed a complaint today alleging that the Trump campaign is breaking federal election law by using several private companies to covertly divert hundreds of billions of dollars to individuals with close personal relationships with Trump family members.
The Campaign Legal Center requests that the FEC look into the matters with an eye towards immediately ending any improper behavior and levying finds accordingly.
“The money is being laundered through corporations run by top Trump campaign officials. That has the effect of keeping the public in the dark as to a big chunk of Trump campaign spending,” explained Brendan Fischer, an attorney for the Campaign Legal Center.
“This scheme violated the law and undermines the public’s right to know. What precisely is being hidden is unknown. We don’t know for sure,” Fischer added.
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
The watchdogs allege that Trump’s reelection campaign, working in tandem with the “Trump Make America Great Again Committee,” has been funneling money to companies run by Brad Parscale, the former Trump campaign manager who was demoted last month as well as to American Made Media Consultants, a campaign ad company.
So far, Parscale’s companies have been juiced with at least $39 million in campaign dollars since 2017. Reportedly, one of the reasons Trump fired him as campaigner manager was because he was angry that Parscale was making so much money for himself, allowing him to buy new numerous new houses and luxury items. AMMC has received at least $177.6 million.
Suspiciously, the expenditures include paying out $180,000 a year to Donald Trump Jr.’s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle as well as to Eric Trump’s wife Lara Trump. Parscale told Huffpost he can make such payments if he chooses to do so.
The Trump campaign is predictably pushing back against the allegations of impropriety and equally predictably, their argument is completely unconvincing.
“AMMC is a campaign vendor responsible for arranging and executing media buys and related services at fair market value. AMMC does not earn any commissions or fees,” claimed Tim Murtaugh, Communications Director for the Trump campaign.
“It builds efficiencies and saves the campaign money by providing these in-house services that otherwise would be done by outside vendors. The campaign reports all payments to AMMC as required by the FEC,” Murtaugh went on.
In their complaint, the Campaign Legal Center explains that the Trump campaign’s failure to meticulously itemize its money disbursals flies in the face of older FEC rulings because Parscale is personally involved in the firms being paid. As such, greater transparency is legally required to ensure that campaign contributions aren’t vanishing down an unaccountable financial black hole.
At this point, given what we know about this president and the kind of people he attracts to his team, it would be far more surprising if there weren’t a complex system of shadowy companies corruptly laundering money for the benefit of campaign insiders. Hopefully, Parscale and his cronies are held accountable for their actions but in the meantime, there’s a simple way to ensure your money doesn’t end up being used to buy Parscale a new boat: don’t donate to Trump.
#BREAKING: We just filed an @FEC complaint alleging the Trump campaign secretly hid the ultimate recipients of nearly $170 million in spending. Unlawful secrecy is unacceptable for any presidential campaign; our transparency laws must be enforced. https://t.co/EZu1wtoYmK — Campaign Legal Center (@CampaignLegal) July 28, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-07-28--Twitter deletes Don Jr.’s tweet sharing anti-mask conspiracy video

Last night , the president and the right-wing media machine took a dangerous COVID-19 misinformation video viral on social media .
Created by openly white nationalist “ news ” website Breitbart , the video shows a group of people wearing lab coats and calling themselves doctors telling the nation that they don ’ t need to wear masks and that hydroxychloroquine is a cure for the COVID-19 coronavirus .
Facebook allowed the video to rack up 600,000 shares and over 14 million views before they removed it from their website for sharing “ false information about cures and treatments for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely already done .
Twitter has also taken measures to punish the purveyors of the video , sparking outrage from conservatives by temporarily limiting Don Jr. ’ s Twitter account and deleting tweets containing the video .
As usual , right-wingers began crying crocodile tears that they ’ re being victimized by liberal tech companies because they aren ’ t being allowed to push a pseudoscientific disinformation campaign that will put countless lives in danger .
President Trump has criminally mismanaged the coronavirus pandemic from the outset , and now it appears he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ efforts of the medical community to promote mask use in order to push bizarre conspiracy theories that only exist to make the president feel better about his failures .
It would be nice if Don Jr. ’ s Twitter account was permanently suspended — which is what he and the rest of his conspiracist science-denying buddies deserve — but at least the tech companies are making it clear that there will be consequences for promoting these kinds of videos .

Last night, the president and the right-wing media machine took a dangerous COVID-19 misinformation video viral on social media.
Created by openly white nationalist “news” website Breitbart, the video shows a group of people wearing lab coats and calling themselves doctors telling the nation that they don’t need to wear masks and that hydroxychloroquine is a cure for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Facebook allowed the video to rack up 600,000 shares and over 14 million views before they removed it from their website for sharing “false information about cures and treatments for COVID-19,” but the damage is likely already done.
Twitter has also taken measures to punish the purveyors of the video, sparking outrage from conservatives by temporarily limiting Don Jr.’s Twitter account and deleting tweets containing the video.
As usual, right-wingers began crying crocodile tears that they’re being victimized by liberal tech companies because they aren’t being allowed to push a pseudoscientific disinformation campaign that will put countless lives in danger.
President Trump has criminally mismanaged the coronavirus pandemic from the outset, and now it appears he and his family are deliberately sabotaging the efforts of the medical community to promote mask use in order to push bizarre conspiracy theories that only exist to make the president feel better about his failures.
It would be nice if Don Jr.’s Twitter account was permanently suspended — which is what he and the rest of his conspiracist science-denying buddies deserve — but at least the tech companies are making it clear that there will be consequences for promoting these kinds of videos.
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occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Trump says Fox News is wrong about Portland but it’s “to complicated” to explain in a Tweet

