Useful Idiots
Yeah, it's Russia, Russia, Russia again. That's only because it is. It's as though Reagan said, "Mr. Gorbachev, do whatever the hell you want with this wall."
As we close in on both the debate, as I write this, and the election in less than 2 months, I'd really like to write about something other than politics, but it's pretty tough. Luckily my colleague Jim Moore goes after the shooting in Georgia and the predictable, emotionless response of thoughts and prayers from all the politicians too craven to buck the NRA and it's bubbafication of the electorate. Not to mention the money.
Jim's piece is, as usual, excellent and I modestly refer you to one I wrote a few shootings ago about the gun involved and the 2nd Amendment, which seems to be the only part of the Constitution some folks have actually read.
Roger T. Gray
But as I sit here and eagerly anticipate the debate on Tuesday, there are some developments, as usual, that just have to be explored. And I'm going to ask a big favor. I will post a link shortly to a Russian talking head political show that discusses the recent actions by the Department of Justice and the Attorney General, Merrick Garland...
The Garland gang is shocked, shocked to find there is pro-Trump disinformation being promulgated on the interwebs, bought and paid for by Russia. Three podcasters, in particular, were singled out for spouting the Putin line on the election and Ukraine.
The DOJ indictment alleges Russian state-owned Russia Today paid $10 million to a Tennessee firm, identified as Tenet Media, to distribute content with concealed Russian messaging in a bid to interfere in the 2024 US election. One of the owners of Tenet Media is Lauren Chen, who also worked as a contributor to Glenn Beck's various broadcast bedlam channels until he wisely fired her this week. Tenet Media, by the way, has quietly folded this week as well.
If RT sounds familiar, it was probably once a channel choice on your cable TV system. Several Americans, including two I actually worked with over the years, worked for the Russians when their careers fizzled out in the US, like Larry King, Rick Sanchez, Dennis Miller, and Jesse Ventura. Hey, you have to pay the rent, right?
One of these podcasters, Tim Pool (yeah, I never heard of him either), said this...
And, yes, we should apologize to Russia. It's as though Reagan said, "Mr. Gorbachev, do whatever the hell you want with this wall."
Senator Marco Rubio actually came to the defense of the three according to Mediaite...
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) defended the conservative media influencers under scrutiny following Wednesday’s Justice Department’s Russian interference indictment as “victims” who were merely pushing “pre-existing political opinions” and, instead, slammed pro-Harris mainstream media as the real purveyors of pro-Harris “disinformation.”
So, although the Russkis aren't paying the New York Times, they are the real villains. I don't see how he missed his "mention George Soros" opportunity.
And of course, Vlad announced he was endorsing Kamala Harris, with a nod and a wink. And Trump and his camp followers used it as evidence that she is in league with the bad guys.
So this is where I have a big favor to ask. I would like you to watch this video. It is almost 9 minutes. I know, that's a lot of subtitles, but the content is incredibly revealing. It is a Russian talking head pundit-fest, like you'd see here on Fox or MSNBC. But listen to the comments about the DOJ, Trump even Tucker Carlson. And they finish calling the Putin endorsement "world class trolling."
Yes, they laughed at Americans who they said would fall for Vladimir Putin’s “trolling” endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris over Donald Trump on Thursday. One Russian pundit who is right out of central casting, says the polls published in the "Amerikanski" press are obviously false because they are worried that "our Donald" might win. Yes, he said Our Donald.
And by the way, does this guy have the look of a genial master of ceremonies or what? He makes Bill O'Reilly look like Jimmy Fallon.
Oh, and Tucker gets a nod because his latest deranged move is interviewing not just a Holocaust denier, but a guy, Darryl Cooper, who says that the 6 million died because the poor NAZIS didn't anticipate having to feed so many prisoners, so what else could they do? He also called Winston Churchill the real villain of WWII, and Carlson later called that a "defensible position to take." Yes, those words actually exited his tiny pie-hole. But wait, there's more.
Republican Vice-Presidential candidate J.D. Vance defended Carlson on free speech grounds. Certainly, the Tuckster has the right to platform any loopy meshuga he wants, and he did with no one stopping him, but you don't have to defend it. It's looking more and more like Hillbilly Vanilli might not have been the wisest VP choice.
Finally, the Donald spoke to the Economic Club of New York, with an audience of the Big Apple's richest movers and shakers. You have no doubt heard discussion of the answer he gave a woman on the panel who asked about his plans for childcare legislation for working parents. It was his standard gibberish involving tariffs or something. We all know babies can handle paying tariffs, right?
But the answer that caught my eye and ear involved US policy toward China in a Trump administration. The answer...
I apologize for that one being long, too, but if you heard an actual answer in there, shoot up a flare or something. Trump now claims this type of circuitous rambling is actually a style technique he calls "The Weave." No, not in the sense of "weave heard this nonsense before" but an actual, deliberate style that he says many English professors tell him is genius. Not sure how many English professors he deals with, but OK.
To me though, it's just another evasive vowel movement.