We must hope for indictments by somebody else!

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2019

The propaganda war moves on:
The Mueller report has been dropped! The Mueller report has been dropped!

Last evening, a wave of Paul Reveres rode through the streets of cable news making this announcement. In our view, the gang at New York magazine got one part of this episode right:
HART (3/22/19): Multiple sources are now reporting that Mueller is recommending no further indictments. What does that tell us?

CHAIT: It certainly seems to point toward an anticlimactic outcome.

KILGORE: Since presumably there are people who (unlike Trump) can be indicted for helping him with collusion and/or obstruction, the fact that they likely won’t be is a pretty good thing for Trump.

CHAIT: It’s strange, though, given how many crimes have been clearly hinted at to date.

HART: This fits with the rising tide of chatter in the last few days, from White House sources and Democrats alike, predicting that the report will end up being quite favorable to Trump—relatively speaking.
In the end, will the actual Mueller report "end up being quite favorable to Trump, relatively speaking?" We have no way of knowing.

That said, a vast array of crimes "have been hinted at" in the past year, but the bulk of these crimes, for which we liberals have fervently prayed, didn't end up getting charged. This awkward fact will lie at the heart of the next propaganda war, which has already started.

Good lord! No one got charged for the Trump Tower meeting. Possible targets like Jared Kushner didn't get charged with perjury.

Carter Page is gone and forgotten, after being convicted, again and again, by the likes of "our own hangin' judge," cable star Rachel Maddow. A wide range of crimes which were "hinted at" (and proselytized about) seem to, perhaps and possibly, maybe be dead and gone.

For another example of a crime which didn't end up getting charged, consider the passage shown below.

The passage appears near the end of a lengthy front-page report in this morning's Washington Post. It begins with yet another awkward fact, then moves on to Jerome Corsi:
BARRETT, ZAPOTOSKY AND DAWSEY (3/23/19): None of the Americans charged by Mueller are accused of conspiring with Russia to interfere in the election—the central question of Mueller’s work. Instead, they pleaded guilty to various crimes, including lying to the FBI.

The investigation ended without charges for a number of key figures
who had long been under Mueller’s scrutiny, including conservative writer Jerome Corsi, who said Friday that he felt “vindicated” by the development.

Corsi met with prosecutors repeatedly about communications he had before the November 2016 election with Stone about the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. In November, Corsi took the unorthodox step of publishing draft court documents Mueller’s team had provided to him as they urged him to plead guilty to lying in an October 2018 debriefing. He said that his memory had been faulty but that he had not intentionally lied, and he refused to take the deal.

“They lost. They tried to give me a plea deal that was a lie and I exposed it,” he said. “They wisely left me alone. Seven months through absolute hell when all I did was try to cooperate.”
Oof! Mueller ended up charging no one with criminal forms of collusion. Over Here in our liberal world, such charges have long been devoutly wished for.

Meanwhile, consider the Corsi matter:

From our point of view, Corsi has been a total nutcase for a good number of years, long predating Trump. That said, was he actually guilty of "lying [to prosecutors] in an October 2018 debriefing?"

We have no way of knowing. That said, the Mueller team tried to get him to plead guilty to such a crime, then ended up not charging him with any such offense.

As citizens, should we be concerned about such prosecutorial conduct? For ourselves, we don't know; we'd like to hear the pros and cons. Surely, though, everyone knows how this episode is going to look Over There.

For many months, we liberals have been mightily pleasured on MSNBC by the prospect of coming indictments. We've been fed this tribal comfort food night after night after night after night, just before going to bed.

Our own hustlers and con men have sent us to bed pleasured by the prospect of such coming indictments. The propaganda war will now move on, with Fox News claiming vindication for Trump, and our own cable stars assuring us that future indictments, from other prosecutors, are right around the corner.

WE liberals have been dumbed way down, for months and years, by our own cable stars. It's propaganda, all the way down. Our cable stars are paid millions of dollars to dumb us down this way, though we aren't allowed to know how many millions of dollars.

(Our big stars love transparency. They just don't love it that much.)

What does the Mueller report really say? We have no way of knowing. But the propaganda war has already moved on, and over here, in our liberal tents, we liberals are still getting clowned.

On the brighter side: Last night, we liberals also got to learn, at several points, about Rachel's "fishing trip interruptus."

As usual, Rachel was selling the car. "I I I I I I I," our angry young analysts said.

70 comments:

  1. Perhaps now we can finally move on from the “propaganda” of “Trump is a crook/compromised by foreign entities” to the (totally true non-propagandistic) view endorsed by Somerby “Trump is mentally ill.” That’s sure to resonate with his base.