Donald Trump ’ s campaign efforts in Portland aren ’ t aimed at the voters in Oregon .
Instead , Trump ’ s electoral strategy — a scheme of sending armed federal troops to tear gas peaceful protesters while right-wing agitators stoke violence and provide the president with a convenient excuse to scream “ LAW & ORDER ” — is designed to appeal to voters in those swing states where he is now polling below his Democratic rival , Joe Biden .
It is a cynical and desperate attempt to fear-monger and scare suburban women into voting for the big @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump paints himself as despite being the ultimate source of both of those disruptive forces in this country through his faulty to non-existent leadership .
Trump made his ploy public earlier this morning with a pair of tweets that tried to foist a familiar fictional narrative upon the American people : that he and he alone can be their savior and that without his decisive action ignoring constitutional protections for the freedoms of speech and peaceable assembly the entire city of Portland would be no more .
Trump ’ s threats notwithstanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brown later in the day that she had reached an agreement on the phased withdrawal of those unwanted federal stormtroopers from the city was welcome news .
Whatever conversations Governor Brown had with the vice president , Trump threw the whole arrangement into question with a tweet this afternoon that makes one wonder if the deal was ever explained to the president and whether he was ever going to give up his most potent voter recruitment campaign for his white supremacist base in exchange for what amounts to an admission of misjudgment and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops !
Trump apparently forgets that he has no right to tell the duly elected local government officials that he will do their jobs if they don ’ t meet his standards for the violent suppression of protestors .
It didn ’ t take long for Twitter to respond to Trump ’ s latest paranoid , grammatically-challenged , not “ to complicated [ sic ] ” tweet .
There are plenty more where these came from , but you get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Trump ’ s show of federal force is his belief that it will help him raise his nose-diving poll numbers by distracting the public from the truly unforgivable disaster that has been his response to the COVID-19 pandemic .
Expect the federal forces to move to cities in Swing states next .
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Donald Trump’s campaign efforts in Portland aren’t aimed at the voters in Oregon.
Instead, Trump’s electoral strategy — a scheme of sending armed federal troops to tear gas peaceful protesters while right-wing agitators stoke violence and provide the president with a convenient excuse to scream “LAW & ORDER” — is designed to appeal to voters in those swing states where he is now polling below his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
It is a cynical and desperate attempt to fear-monger and scare suburban women into voting for the big strong, protector against chaos and disorder that Trump paints himself as despite being the ultimate source of both of those disruptive forces in this country through his faulty to non-existent leadership.
Trump made his ploy public earlier this morning with a pair of tweets that tried to foist a familiar fictional narrative upon the American people: that he and he alone can be their savior and that without his decisive action ignoring constitutional protections for the freedoms of speech and peaceable assembly the entire city of Portland would be no more.
…do not stop the Crime and Violence from the Anarchists and Agitators immediately, the Federal Government will go in and do the job that local law enforcement was supposed to do! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2020
Trump’s threats notwithstanding, the announcement by Oregon Governor Kate Brown later in the day that she had reached an agreement on the phased withdrawal of those unwanted federal stormtroopers from the city was welcome news.
After my discussions with VP Pence and others, the federal government has agreed to withdraw federal officers from Portland. They have acted as an occupying force & brought violence. Starting tomorrow, all Customs and Border Protection & ICE officers will leave downtown Portland. — Governor Kate Brown (@OregonGovBrown) July 29, 2020
Whatever conversations Governor Brown had with the vice president, Trump threw the whole arrangement into question with a tweet this afternoon that makes one wonder if the deal was ever explained to the president and whether he was ever going to give up his most potent voter recruitment campaign for his white supremacist base in exchange for what amounts to an admission of misjudgment and defeat.
.@FoxNews reported incorrectly what the Federal Government is doing with respect to Portland. We are demanding that the Governor & Mayor do their job or we will do it for them. To complicated to discuss in a Tweet, but bad reporting by Fox (possibly on purpose!). @DHSgov — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2020
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Trump apparently forgets that he has no right to tell the duly elected local government officials that he will do their jobs if they don’t meet his standards for the violent suppression of protestors.
It didn’t take long for Twitter to respond to Trump’s latest paranoid, grammatically-challenged, not “to complicated [sic]” tweet.
It’s like a vicious cycle for Trump. He screws up and then he gaslights us into believing it never happened. Then he blames it on someone else. — Mrs. Krassenstein (@HKrassenstein) July 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/RampStairs2020/status/1288602705976389632?s=20
He can’t even do his own job…. — Ron Predmesky (@rPred) July 29, 2020
The DHS seems to thing their job is to create the appearance of a Trump victory. Their job is to protect Americans. And they put them in danger by being in Portland. They protect them by getting out. How it looks shouldn't enter in. — Mary is Real (@MaryRealGood) July 29, 2020
History is repeating itself folks – pay attention 🦅🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ErtqrAoIWt — Jon Osman (@TheActor_movie) July 29, 2020
I wonder if retweeting Dr. Hydroxy Queen was false reporting??? pic.twitter.com/uSfTz66qTj — Scapper & Pearl (I'm Yoko) (@realscapper) July 29, 2020
I can tell you that as someone who was actually there, they tear gassed non-violent protesters like myself and the others in the @WallOfMoms and we were not even on federal property. @ACLU_OR will back us up. #PDXprotest pic.twitter.com/r928Gl7ZFy — Michelle Horgen (@MichelleHorgen) July 29, 2020
to: ❌
two: ❌
too: ✅ Thanks for playing, Donnie. — egregious_philbin (@egregious_phil) July 29, 2020
Because there is a army of idiots that don’t watch him speak live , they only get their info spoon fed by Fox pundits . — Tracy Bonthala (@TBonthala) July 29, 2020
There are plenty more where these came from, but you get the idea by now.
The only reason for Trump’s show of federal force is his belief that it will help him raise his nose-diving poll numbers by distracting the public from the truly unforgivable disaster that has been his response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Expect the federal forces to move to cities in Swing states next.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Trump speech turns bizarre as he struggles to attack Democrats: “What have they done with cows?”

