Day 769 Thursday February 14, 2019
627 Days to the 2020 election and 705 Days to Inauguration Day
There were many interesting legal things that went on yesterday. Rachel started off her show by making the point that when it comes to batting against Robert Mueller the score is zero. No one who has come up against him has won. They have all lost.
A judge has ruled in the Manafort plea agreement that he did not live up to his side of the agreement and therefore the prosecution team is not bound by its terms. Just on what Manafort has been found guilty of so far this means that the sentencing guidelines change from eight to ten years to now 24 to 30 years in prison. Manafort turns seventy in six months. He might have been out of jail before he was 80, but now? We are looking at closer to age 100. The speculation as to what he was thinking centers around Manafort’s trying to play both sides of the case. One, working with the Special Prosecutor to get a lighter sentence and two, trying to do what he can to help out team Trump so he’d be in line for a pardon. All the while he’s doing this he’s still trying to do work for Ukrainians and he’s witness tampering by trying to get his and their stories in line.
It came out in court the other day that while Manafort was campaign chairman for Trump he met with the Russian associated with the GRU, his – what we thought was former client, but apparently not – Konstantin Kilimnik. Where did they meet? In a cigar lounge in New York City. Besides these two, Rick Gates was there. What makes this meeting really suspicious? Other than the question of what is a chairman of a presidential campaign doing meeting with a foreign adversary? (This little tidbit was mentioned by a former prosecutor.) The thing that makes it really really suspicious is the fact that all three left by different doors. Why would you do that, unless, of course, you didn’t want to be seen in the company of the others?
The other question that comes up is why would Manafort risk more time in jail, ostensibly for the rest of his life, unless whatever the truth is, is even worse. By not revealing that is he vying for a pardon?
The whole Russian interference question has moved from, “Did the Trump campaign collude with the Russians?” to now asking, “Is whatever colluding the Trump campaign did with the Russians rise to the level of a crime?”
As one little exhibit of this take Sam Patten, a rather minor player in this drama so far, but it was he that got money funneled from Russians to the inauguration committee.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has heads of conservatives exploding over her Green New Deal. Amazing. A resolution that is “aspirational” is being attacked from every conservative quarter that isn’t busy attacking Elizabeth Warren for her tax the ultra-wealthy plan (or her being an Indian, or not; or claiming once that she was, or not.)
Meanwhile more Presidential hopefuls are lining up. Amy Klobuchar has gotten into the fray. I was predisposed to not want her to run. Just before she announced there were rumors that she was mean to her staff. This kind of turned me off to her, but then there was a piece about her that reviewed her accomplishments, and her likability among Republicans in the Senate. I had to ask myself if the stuff about her not being a likable boss was in fact a right wing hit job ahead of her announcement?
Now Corey Booker has jumped in. Likable guy, but seems sort of one note, like Warren. Now Eric Holder might run. WTF? As someone wrote, all the candidates would make good VPs.
Howard Schultz has called the Green New Deal immoral. Really? Others on the right say it’s unworkable, etc. etc. etc. My buddy who sends me pieces a day or so before the regular press picks up the right wing stuff says Cortez isn’t wrong that we should be concerned about climate change, but that she’s way off on what to do. (btw He always seems to be channeling Dan Akroyd’s SNL “Jane you ignorant slut” attitude when setting me straight.) His solution seems to be that we should adjust to the change, that it isn’t as big a deal as others that he suspects have a motive at being overly work upped (both scientists and politicians) have claimed. His attitude seems to be one of the person that says rape victims should lie back and enjoy it. Not that we should truly try to change the course that we humans seem to have put our Earth on. Just adapt.
There’s more, but how much can one do in a day?
Brett Kavenaugh sided with the other three justices that have no reason to be on the Supreme Court on that abhorrent law in Louisiana copped from Texas about abortion providers. This should be able to say to Susan Collins that once again she’s been duped. But I think she is too stupid to understand.
I wonder if anyone is going to say to the president, “Bull Shit,” when he tries to say he’s been building lots of wall? Or will it come to a point, like at the United Nations where they just laughed to his face? Maybe, someone should say, “Gee Wilikers Mr. president that’s super great. When are you going to take us down there to see the new construction?
627 Days to the 2020 election and 705 Days to Inauguration Day
PS Stiripen water purifier on fire! (ie doing it’s job.)
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