    Media, let’s engage in a little speculation, shall we?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anything but the issues that affect people.

      Delete
  2. Get ready for a gloatfest to last from now until Trump wins in 2020, all thanks to inept Democratic strategists and politicians who can't control their emotions. Bob warned us about the emptiness of COLLUSION allegations and the more sane among us knew all along this would be the outcome. Gotta hand it to Trump. He made Democrats pony up 25 million dollars in free advertising and publicity, at the end of which he can declare he was right and they were "losers."

    Months of "Mueller is careful and meticulous. Just wait." GTFO of here with your TV movie fantasies. Democrats have losers as leaders. Maybe if Beto eats more magic dirt it will all get better.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Turns out it was Trump's bigotry that got him elected, despite the 28 months of failing to find any other reason by the corporate media.
      Who knew?*

      *Other than anyone paying attention, which, despite the denials, includes the corporate media and the Republican Party.

      Delete
    2. Trump didn't get elected due to his bigotry. It was "economic anxiety". OK, it's been proven it wasn't "economic anxiety", so it must have been "Russia" and not Trump's bigotry. OK, it's been proven it wasn't "Russia".
      What next? Have we tried to blame it on "sun spots", instead of his bigotry yet? Someone get me NASA on the phone.

      Delete
    3. The whole Chase was a massive gift to Trump.

      Delete
    4. It isn’t over.

      Delete
    5. "The whole Chase was a massive gift to Trump."

      Hmm, I don't know. Any other president - under the same circumstances: no wars + the best economy in 60 years - would've had 60+% approval now. Trump only has 50%.

      Some people are gullible; propaganda works.

      Delete
    6. And Republicans know a thing or two about propaganda. It’s their stock in trade.

      Delete
    7. No wars?!???????

      That's a howler. You mean no new wars?

      Delete
    8. No wars, dembot.

      Delete
    9. The President and the country are not engaged in any wars? Is that what you are saying?

      Delete
    10. Go ahead, dembot. Tell me.

      Delete
    11. You need to be more critical of the bullshit you google, dembot. The US is not fighting wars in seven countries.

      Syria is finished, Afghanistan is also finished, as they reached the agreement with Taliban back in January.

      The rest aren't wars the US is fighting, by any stretch of imagination.

      Delete
    12. The US dropped chemical weapons on Syria (ironically) just last month. This Trump whore, Jap cunt whoever he is doesn't know shit.

      Delete
    13. Dear Faggot, like I said, they reached the agreement, back in January. Sure, details are being worked out.

      As for "Deadly Insider Attack", yeah, shit happens, dembot.

      Sorry if it upsets you, but yes: no wars at the moment.

      Delete
    14. "No wars" - Our military is dropping chemical weapons on Syria, our military is killing civilians in Afghanistan, shit happens, and there are no wars. Sounds good man! Thanks for the info! ;)

      Delete
    15. When Barry The Demigod was president, our military was killing civilians and many, many places.

      In Pakistan, for example. Was the US fighting a war against Pakistan back then? Perhaps you can find me a website that says it was.

      Delete
    16. Ok I see. No declared wars. Got it. That's a huge achievement by Trump and Obama. Thanks. Where can I cast my vote is in approval of this achievement?!? :)

      You're a faggot. And a moron. And you've been duped into a false dichotomy. Go fuck your mother and then go fuck your sister and finish it off by fucking yourself.

      Delete
    17. Nah, I'm not duped into anything, Faggot. And there's no dichotomy.

      All I'm saying: the US is not conducting any wars at the moment, and it's true.

      Of course the US remains the dominant superpower, with all the obvious consequences: military bases all over, occasional airstrikes, domineering, terrorizing, and all that.

      For that to go away, the geopolitical situation would have to change dramatically. It might, eventually, but I doubt it'll happen in the near future.

      Delete
    18. Trump mops up ISIS:

      https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47682160

      Delete
    19. When Barry The Demigod was president, our military was killing civilians in many, many places.

      Yeah, shit happens, Trumpbot.

      The US was the dominant superpower with all the obvious consequences. Dumbshit faggot, sucker of your mother's cock.

      Delete
    20. Nice.
      Mao, with the old "If we don't count all the instances where I'm wrong, I'm right" Conservative chestnut. LOL

      Delete
    21. "When Barry The Demigod was president, our military was killing civilians in many, many places. "

      Very good, my dear. You're making progress.

      Delete
  3. “They lost. They tried to give me a plea deal that was a lie and I exposed it,” he said. “They wisely left me alone. Seven months through absolute hell when all I did was try to cooperate.”