Donald Trump ’ s flailing attempts to reinject some enthusiasm into his floundering reelection campaign as Joe Biden surges ahead in the polls brought him down to Texas today , where he gave one of his characteristically confused and rambling speeches to an audience at a Double Eagle Energy oil rig .
Sweating profusely , the president proved once again that he lacks a coherent narrative to justify why voters should pick him in November and ended up bouncing from topic to topic without saying anything of real substance .
Despite all of his bluster , he really has no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every time he does one of these events .
COVID-19 continues to ravage the country with over 148,000 dead due in large part to the president ’ s profound incompetence .
The robust economy that he was so fond of bragging about has taken a devastating blow from the pandemic and tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs .
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Stuck in such an inevitable position , all he can really do is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ad nauseam , a line of attack unlikely to gain much traction with non-MAGA voters given Joe Biden ’ s reputation for being a reasonable , moderate liberal .
Today in Texas , Trump once again tried to paint Democrats as some group of unhinged , cartoonish fools .
He said that he hadn ’ t “ checked recently ” but asked : “ What have they done with cows ?
Remember there were going to be no more cows and no more cattle .
I think they might have left that one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be back.
” The truly bizarre comments were likely in reference to a small passage in the Green New Deal that correctly points out that methane produced by flatulence from the almost 95 million cattle in the United States is a contributing factor in climate change .
Conservatives , rather than acknowledging this reality and grappling with it in good faith have tried to twist the conversation into one about “ cow farts , ” which is perhaps funny if you ’ re 12-years-old and far less funny if you ’ re actually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ future generations .
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Donald Trump’s flailing attempts to reinject some enthusiasm into his floundering reelection campaign as Joe Biden surges ahead in the polls brought him down to Texas today, where he gave one of his characteristically confused and rambling speeches to an audience at a Double Eagle Energy oil rig.
Sweating profusely, the president proved once again that he lacks a coherent narrative to justify why voters should pick him in November and ended up bouncing from topic to topic without saying anything of real substance.
Despite all of his bluster, he really has no accomplishments to run on and it shows every time he does one of these events. COVID-19 continues to ravage the country with over 148,000 dead due in large part to the president’s profound incompetence. The robust economy that he was so fond of bragging about has taken a devastating blow from the pandemic and tens of millions of Americans have lost their jobs.
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
Stuck in such an inevitable position, all he can really do is rant about the “Radical Left” ad nauseam, a line of attack unlikely to gain much traction with non-MAGA voters given Joe Biden’s reputation for being a reasonable, moderate liberal.
Today in Texas, Trump once again tried to paint Democrats as some group of unhinged, cartoonish fools. He said that he hadn’t “checked recently” but asked: “What have they done with cows? Remember there were going to be no more cows and no more cattle. I think they might have left that one off the manifesto but it’ll be back.”
The truly bizarre comments were likely in reference to a small passage in the Green New Deal that correctly points out that methane produced by flatulence from the almost 95 million cattle in the United States is a contributing factor in climate change. Conservatives, rather than acknowledging this reality and grappling with it in good faith have tried to twist the conversation into one about “cow farts,” which is perhaps funny if you’re 12-years-old and far less funny if you’re actually worried about securing a habitable planet for future generations.
Trump: I don’t know. I haven’t checked recently. What have they done with cows? pic.twitter.com/RVMmB0MLhb — Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) July 29, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Video shows Black actor pinned by the neck and chained to floor by police

A man who was an actor with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is suing for damages incurred during his incarceration in a Jackson County Jail after being arrested on a charge of resisting arrest .
Juan Anthony Sancho , 44 — who usually lives in South Pasadena , California when he ’ s not in Ashland , Oregon performing — has filed an excessive force lawsuit after an incident in April .
Sancho , who performs using the stage name “ Tony Sancho , ” alleges that he lost consciousness when a sheriff ’ s deputy pinned him to the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s drunk tank , an unfurnished cell with only a drain opening in the center of the space that is reserved for urination .
His suit alleges that he was held handcuffed and chained to the filthy drainage grate for over two hours after being arrested on charges that were ultimately dropped by the Jackson County District Attorney ’ s office .
Sancho ’ s lawsuit states that he was kept shackled alone in a “ dry cell ” in what ’ s called “ administrative segregation ” on account of his visible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
While his jailers had handcuffed Sancho with his arms behind his back , he somehow “ managed to slip his body between his arms to move his cuffed hands to the front of his body ” at least twice , according to the lawsuit and the surveillance video from the Jackson County Jail that was released to Sancho ’ s lawyers .
Three sheriff ’ s deputies noticed what Sancho had done and “ forcefully pulled [ Sancho ] to the concrete floor , ” according to the lawsuit .
One of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dalton , subjected Sancho to “ multiple knee strikes ” in the back , the complaint alleges .
The actions caused Sancho to briefly lost consciousness “ from these jailers kneeling on Plaintiff ’ s neck and pinning him to the concrete floor.
” The lawsuit claims that the deputies left Sancho “ unresponsive ” for “ approximately 15 seconds ” after they left the cell .
Ironically , the lawsuit uses the words of Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis using similar restraint methods against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sickler had told the Mail Tribune while criticizing the killing of Floyd that : Sickler declined to comment on the lawsuit but after viewing surveillance video of the incident he told the Mail Tribune that “ I can not see any positional asphyxia.
” One of them said that the three deputies “ took actions that Sheriff Sickler directly condemned as being ‘ contrary to good policing.
’ ” You can judge for yourself by watching the video of the jailhouse incident below .
Original reporting by Nick Morgan at The Mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ YOU have to say .
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A man who was an actor with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is suing for damages incurred during his incarceration in a Jackson County Jail after being arrested on a charge of resisting arrest.
Juan Anthony Sancho, 44 — who usually lives in South Pasadena, California when he’s not in Ashland, Oregon performing — has filed an excessive force lawsuit after an incident in April.
Sancho, who performs using the stage name “Tony Sancho,” alleges that he lost consciousness when a sheriff’s deputy pinned him to the ground with a knee in the jail’s drunk tank, an unfurnished cell with only a drain opening in the center of the space that is reserved for urination.
His suit alleges that he was held handcuffed and chained to the filthy drainage grate for over two hours after being arrested on charges that were ultimately dropped by the Jackson County District Attorney’s office.
Sancho’s lawsuit states that he was kept shackled alone in a “dry cell” in what’s called “administrative segregation” on account of his visible intoxication at the time of his arrest.
“There was no furniture, bedding or toilet in his cell,” according to the lawsuit. “The only restroom facility in the cell was a metal urine grate embedded in the cell’s concrete floor.”
While his jailers had handcuffed Sancho with his arms behind his back, he somehow “managed to slip his body between his arms to move his cuffed hands to the front of his body” at least twice, according to the lawsuit and the surveillance video from the Jackson County Jail that was released to Sancho’s lawyers.
Three sheriff’s deputies noticed what Sancho had done and “forcefully pulled [Sancho] to the concrete floor,” according to the lawsuit. One of the three deputies, identified as David Dalton, subjected Sancho to “multiple knee strikes” in the back, the complaint alleges.
“The three jailers’ use of physical force against Plaintiff continued to the point that all three were applying their full body weight on [Sancho] … even though [Sancho] was lying prone on the concrete floor and not struggling,” the lawsuit states.
The actions caused Sancho to briefly lost consciousness “from these jailers kneeling on Plaintiff’s neck and pinning him to the concrete floor.” The lawsuit claims that the deputies left Sancho “unresponsive” for “approximately 15 seconds” after they left the cell.
Ironically, the lawsuit uses the words of Jackson County Sheriff Nathan Sickler after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis using similar restraint methods against the department’s use of force.
Sickler had told the Mail Tribune while criticizing the killing of Floyd that:
“People lying on the ground while handcuffed can die from positional asphyxia,” and also that “When someone is putting weight on an individual, that’s a really dangerous situation.”
Sickler declined to comment on the lawsuit but after viewing surveillance video of the incident he told the Mail Tribune that “I cannot see any positional asphyxia.”
“Holding someone down temporarily to control them, across their back and shoulders, is much different than kneeling on someone’s neck and restricting their breathing,” Sickler wrote in an email to the newspaper.
Sancho’s lawyers beg to differ.
One of them said that the three deputies “took actions that Sheriff Sickler directly condemned as being ‘contrary to good policing.’”
“We think the video speaks for itself,” he said. “It’s one thing to comment about bad policing half a country away, it’s another thing when you have to deal with it in your own community.”
You can judge for yourself by watching the video of the jailhouse incident below.
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Original reporting by Nick Morgan at The Mail Tribune.
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Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Twitter users dogpile Trump Jr. over his intelligence after he insults Biden’s mind

