One of my heroes in journalism, the late 20th Century muckraker I.F. Stone, is most famous for his dictum that all governments lie. Sadly, that's been true -- albeit in wildly varying degrees -- with all the U.S. presidents of my lifetime. The list includes Republicans like George W. Bush (the Iraq war, the African uranium caper) and Richard Nixon (pretty much everything) and Democrats like LBJ (Vietnam) and, yes, even the relatively scandal-free Barack Obama ("If you like your health insurance, you can keep it," even after evidence emerged to the contrary, and his promise of "the most transparent government"...not even close.) But none dared to launch what a certain German minister of propaganda (today you might call him a "chief strategist") once called The Big Lie -- a falsehood so outrageous and so without basis that it's almost futile to contradict in any conventional way.
But Donald Trump went there. Armed with his iPhone and his two thumbs, the president-elect -- who takes the oath of office in 54 days -- experienced a Twitter meltdown earlier this afternoon, and ultimately told a shocking Big Lie to the nation he plans to lead.
In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016
This is the media's challenge -- to cover Trump's lies and yet not lose sight of the big picture either. To cover the most dangerous political figure in America's 240-year history with reckless abandon and yet with a sense of control.
The stakes are too high to calculate. But there is one other thing about Trump's big lie about the 2016 election. Ironically, before today, the case for a recount in the three states was a tad shaky. While the threat of Russian (or other) hacking has been a valid concern, little in the way of actual evidence of a stolen election has emerged since November 8. But now that Trump has alleged massive fraud, the integrity of the American system demands that the result be audited and properly certified. So let the re-counting begin.
Mr. Antonio’s combination of jobs — he is a business partner with Mr. Trump, while also representing the Philippines in its relationship with the United States and the president-elect — is hardly inconsequential, given some of the weighty issues on the diplomatic table.
Among them, Mr. Duterte has urged “a separation†from the United States and has called for American troops to exit the country in two years’ time. His antidrug crusade has resulted in the summary killings of thousands of suspected criminals without trial, prompting criticism from the Obama administration.
Situations like these are already leading some former government officials from both parties to ask if America’s reaction to events around the world could potentially be shaded, if only slightly, by the Trump family’s financial ties with foreign players. They worry, too, that in some countries those connections could compromise American efforts to criticize the corrupt intermingling of state power with vast business enterprises controlled by the political elite.
Many foreign governments retain close ties to and even control of companies in their country, including several that already are partnered with the Trump Organization. Any government wanting to seek future influence with President Trump could do so by arranging for a partnership with the Trump Organization, feeding money directly to the family or simply stashing it away inside the company for their use once Trump is out of the White House. This is why, without a permanent departure of the entire Trump family from their company, the prospect of legal bribery by overseas powers seeking to influence American foreign policy, either through existing or future partnerships, will remain a reality throughout a Trump presidency.
Quote by Scoopster:
Heh Tri - I have to put our promised celebratory smokin' of the legal greens on hold for a while.
You see, it seems I have a bit of a problem in that area, so I'm gonna be taking a break.
Quote by TriSec:
Good morning.
Ye Olde Manager is on vacation this week, so I can play with the cool kids for a few days.
I did not reply Friday, but the Blogger known as Joe will be welcome in the TriSec compound, provided he has the proper documentation.
I note that I too posted exuberantly about Castro, but nobody cared. Then again, I'm not the President-elect.
Quote by Raine:Quote by Scoopster:
Heh Tri - I have to put our promised celebratory smokin' of the legal greens on hold for a while.
You see, it seems I have a bit of a problem in that area, so I'm gonna be taking a break.
Quote by TriSec:
Good morning.
Ye Olde Manager is on vacation this week, so I can play with the cool kids for a few days.
I did not reply Friday, but the Blogger known as Joe will be welcome in the TriSec compound, provided he has the proper documentation.
I note that I too posted exuberantly about Castro, but nobody cared. Then again, I'm not the President-elect.
Quote by Scoopster:
Heh Tri - I have to put our promised celebratory smokin' of the legal greens on hold for a while.
You see, it seems I have a bit of a problem in that area, so I'm gonna be taking a break.
Quote by Raine:
This is awesome!
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
This is awesome!
Quote by velveeta jones:
Morning.
Can we start impeachment on 1/21?
Quote by Raine:
This is awesome!
Quote by BobR:
So I have a broken toe.
Thanks, Obama...
Quote by Will in Chicago:
Good morning, bloggers!!!
I believe that incredible claims require incredible facts to back them up. Donald J. Trump has presented no evidence of massive voter fraud. We must presume that the President-Elect will continue to lie to strengthen his position and endear himself to his followers.
So, we will have many challenges in coming years. Strap in, folks!! It's going to be a long, hard, bumpy ride.
Quote by Raine:
Crap, I just saw a report that there are 7 victims and still an active shooter at Ohio State in Columbus.
Quote by BobR:
So I have a broken toe.
Thanks, Obama...
Quote by BobR:
So I have a broken toe.
Thanks, Obama...
Quote by BobR:
So I have a broken toe.
Thanks, Obama...
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by Mondobubba:
Scoop, have you ever had a hankering to be a Hero of Soviet Labor?
Ooooh neato!
Quote by Scoopster:
TX elector resigns rather than cast an EV for Trump
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Scoopster:
TX elector resigns rather than cast an EV for Trump
I was just going to post that. Didn't sound like the guy wanted to cast for Hillary either.
Quote by Raine:
Thanks for this!
I am reading it now.
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Thanks for this!
I am reading it now.
Be sure to read the two essays he links. Both of them are excellent as well.
Quote by Raine:The essay from ThinkProgress is absolutely amazing.Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by Raine:
Thanks for this!
I am reading it now.
Be sure to read the two essays he links. Both of them are excellent as well.
I;m really concerned about this. B*sh was a dolt and an idiot -- and the war thing STILL pisses me off, but this is something much more ominous, Mondo.