    I don't ever want to hear another Democrat whine about "institutions" or "justice." This is the stuff of dystopian nightmares. And I'm a liberal. There is no place for liberals on the Democratic left.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You may be gullible.

      Delete
    2. As may you...

      Delete
    3. “Dystopian nightmare” based on the assertions of someone like Corsi? Mmmkay.

      Delete
    4. Leftists always love that shit. They can't be trusted with power. They want 16 year olds to vote because they know even less about history and judgment than most leftists so the morally and intellectually bankrupt ideology still appeals to them.

      Delete
    5. Yes, 11:16. “Leftist” Bill Clinton gave us a strong economy. He balanced the budget and left us with the deficit erased. “Rightist” GW Bush got us into two pointless, costly wars and brought us to the brink of economic collapse. “Leftist” Obama got us out of the crisis and left an economy powering upwards, that “rightist” Trump falsely takes credit for.

      The opposite of what you say is true.

      Delete
    6. It's about Republicans being compromised by foreign powers. In this case, the foreign powers are white, so the Right-wing thinks it's a victory.

      Delete
    7. "Yes, 11:16. “Leftist” Bill Clinton gave us a strong economy."

      Yes, thanks to Algore's great invention, the Internet.

      Delete
    8. Bill Clinton of the Bill Clinton presidency would land solidly on the center-right today. He might have been an insane far leftist at heart, his wife is, but he never ventured too far in that direction. It defines the mainstream of the Democratic party now. No thanks.

      Delete
  4. “WE liberals have been dumbed way down, for months and years, by our own cable stars. It's propaganda, all the way down.”

    “the bulk of these crimes, for which we liberals have fervently prayed, “

    The second statement follows from the first if your notion of what liberals care about and fervently pray for comes solely from observing the news media.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "WE liberals have been dumbed way down, for months and years, by our own cable stars. It's propaganda, all the way down"

    Yeah, but the cable stars is just one component of the propaganda system, the one that you follow.

    What about 'your own' sanctimonious mccarthyist politicians: Pelosi, Clinton, Nadler, Schiff, Waters, etc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pelosi opposes impeachment. Had you not heard?

      Delete
    2. Mao's so confused, he's starting to troll himself.

      Delete
  6. Re the Corsi matter:
    “should we be concerned about such prosecutorial conduct?”

    But “was he actually guilty of "lying [to prosecutors] in an October 2018 debriefing?"

    We have no way of knowing.”

    Perhaps it would be wiser to wait until we “know” more, and hesitate before ascribing any credibility to a “total nutcase” like Corsi and hinting at possible prosecutorial misconduct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that it would be better to wait until we know more. Unfortunately, I don't think we ever will know for sure. Mueller isn't going to publicize the exact methods and steps taken by his team of investigators. Nobody is going to officially investigate the Mueller investigation. So, we can believe Corsi (who, I agree, is a nut case) or disbelieve him. We'll never know for sure.

      Delete
    2. Well, he charged at least a couple people with the horrible crime of "lying to the fbi". And some say that Flynn, at least, wasn't trying to deceive anyone. We know that.

      Delete
    3. Here, David:
      "Of the six Trump campaign associates indicted in Mueller’s sprawling investigation, five were charged with violating U.S.C. 1001—or making false statements."

      https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bulk-of-mueller-cases-against-trump-associates-built-on-false-statements

      A one-trick pony, as they say.

      Delete
  7. Somerby has a penchant for characterizing certain people as crazy:

    Trump (“mentally ill”)
    Corsi (“total nutcase”)
    Neo-Nazis (“ludicrous”, “pathetic”)

    The first is president of the United States, supported by the vast majority of the Republican Party.

    The second is a multi-million selling author who has had prominent positions at right-wing media outlets and who promoted the swift boat smear against Kerry and the birther stuff against Obama.

    The third are responsible for, or at least have inspired, multiple deaths both here and abroad.

    Is Somerby attempting to dismiss these people or downplay their responsibility for their own misdeeds by labeling them crazy or pathetic? Mentally ill people are often viewed as having no agency in the court system, hence they are found not guilty by reason of insanity.

    ReplyDelete
  8. By focusing on who did or didn’t get indicted, with a veiled swipe at Mueller thrown in, Somerby is once again carrying water for Trump.

    The larger importance of the Mueller investigation has always been foreign interference in our election, ie the counterintelligence aspect. That should be of concern to everyone.

    And the question of indictment is not equal to the question of impeachment, should it come to that, despite what A Dershowitz says.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's never been about collusion, right? We can still get him in other ways because our crooked grifting queen was entitled to the presidency right? You losers have no idea how you sound do you?