There are less than one hundred days left till election day and Donald Trump still hasn ’ t managed to articulate a coherent reelection pitch .
Even if he hadn ’ t botched the federal response to a historic pandemic , Trump would have struggled to convince people that he was worth keeping in office after four years of Twitter meltdowns , international scandals , and rank , ubiquitous corruption .
Trump has effortlessly secured the title of worst president in American history for himself and now finds himself running against a presumptive Democratic nominee who was a popular Vice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an accomplished statesman , and demonstrates the crucial empathy that our current leader so sorely lacks .
In short , Joe Biden is Donald Trump ’ s superior in every way .
Forced to compete against such an opponent , Trump and his surrogates have resorted to the lowest form of smears .
They ’ ve repeatedly tried to paint Biden as mentally unfit for office , an incredibly ironic line of attack coming from a president who can barely string together a sentence and who demonstrates on a near-daily basis a profound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The pathetic strategy reached its nadir with Trump ’ s recent bragging about how he aced a cognitive test which basically required him to identify pictures of animals and remember the words : “ Person .
Woman .
Man .
Camera .
TV.
” Unsurprisingly , few Americans were impressed that the president managed to pass a test aimed at detecting diseases like Dementia and Alzheimers .
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Meanwhile , Joe Biden has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most pressing matters facing this country with nuance and intelligence .
His recent sitdown with his former boss President Obama was particularly impressive , as the two discussed a wide range of topics allowing Biden to demonstrate his mastery .
The Trump campaign simply can ’ t beat Biden on the issues , so they ’ re resorting to lying about him .
Earlier today , Donald Trump Jr. shared a video of Joe Biden leaving a building while wearing sunglasses .
The clip , which is from this past winter , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a friendly manner .
Trump Jr. ridiculously compared the video to “ A Weekend at Bernie ’ s ” although the actual title of the film he was trying to reference is simply “ Weekend at Bernie ’ s. ” The First Son said the clip would be “ sad if it wasn ’ t so scary ” and that Biden “ obviously has no idea what ’ s happen [ sic ] around him.
” Typos aside , this tweet is desperate even by Trump Jr. standards .
Watch the video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is completely projecting .
Biden looks totally fine and happy to be interacting with supporters .
There is simply no good faith interpretation of the video that comes to the conclusion that he is anything less than a picture of health .
Trump Jr. ’ s tweet unleashed a wave of criticism and mockery , with many users quick to point out his and his father ’ s weak mental facilities .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
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There are less than one hundred days left till election day and Donald Trump still hasn’t managed to articulate a coherent reelection pitch. Even if he hadn’t botched the federal response to a historic pandemic, Trump would have struggled to convince people that he was worth keeping in office after four years of Twitter meltdowns, international scandals, and rank, ubiquitous corruption.
Trump has effortlessly secured the title of worst president in American history for himself and now finds himself running against a presumptive Democratic nominee who was a popular Vice President, has a reputation for being an accomplished statesman, and demonstrates the crucial empathy that our current leader so sorely lacks. In short, Joe Biden is Donald Trump’s superior in every way.
Forced to compete against such an opponent, Trump and his surrogates have resorted to the lowest form of smears. They’ve repeatedly tried to paint Biden as mentally unfit for office, an incredibly ironic line of attack coming from a president who can barely string together a sentence and who demonstrates on a near-daily basis a profound ignorance of all matters related to governance.
The pathetic strategy reached its nadir with Trump’s recent bragging about how he aced a cognitive test which basically required him to identify pictures of animals and remember the words: “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.” Unsurprisingly, few Americans were impressed that the president managed to pass a test aimed at detecting diseases like Dementia and Alzheimers.
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
Meanwhile, Joe Biden has been releasing videos in which he discusses the most pressing matters facing this country with nuance and intelligence. His recent sitdown with his former boss President Obama was particularly impressive, as the two discussed a wide range of topics allowing Biden to demonstrate his mastery.
The Trump campaign simply can’t beat Biden on the issues, so they’re resorting to lying about him. Earlier today, Donald Trump Jr. shared a video of Joe Biden leaving a building while wearing sunglasses. The clip, which is from this past winter, is completely innocuous and shows Biden greeting supporters in a friendly manner.
Trump Jr. ridiculously compared the video to “A Weekend at Bernie’s” although the actual title of the film he was trying to reference is simply “Weekend at Bernie’s.” The First Son said the clip would be “sad if it wasn’t so scary” and that Biden “obviously has no idea what’s happen [sic] around him.”
Typos aside, this tweet is desperate even by Trump Jr. standards. Watch the video and you’ll see that he is completely projecting. Biden looks totally fine and happy to be interacting with supporters. There is simply no good faith interpretation of the video that comes to the conclusion that he is anything less than a picture of health.
It’s “A Weekend at Bernie’s” but for the nuclear football… This would be sad if it wasn’t so scary. Biden obviously has no idea what’s happen around him. https://t.co/lLpneRF483 — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 29, 2020
Trump Jr.’s tweet unleashed a wave of criticism and mockery, with many users quick to point out his and his father’s weak mental facilities.
This is old video, everyone is wearing a winter coat.
And, he probably would have stayed in there and talked for hours had the assistant not dragged him out of there.
Unlike some people, that others can’t wait for them to leave. — SB (@sandyjbyko) July 29, 2020
You don't look too smart questioning someone's ability to function with glaring typos in your tweets — Dr. Pluto A. Planet (@PLUTOAPLANET) July 29, 2020
I don’t seem to recall him self-publishing a book and letting a typo show up on the cover – oh, yeah, his dad wasn’t responsible for 150k deaths of Americans…that was yours… — donelkins (@donelkins) July 29, 2020
Your father suggested people inject disinfectant to cure COVID — Ian (@ChronicCrypto56) July 29, 2020
At least he had friends around him. People like him because he’s great ! No one likes any of the Trumps — SharonA (@Bejeweledfire) July 29, 2020
Scary is your father having the codes. Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV. –a very difficult question for Trump. — MightyMary007 (@Mary007Mighty) July 29, 2020
You must have missed his platform on economic recovery , racial equality yesterday…. over your head intellectually? Your little videos appeal to 10 yr olds…. did you catch daddy’s interview w / Axios? It is always Putin — The Mountains are calling…& I must go. (@PedsSJ) July 29, 2020
The horror, Biden walking with his granddaughter and wearing sunglasses, what's next, a tan suit? — John Slayer (@John666Slayer1) July 29, 2020
#1 the movie is "Weekend at Bernie's" #2 you've now posted this twice today — the individual tugging on Joe Biden's arm is his granddaughter. — Doug Landry (@dougblandry) July 29, 2020
The projection is strong with the Trump family. — Rich Swinton (@RicoSuaveJD) July 29, 2020
Your dad walked past his limo, when he got off Air Force 1. — M.J. Gil (@M_J_Gil) July 29, 2020
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occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Trump provokes outrage with wild racist dog-whistle to suburban whites