      Delete
    2. Good grief, 11:20. You just love to assume anyone who doesn’t toe the Trump line 100% is a Hillary lover. I merely point out the fact, that no one should forget and which should be of concern to everyone, that a foreign power interfered in our election. Maybe this time the outcome was to your liking. Let me guess: if Russia had been found to have helped Hillary win, you Trumpers would have been apoplectic. She would have been impeached in a heartbeat. So, thanks for trumpeting your double standards.

      Maybe you need to think about how *you* sound.

      Delete
    3. 11:50, have you ever become concerned that Russia or any other foreign power "interfered" in our elections? Because they have done so in every election in modern history and it will happen in every one from now on especially if we maintain a fairly open internet, which we have now. I would have been too embarrass to allege that the outcome was caused by "Russia" if the evidence was the god-awful obvious and illiterate postings and other attempts at interference it attempted. Or if it involved leaking ACCURATE email contents from campaigns. If another entity affected voting machines, that would be a different story.

      I doubt there was a single vote changed by anyone other than Trump or Hillary or the AMERICAN activists representing either one.

      I will grant you that if Hillary won the election she would be impeached for the emails and other things. That's where we are now. But I would not have supported it because I'm old fashioned and really do care about institutions.

      Delete
  9. “What does the Mueller report really say? We have no way of knowing.“

    Congress, the public, and the press should demand to know. It should not be relegated to the dustbin. And it would not be a ludicrous “Chase” to demand it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This is the new Democratic talking point, but it won't last long. First of all, just about nobody opposes releasing the Mueller Report - not even Trump. Second, the essence of the report WILL be released, probably tomorrow.

      So, Dems and their media allies will have to come up with something new to demonize Trump and his supporters. I am confident they will find something.

      Delete
    2. Glad to see you suddenly have confidence in the Deep State/DOJ to be totally and utterly transparent.

      You know, the ones conducting the witch hunt.

      Delete
    3. just about nobody opposes releasing the Mueller Report..

      Except the handpicked partisan flunky AG who was installed after Donald J Chickenshit, Acting President, fired Sessions and thereby pushing Rosenstein out of the picture.

      ..not even Trump..

      And you believe the lying sack of shit, right? Just like he claimed he was willing and eager to be questioned by the Mueller team, "under oath".

      the essence of the report

      I want the whole fucking thing released to the American citizens who paid for it. Just like with the Starr report, which was released in its entirety with every sexually explicit pornographic detail.

      something new to demonize Trump

      I think he's still under 16 separate and distinct investigations including criminal investigation for using his foundation as a slush fund. It is not the "Dems and the media", it's career criminal prosecutors. It's not our fault that he is a walking talking crime in motion.

      Delete
    4. Nearly every organization Trump has run over the last decade remains under investigation by state or federal authorities, and he is mired in a variety of civil litigation, including a lawsuit filed in New York by a former contestant on his reality show that could force him to answer questions under oath about his treatment of women.

      https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2019/03/23/trump-legal-troubles-are-far-from-over-even-mueller-probe-ends/YCfkPeuu6dHpGWJjjNhtPP/story.html

      Delete
    5. mm - so far I've seen two types of responses from liberals. One was CNN stating that the report is a big victory for Trump. Or Matt Taibbi calling it "a death-blow for the reputation of the American news media." https://taibbi.substack.com/p/russiagate-is-wmd-times-a-million

      The other response was typified by an article in the New York Times doubling down on the various charges. In effect saying that the Mueller Report changes nothing. Your comment is in the latter category. Here's the link, mm. You should like it https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/22/opinion/mueller-report-release.html

      Time will tell which interpretation prevails for the majority of Americans. I think the former will win out. There is a limit to everything, even Trump demonization.

      Time will also tell which interpretation prevails for the majority of the media. I would hope that most of the media would be striving to get their reputation back. But, I'm afraid the media will simply continue to report whatever gets the most viewers, whether it's accurate or not.

      Delete
    6. David, do you ever visit blogs/websites that are critical of right-leaning media (Fox, Limbaugh, etc)? Is there any equivalent to a Somerby in the right? Any self-respecting individual should recognize the narratives promoted by all the media, not just the portion that bugs you. You are either a partisan hack or an idiot to believe otherwise. That is why, when you (or Somerby for that matter) use the term “media”, you are being disingenuous if you only mean your and Somerby’s favorite bugaboos (MSNBC, CNN, NYT).

      Delete
    7. David, you completely ignored my responses other than to insult me.

      You made a factual assertion. Even Trump wants the report released. I asked if you believe the lying sack of shit. As is typical you deflected and avoided the issue.

      We're not going to pretend we didn't watch this criminal lying sack of shit commit obstruction in broad daylight every fucking day. We're not going to forget how he fired everyone in his way who was a threat to him. Starting with Comey and then pushed Sessions out of the way making Rosentein irrelevant, then installing his handpicked partisan hack. How he abused his pardon powers to interfere. How he vindictively punished critics to send chilling message to other career FBI agents. Eat shit with your lists of different media reactions.

      Delete
    8. @12:07, conservative media criticize each other quite a bit. E.g., there are a lot of Never-Trumpers media. These organs criticize Trump and implicitly criticize the conservative media who support him. And, the Trump-supporting media criticize the Never-Trump media.

      I confess I am less interested in criticism of Rush Limbaugh or Fox News, because I seldom pay attention to them. Same for Rachel Maddow. However, I pay good money to read the New York Times, so I am more interested in their flaws.

      Delete
    9. You don’t pay attention to Limbaugh or Fox. I don’t pay attention to Maddow. But Somerby acts as if she is a liberal “thought leader.” Is Limbaugh a conservative “thought leader?”

      Delete
    10. mm -- I certainly didn't mean to insult you. I thought I was correctly characterizing your view, that despite the Mueller Report, there is still lots of dirt.

      I am with you on releasing the Report. I also want the whole thing released.

      Delete
    11. It must be released in full. There's gotta be a pony in there somewhere!

      Delete
  10. Glad to see you suddenly have confidence in the Deep State/DOJ to be totally and utterly transparent.

    You know, the ones conducting the witch hunt.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Off topic. Bob has written about New York City's selective high schools. Here's an interesting article on that topic.https://quillette.com/2019/03/22/in-defense-of-new-york-citys-elite-public-high-schools/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It isn’t a question of if but when Somerby will get around to this topic again.

      Delete
  12. Today is a good day to post my favorite video:

    Breaking News, The Walls Are Closing In, A Tipping Point Bombshell, The Beginning Of The End...

    ...and of course we all are looking forward to a lot more of this wildly entertaining shit in the next 5 years...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Trump should be investigated for provoking the Democrat party into purchasing 30 million dollars of "I told you so" gloating for his reelection.

      Delete
  13. It's always a pleasure to find someone who agrees with you. Blogger Anne Althouse was struck by the same P. 1 NYT headline today as I was. She wrote:
    As Mueller Report Lands, Prosecutorial Focus Moves to New York

    The work by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, may be done, but prosecutors in Manhattan and elsewhere are pursuing about a dozen other investigations.

    It all but ensures that a legal threat will continue to loom over the Trump presidency.


    Althouse generalizes, "The rule is: When something good for Trump happens, find the nearest bad thing and make that the focus of the news report."

    Actually, the headline in my paper copy says, Interest turns to New York. This headline is not really reporting news; it's an effort to create news. The Times is instructing the world to pay attention to the investigation being conducted in the Southern District of NY. I don't think many people will follow the Times's orders. I think most people will recognize that this is a dry hole.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here's the headline in the NY Times from last night:


      Mueller Finds No Trump-Russia Conspiracy, but Stops Short of Exonerating President on Obstruction

      Guess what? Nobody at the NYTimes has seen or read the Mueller Report, jackass.

      Guess what? You aint' never gonna see it either. What I've been saying all along. Barr did his dirty work and now you're happy and celebrating.

      Delete
    2. You sound depressed, dembot.

      Chin up, dear, and keep denouncing The Enemies of Soros, The God.

      We like our dembots cheerful, active and happy, with perky ears, shiny fur, and wet nose...

      Delete
    3. Why would I be depressed? I predicted this. This is how the global elite work to maintain power. You should know, dittohead.

      Delete
    4. Okay! That's the spirit!

      But you still sound depressed, compared to your 'normal' agitated state; what is it - medications?

      I want to see more passion. Real strong outrage.

      Delete
  14. LOTTO, lottery,jackpot.
    Hello all my viewers, I am very happy for sharing this great testimonies,The best thing that has ever happened in my life is how I win the lottery euro million mega jackpot. I am a Woman who believe that one day I will win the lottery. finally my dreams came through when I email believelovespelltemple@gmail.com and tell him I need the lottery numbers. I have spend so much money on ticket just to make sure I win. But I never know that winning was so easy until the day I meant the spell caster online which so many people has talked about that he is very great in casting lottery spell, . so I decide to give it a try.I contacted this great Dr Believe and he did a spell and he gave me the winning lottery numbers. But believe me when the draws were out I was among winners. I win 30,000 million Dollar. Dr Believe truly you are the best, all thanks to you forever

    ReplyDelete