As the coronavirus crisis sends President Trump ’ s poll numbers off of a cliff , he has been resorting to increasingly blatant appeals to white fear and racism in a desperate attempt to scare voters into giving him another term .
His most recent line of attack is the preposterous accusation that Joe Biden wants to “ destroy the suburbs , ” which was almost certainly fed to him by white supremacist FOX News host Tucker Carlson .
On Wednesday , the president escalated his rhetoric with an appalling tweet that openly promised to segregate suburbs and cruelly dismissed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their “ Suburban Lifestyle Dream ” would no longer be bothered by “ low-income housing , ” he announced that he has rescinded President Obama ’ s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule , which was specifically implemented to combat housing discrimination against minority families .
As many commenters on social media noted , the president ’ s words are so obvious that they don ’ t even count as a dog-whistle .
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This tweet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s re-election strategy is a promise to reinforce and institutionalize the white supremacist racial caste system that white suburbs help enforce .
The suburbs are the refuge of the fearful white who moved away from the cities in order to get away from Black people and to avoid having their community resources go to improving the lives of Blacks ; allowing unfair housing practices to exist help maintain defacto segregation and the police are the institution of racist violence that ensure that Blacks know their place as second-class citizens .
While the national @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on our political elite to dismantle America ’ s white supremacist superstructure , Trump has made it his mission to defend it .

As the coronavirus crisis sends President Trump’s poll numbers off of a cliff, he has been resorting to increasingly blatant appeals to white fear and racism in a desperate attempt to scare voters into giving him another term.
His most recent line of attack is the preposterous accusation that Joe Biden wants to “destroy the suburbs,” which was almost certainly fed to him by white supremacist FOX News host Tucker Carlson. On Wednesday, the president escalated his rhetoric with an appalling tweet that openly promised to segregate suburbs and cruelly dismissed poor Americans.
Promising that people living their “Suburban Lifestyle Dream” would no longer be bothered by “low-income housing,” he announced that he has rescinded President Obama’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule, which was specifically implemented to combat housing discrimination against minority families.
…Your housing prices will go up based on the market, and crime will go down. I have rescinded the Obama-Biden AFFH Rule. Enjoy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2020
As many commenters on social media noted, the president’s words are so obvious that they don’t even count as a dog-whistle.
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
This tweet makes it clear that Donald Trump’s re-election strategy is a promise to reinforce and institutionalize the white supremacist racial caste system that white suburbs help enforce.
The suburbs are the refuge of the fearful white who moved away from the cities in order to get away from Black people and to avoid having their community resources go to improving the lives of Blacks; allowing unfair housing practices to exist help maintain de facto segregation and the police are the institution of racist violence that ensure that Blacks know their place as second-class citizens.
While the national conversation on racism and policing increases pressure on our political elite to dismantle America’s white supremacist superstructure, Trump has made it his mission to defend it.
Social media immediately erupted in fury.
Translation: I am happy to inform all of the white people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that less people of color will be in your neighborhoods. This is what he has always meant by MAGA. It’s always been about a return to blatant white supremacy. https://t.co/BMtHxpOmLR — Ahmed Baba (@AhmedBaba_) July 29, 2020
Trump tweets that he sees low income housing as damaging to the "Suburban Lifestyle Dream" and harmful to housing prices. He sees no benefit to that housing. He has one audience. And he has no problem communicating his disdain for people not in that audience. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 29, 2020
This is Trump responding to campaign advisors explaining he is losing suburban moms. He is losing these voters because their Suburban Lifestyle Dream has turned into a nightmare not being able to leave their homes or send their kids to school. Racist dog-whistles won't help. pic.twitter.com/T80C6oekJk — Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) July 29, 2020
https://twitter.com/Carrion_Crawl/status/1288533502254657539?s=20
This "Suburban Lifestyle Dream" tweet will go down in history as one of your most blatantly racist dogwhistles in a huge pantheon full of racist dogwhistles. You have 96 days left, Spanky. — BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) July 29, 2020
this is so loud and blatant that it doesn’t even qualify as a dog whistle at this point https://t.co/jnTaS3uW7J — I’m Black and I’m not voting for Biden (@rtyson82) July 29, 2020
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Colin Taylor Opinion columnist and former editor-in-chief of Occupy Democrats. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice and equality in America. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Adam Schiff hammers Trump for staying “pathetically silent” to Putin’s aggression

Today was a day of retreats for Donald Trump as politicians from both sides of the aisle attacked his plan to reduce American armed forces in Germany .
While another one of those retreats — the announcement of the successful negotiation for the withdrawal of federal troops from Portland , Oregon by that state ’ s Democratic Governor Kate Brown — was much welcome , the troop withdrawal from Germany is proving much more controversial .
Trump ’ s decision to withdraw 12,000 American troops from our NATO ally faced opposition from a bipartisan group of legislators who see the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vladimir Putin who has long wished to see a less robust defense on Russia ’ s western front .
While Trump cited Germany ’ s failure to live up to its promise to dedicate 2 % of its GDP on its own defense as the reason for the planned troop withdrawal , the fact that the troops will likely be moving to Italy and Belgium — two countries that pay an even smaller share of their GDP for defense than Germany — belies that rationale and raises significant questions about Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ progressives — who applaud any move that reduces America ’ s highly bloated defense budget so that taxes can instead be redirected into more socially productive areas like health care , education , and infrastructure — were dismissive of Trump ’ s move in Germany since it will cost billions to execute and take years to complete without reducing the Pentagon ’ s overall share of the nation ’ s expenditures .
On the Democratic side , House Intelligence Committee chairman and longtime Trump adversary Rep. Adam Schiff attacked the president ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Kremlin ’ s hands and pointed to Trump ’ s refusal to even raise the issue of Russian bounties on American troops in Afghanistan with Putin during their recent phone calls as another example of his inexplicable hands-off Russia policy .
It wasn ’ t only Democrats , however , who refused to get on board with Trump ’ s latest gift-wrapped present to Russia .
One of the chief critics of the president ’ s troop withdrawal from Germany within his own party was the only Republican to vote in favor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial earlier this year , Senator Mitt Romney ( R-UT ) .
Romney posted a statement on Twitter that objected to the new plan based on its abandonment of a key U.S. ally and as a favor to the Kremlin at a time when the reports of Russian bounties on the lives of American troops make sanctions rather than favors the proper response to Putin .
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops !
Romney ’ s tweet points to the difficulty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a defense that has grown to include bases around the world as it ponders its self-appointed role as a global police force .
With an economy highly dependent on what President Dwight Eisenhower warned was “ a military-industrial complex , ” any cutback in the Pentagon budget will have knock-on effects on jobs around the nation as military contractors cut back as contracts shrink .
It seems that the only way to implement the scaling back of America ’ s military presence around the globe and to reduce our out-of-proportion defense budget @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a program like the Green New Deal that would create an off-setting number of new jobs with a beneficial rather than destructive outcome : the rebuilding of a climate-friendly infrastructure and a sustainable economy not dependent on building the latest weapons of war .
While Senator Romney may be right in criticizing this particular withdrawal of American troops from Germany , he does so for all of the wrong reasons .
If there are no defense budget savings that will result from the move and no reinvestment of that money into more productive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another gift from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin that may eventually result in a Trump Tower Moscow , but deliver no benefit to the American people .
Still , anything that further fractures the Republican party — already in severe disarray with less than 100 days before the election — can ’ t be all bad .
Don ’ t trust Romney ’ s motives in opposing Trump on this issue .
Rather progressives should leverage the opportunity to parlay this latest troop deployment controversy into a larger share of federal dollars to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

Today was a day of retreats for Donald Trump as politicians from both sides of the aisle attacked his plan to reduce American armed forces in Germany.
While another one of those retreats — the announcement of the successful negotiation for the withdrawal of federal troops from Portland, Oregon by that state’s Democratic Governor Kate Brown — was much welcome, the troop withdrawal from Germany is proving much more controversial.
Trump’s decision to withdraw 12,000 American troops from our NATO ally faced opposition from a bipartisan group of legislators who see the move as playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin who has long wished to see a less robust defense on Russia’s western front.
While Trump cited Germany’s failure to live up to its promise to dedicate 2% of its GDP on its own defense as the reason for the planned troop withdrawal, the fact that the troops will likely be moving to Italy and Belgium — two countries that pay an even smaller share of their GDP for defense than Germany — belies that rationale and raises significant questions about Trump’s real motivations for the move.
Even progressives — who applaud any move that reduces America’s highly bloated defense budget so that taxes can instead be redirected into more socially productive areas like health care, education, and infrastructure — were dismissive of Trump’s move in Germany since it will cost billions to execute and take years to complete without reducing the Pentagon’s overall share of the nation’s expenditures.
On the Democratic side, House Intelligence Committee chairman and longtime Trump adversary Rep. Adam Schiff attacked the president’s move as once again playing straight into the Kremlin’s hands and pointed to Trump’s refusal to even raise the issue of Russian bounties on American troops in Afghanistan with Putin during their recent phone calls as another example of his inexplicable hands-off Russia policy.
Since this story broke, President Trump has: Attacked “intelligence” and military generals, Dismissed the threat to our soldiers, And stayed pathetically silent in the face of Russian aggression. Why in the world can’t this man stand up to Putin? https://t.co/cbyjZn6mPb — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 29, 2020
It wasn’t only Democrats, however, who refused to get on board with Trump’s latest gift-wrapped present to Russia.
One of the chief critics of the president’s troop withdrawal from Germany within his own party was the only Republican to vote in favor of convicting the president at his impeachment trial earlier this year, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Romney posted a statement on Twitter that objected to the new plan based on its abandonment of a key U.S. ally and as a favor to the Kremlin at a time when the reports of Russian bounties on the lives of American troops make sanctions rather than favors the proper response to Putin.
It is a gift to Russia coming at a time when we just have learned of its support for the Taliban and reports of bounties on killing American troops. The move may temporarily play well in domestic politics, but its consequences will be lasting and harmful to American interests. — Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) July 29, 2020
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
Romney’s tweet points to the difficulty America will have in reducing its spending on a defense that has grown to include bases around the world as it ponders its self-appointed role as a global police force.
With an economy highly dependent on what President Dwight Eisenhower warned was “a military-industrial complex,” any cutback in the Pentagon budget will have knock-on effects on jobs around the nation as military contractors cut back as contracts shrink.
It seems that the only way to implement the scaling back of America’s military presence around the globe and to reduce our out-of-proportion defense budget would be to reallocate that money to a program like the Green New Deal that would create an off-setting number of new jobs with a beneficial rather than destructive outcome: the rebuilding of a climate-friendly infrastructure and a sustainable economy not dependent on building the latest weapons of war.
While Senator Romney may be right in criticizing this particular withdrawal of American troops from Germany, he does so for all of the wrong reasons.
If there are no defense budget savings that will result from the move and no reinvestment of that money into more productive uses, then the move is purely another gift from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin that may eventually result in a Trump Tower Moscow, but deliver no benefit to the American people.
Still, anything that further fractures the Republican party — already in severe disarray with less than 100 days before the election — can’t be all bad.
Don’t trust Romney’s motives in opposing Trump on this issue. Rather progressives should leverage the opportunity to parlay this latest troop deployment controversy into a larger share of federal dollars to be spent on socially beneficial programs.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Ocasio-Cortez sounds alarm after NYPD cops abduct woman in unmarked van

The federal government ’ s response to protests over the past couple of months has been nothing short of terrifying .
Spurred on by President Trump ’ s imperative to “ dominate ” the streets and project an air of “ law and order , ” police officers across the countries have brutally beaten , gassed , and vehicularly rammed countless American citizens .
Rather than having some kind of calming effect , the state-sanctioned violence has driven even more outraged protestors to the streets , which has in turn prompted cops to crack down even harder .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continued existence can be traced directly to the Oval Office .
Perhaps the most disturbing trend—first witnessed in Portland and now caught on film in New York City—is that of unidentified law enforcement agents throwing protestors into unmarked vehicles before driving off with them .
The eery similarities between the “ arrests ” and the kind of paramilitary kidnappings we often see under authoritarian regimes in foreign countries are understandably drawing concerns but an even bigger risk comes in the normalization of such encounters .
Add your name to demand an investigation into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kill US troops !
If you ’ re a protestor and armed men hop out of a civilian vehicle and try to subdue you and abduct you without properly identifying themselves , how do you know they ’ re even law enforcement officers at all ?
How do you know they ’ re not members of a white nationalist militia or human trafficking organization ?
By treating such encounters as acceptable behavior , police and federal agents are sowing uncertainty and putting innocent people in danger of being exploited .
A clip of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went viral yesterday and the ACLU shared it on their official Twitter page .
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , a reliably strong advocate for the rights of everyday Americans , shared the video and correctly stated that : “ Our civil liberties are on the brink.
” She went on to say there is “ no excuse ” for law enforcement using tactics such as these and that we all must “ resist authoritarianism.
” Her rhetoric could only sound alarmist to those who haven ’ t been paying attention in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reelection all of these dangerous government overreaches and violations of rights will be validated and we will likely see him push us even closer towards outright authoritarianism .
The stakes going into November could not be any higher and it falls to all of us to save this country .
We want to hear what YOU have to say .
Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section !

The federal government’s response to protests over the past couple of months has been nothing short of terrifying. Spurred on by President Trump’s imperative to “dominate” the streets and project an air of “law and order,” police officers across the countries have brutally beaten, gassed, and vehicularly rammed countless American citizens.
Rather than having some kind of calming effect, the state-sanctioned violence has driven even more outraged protestors to the streets, which has in turn prompted cops to crack down even harder. It’s a vicious feedback loop and its continued existence can be traced directly to the Oval Office.
Perhaps the most disturbing trend—first witnessed in Portland and now caught on film in New York City—is that of unidentified law enforcement agents throwing protestors into unmarked vehicles before driving off with them. The eery similarities between the “arrests” and the kind of paramilitary kidnappings we often see under authoritarian regimes in foreign countries are understandably drawing concerns but an even bigger risk comes in the normalization of such encounters.
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
If you’re a protestor and armed men hop out of a civilian vehicle and try to subdue you and abduct you without properly identifying themselves, how do you know they’re even law enforcement officers at all? How do you know they’re not members of a white nationalist militia or human trafficking organization? By treating such encounters as acceptable behavior, police and federal agents are sowing uncertainty and putting innocent people in danger of being exploited.
A clip of one such “arrest” in NYC went viral yesterday and the ACLU shared it on their official Twitter page.
BREAKING: We're receiving reports that at least one protester was abducted off the streets today by unmarked “officers” — this time in New York City. These dangerous, abusive, and indefensible actions must stop. Law enforcement must be held accountable. pic.twitter.com/I9VQo4Tvbx — ACLU (@ACLU) July 29, 2020
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a reliably strong advocate for the rights of everyday Americans, shared the video and correctly stated that: “Our civil liberties are on the brink.” She went on to say there is “no excuse” for law enforcement using tactics such as these and that we all must “resist authoritarianism.”
Her rhetoric could only sound alarmist to those who haven’t been paying attention in recent days. If Donald Trump wins reelection all of these dangerous government overreaches and violations of rights will be validated and we will likely see him push us even closer towards outright authoritarianism. The stakes going into November could not be any higher and it falls to all of us to save this country.
Our civil liberties are on brink. This is not a drill. There is no excuse for snatching women off the street and throwing them into unmarked vans. To not protect our rights is to give them away. It is our responsibility to resist authoritarianism. https://t.co/pw20WF05KK — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 29, 2020
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
OD STAFF Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--Mitt Romney issues scathing attack on Trump for latest gift to Russia

Today was a day of retreats for Donald Trump .
While one of those retreats — the announcement of the successful negotiation for the withdrawal of federal troops from Portland , Oregon by that state ’ s Democratic Governor Kate Brown — was much welcome , the other is proving much more controversial .
Trump ’ s decision to withdraw 12,000 American troops from our NATO ally Germany faced opposition from a bipartisan group of legislators who see the move as playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin who has long wished to see a less robust defense on Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cited Germany ’ s failure to live up to its promise to dedicate 2 % of its GDP on its own defense as the reason for the planned troop withdrawal , the fact that the troops will likely be moving to Italy and Belgium — two countries that pay an even smaller share of their GDP for defense than Germany — belies that rationale and raises significant questions about Trump ’ s real motivations for the move .
Even progressives — who applaud any move that reduces America ’ s highly bloated defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ redirected into more socially productive areas like health care , education , and infrastructure — were dismissive of Trump ’ s move in Germany since it will cost billions to execute and take years to complete without reducing the Pentagon ’ s overall share of the nation ’ s expenditures .
One of the chief critics of the president ’ s troop withdrawal from Germany within his own party was the only Republican to vote in favor of convicting the president at his impeachment trial earlier this year , Senator Mitt Romney ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Twitter that objected to the new plan based on its abandonment of a key U.S. ally and as a favor to the Kremlin at a time when the reports of Russian bounties on the lives of American troops make sanctions rather than favors the proper response to Putin .
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops !
Romney ’ s tweet points to the difficulty America will have in reducing its spending on a defense that has grown to include bases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ self-appointed role as a global police force .
With an economy highly dependent on what President Dwight Eisenhower warned was “ a military-industrial complex , ” any cutback in the Pentagon budget will have knock-on effects on jobs around the nation as military contractors cut back as contracts shrink .
It seems that the only way to implement the scaling back of America ’ s military presence around the globe and to reduce our out-of-proportion defense budget would be to reallocate that money to a program like the Green New Deal that would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a beneficial rather than destructive outcome : the rebuilding of a climate-friendly infrastructure and a sustainable economy not dependent on building the latest weapons of war .
While Senator Romney may be right in criticizing this particular withdrawal of American troops from Germany , he does so for all of the wrong reasons .
If there are no defense budget savings that will result from the move and no reinvestment of that money into more productive uses , then the move is purely another gift from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moscow , but deliver no benefit to the American people .
Still , anything that further fractures the Republican party — already in severe disarray with less than 100 days before the election — can ’ t be all bad .
Don ’ t trust Romney ’ s motives in opposing Trump on this issue .
Rather progressives should leverage the opportunity to parlay this latest troop deployment controversy into a larger share of federal dollars to be spent on socially beneficial programs .
We want to hear what YOU have to say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our NEW comment section !

Today was a day of retreats for Donald Trump.
While one of those retreats — the announcement of the successful negotiation for the withdrawal of federal troops from Portland, Oregon by that state’s Democratic Governor Kate Brown — was much welcome, the other is proving much more controversial.
Trump’s decision to withdraw 12,000 American troops from our NATO ally Germany faced opposition from a bipartisan group of legislators who see the move as playing into the hands of Vladimir Putin who has long wished to see a less robust defense on Russia’s western front.
While Trump cited Germany’s failure to live up to its promise to dedicate 2% of its GDP on its own defense as the reason for the planned troop withdrawal, the fact that the troops will likely be moving to Italy and Belgium — two countries that pay an even smaller share of their GDP for defense than Germany — belies that rationale and raises significant questions about Trump’s real motivations for the move.
Even progressives — who applaud any move that reduces America’s highly bloated defense budget so that taxes can instead be redirected into more socially productive areas like health care, education, and infrastructure — were dismissive of Trump’s move in Germany since it will cost billions to execute and take years to complete without reducing the Pentagon’s overall share of the nation’s expenditures.
One of the chief critics of the president’s troop withdrawal from Germany within his own party was the only Republican to vote in favor of convicting the president at his impeachment trial earlier this year, Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Romney posted a statement on Twitter that objected to the new plan based on its abandonment of a key U.S. ally and as a favor to the Kremlin at a time when the reports of Russian bounties on the lives of American troops make sanctions rather than favors the proper response to Putin.
It is a gift to Russia coming at a time when we just have learned of its support for the Taliban and reports of bounties on killing American troops. The move may temporarily play well in domestic politics, but its consequences will be lasting and harmful to American interests. — Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) July 29, 2020
Add your name to demand an investigation into Trump letting Putin pay Taliban fighters to kill US troops!
Romney’s tweet points to the difficulty America will have in reducing its spending on a defense that has grown to include bases around the world as it ponders its self-appointed role as a global police force.
With an economy highly dependent on what President Dwight Eisenhower warned was “a military-industrial complex,” any cutback in the Pentagon budget will have knock-on effects on jobs around the nation as military contractors cut back as contracts shrink.
It seems that the only way to implement the scaling back of America’s military presence around the globe and to reduce our out-of-proportion defense budget would be to reallocate that money to a program like the Green New Deal that would create an off-setting number of new jobs with a beneficial rather than destructive outcome: the rebuilding of a climate-friendly infrastructure and a sustainable economy not dependent on building the latest weapons of war.
While Senator Romney may be right in criticizing this particular withdrawal of American troops from Germany, he does so for all of the wrong reasons.
If there are no defense budget savings that will result from the move and no reinvestment of that money into more productive uses, then the move is purely another gift from Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin that may eventually result in a Trump Tower Moscow, but deliver no benefit to the American people.
Still, anything that further fractures the Republican party — already in severe disarray with less than 100 days before the election — can’t be all bad.
Don’t trust Romney’s motives in opposing Trump on this issue. Rather progressives should leverage the opportunity to parlay this latest troop deployment controversy into a larger share of federal dollars to be spent on socially beneficial programs.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
We want to hear what YOU have to say. Scroll down and let us know in our NEW comment section!
Vinnie Longobardo Managing Editor Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art. Latest Posts


occupydemocrats--2020-07-29--“That’s a cop out!” FOX host shoots down Trump spokesman’s lame excuses for 17-pt polling deficit

Working on the president ’ s communications team carries with it the added responsibility of having to make Donald Trump feel better about himself while they debase themselves in defense of his indefensible behavior .
That tends to lead to incredulous exchanges with news personalities and anchors who simply can not believe the things that are being said to them by the president ’ s loyal sycophants .
Fireworks erupted on FOX Business today when Dagen McDowell confronted Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley on how the president was trailing Joe Biden by 17 points on the coronavirus issue and why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t resonating with the people .
Gidley responded by calling the polls “ junk ” and arguing that they were tilted towards Democrats — but McDowell wasn ’ t having it .
“ That ’ s a cop out !
That ’ s a cop out .
You can argue they don ’ t indicate how the election turns out .
That ’ s fine .
But that ’ s just a cop out.
” Gidely responded by again claiming that they were skewed and by blaming Joe Biden for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comparison to the ravages of the novel coronavirus .
“ They are skewed to the left .
But if we ’ re talking about coronavirus , that ’ s the beauty of this election .
So many times , we ’ re talking in the abstract , what would it look like if somebody were president ?
You don ’ t have to guess what it would like for pandemic response under Joe Biden .
He was in the office of the White House for eight years .
And when H1N1 — swine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he did was shut down But McDowell shut that down too .
“ These polls clearly matter to you and the president because he ’ s changed his position and tone based on that very polling to focus more on the virus because you ’ re losing on that subject !
” As the election draws closer and Trump digs himself into a deeper hole , we are certainly going to enjoy a great deal of schadenfreude as the fanatical Trump acolytes argue with defectors over reality .

Working on the president’s communications team carries with it the added responsibility of having to make Donald Trump feel better about himself while they debase themselves in defense of his indefensible behavior.
That tends to lead to incredulous exchanges with news personalities and anchors who simply cannot believe the things that are being said to them by the president’s loyal sycophants.
Fireworks erupted on FOX Business today when Dagen McDowell confronted Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley on how the president was trailing Joe Biden by 17 points on the coronavirus issue and why the president’s “message” wasn’t resonating with the people.
Gidley responded by calling the polls “junk” and arguing that they were tilted towards Democrats — but McDowell wasn’t having it.
“That’s a cop out! That’s a cop out. You can argue they don’t indicate how the election turns out. That’s fine. But that’s just a cop out.”
Gidely responded by again claiming that they were skewed and by blaming Joe Biden for the swine flu crisis, which pales in comparison to the ravages of the novel coronavirus. “They are skewed to the left. But if we’re talking about coronavirus, that’s the beauty of this election. So many times, we’re talking in the abstract, what would it look like if somebody were president? You don’t have to guess what it would like for pandemic response under Joe Biden. He was in the office of the White House for eight years. And when H1N1 — swine flu — hit this country, all he did was shut down
But McDowell shut that down too. “These polls clearly matter to you and the president because he’s changed his position and tone based on that very polling to focus more on the virus because you’re losing on that subject!”
As the election draws closer and Trump digs himself into a deeper hole, we are certainly going to enjoy a great deal of schadenfreude as the fanatical Trump acolytes argue with defectors over reality.
Watch it here:
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